We need to break the cycle of prejudice, writes Krista Kafer
“It’s interesting,” an acquaintance remarked, “you’re religious but you have a sophisticated mind.”
What he meant as a compliment revealed a substantial bias against a large group of people. I took the compliment with a smile but thought “you need to get out more.”
I’m convinced we all do.
Part of what makes prejudice so hard to eradicate is that false perceptions are self-reinforcing. If preachy and not-too-smart is one’s perception of Christians, for example, every Ned Flanderstype will make an impression on the memory. Every keen mind encountered will be presumed to be unencumbered by faith.
The human mind is an extraordinary learning machine. Unfortunately,
it has a hard time unlearning errors in perception because of built-in confirmation bias. We interpret new experiences and information so that it confirms what we already believe to be true. If one is raised with antipathy toward people whose ethnicity, religion, or nationality differs from one’s own or has had other such formative experiences, one will continually find evidence for that original false perception. Prejudicial beliefs thus become self-perpetuating.
So what’s the solution? Can the cycle of prejudice be broken?
One of my favorite interviews on National Public Radio was of a neo-Nazi who abandoned his hateful views and now works to free people from racism. Christian Picciolini had owned a music store where he sold albums by skinhead bands and other music. Much to his surprise, a diverse range of customers came by the store to buy the other music. They hung out and talked about albums. These conversations led to friendships with people Picciolini had previously reviled. The cognitive dissonance he felt between his ideology and his affections could no longer be ignored. He renounced his racist beliefs, closed the store, and started a nonprofit to help others break the cycle.
The interview caused a bit of cognitive dissonance in my own mind. Shaming those who are guilty of racism and other forms of prejudice feels good. It feels righteous. We all would like to believe that a good public shaming will cause a change of heart. I’m not sure it does. It’s not what changed Picciolini.
It’s not what changed me. A few years after 9/11, I traveled to the Middle East. New friends dispelled some negative feelings I had toward Muslims and Arabs. A friend also gently encouraged me to rethink my bias against Palestinians. Negative perceptions from various sources had tainted my views of some five million people I’d never met. Had he shamed me for my wrong perceptions, I’m not sure I would have been open to change since shame tends to trigger self-defense not contemplation. Rather, he invited me to rethink unexamined assumptions.
Racism and other types of bigotry are abhorrent and must be repudiated in no uncertain terms as immoral and antithetical to our national creed. Peaceful protests can play a role in encouraging police departments to dismiss racist and potentially violent officers. Protests are effective at communicating a community-wide opposition to racism. I’m not sure they are as effective at encouraging self-reflection about prejudice. Social media arguments are even less likely to induce a contemplative frame of mind.
So how do we engage with people who harbor prejudice in a way that encourages self-reflection and a genuine change of heart? How do we invite an elderly aunt or old friend who holds such beliefs to reexamine? Can we create a space for redemption? Am I naïve to think that more positive face-to-face interactions will help break that pernicious cycle?