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Edited on Fri Sep-04-09 05:12 AM by RandomThoughts
Racism itself is not a root cause, it is a byproduct of something else.
It is a byproduct of people finding reasons for self serving ideas to be first, it gives a rational to not have empathy and theoretically divide resources among a smaller group.
Most ideas of superiority fit into that category when you look at those ideas.
Some examples that can be used in the same way: Intelligence is most important productivity is most important Social status is most important Heritage is most important Race is most important Religious group you are part of is most important What you own is most important What you don't own is most important What 'sins' you don't commit is most important An economic belief is most important A social belief is most important
There is one exception, if you believe everyone having equal dignity and empathy for the most people possible is the most important, it does not fit that equation since it directly opposes superiority. Many times it is spoken of as the Golden rule or love your neighbor as yourself even when your neighbor is different then you.
It is possible for someone to be any of the things in that list without thinking they are in some way more worthy then other people, but sometimes people find reasons to shrink their empathy circle to remove their feelings of conscious when deciding how to allocate the resources they have access and control over.
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