Re: steveo (and others like him), he seems to think that if there are no explicitly racist laws, that systemic racism doesn’t exist. And, as I predicted, when presented with evidence that racism does exit he simply ignores it and digs his heels in. Typical of his kind. He’s the type of person that thinks “hey, I’M not racist, so therefore no one else is either.” Or “Since I don’t see people in my immediate vicinity engage explicitly racist behavior, racism doesn’t exist.”
If I might quote myself from Page 5 of this thread, this is exactly what we've seen play out. Downplay or deny actual evidence when it's presented and continue as if the "extreme left" is being silly.
I will say this, it's been very interesting to see the "moderates" on the right twist themselves into knots trying to defend this guy. Even if Trump said explicitly "Black people suck", these people would still say "well, there's nuance there" and "Hey, the world is a complicated place and he might be saying that for complicated reasons".
No, the reason is not complicated. It's simple. It's obvious. If you don't see it, it's because you don't WANT to see it. Because it makes you uncomfortable for some reason (god knows why). But there you have it.
Put another way:
Random moderate conservative: "I don't see that sexism/racism exists"
Several women: "Here's examples of sexism that I've experienced directly".
Random moderate conservative: "I still don't see that sexism/racism exists".
It's rather breathtaking to watch this level of cognitive dissonance between their view of the world and the facts presented by others.
So what will convince these "moderates"? Nothing. Nothing will ever, ever, ever, ever convince them. As I stated previously theres no real value to discussing it with them, the only real thing that can be done is simply out-vote them and make the change over their self-imposed blindness.
This shows another issue. We are talking about society as a whole. Maybe sexism and bad behaviour will be wiped out completely but I doubt it. We have to take a general look at society. I have used examples of how I live in a multi-cultural and gender environment previously and that was apparently unacceptable to be used as proof.
Do you now believe that you are suffering from cognitive dissonance ? If we are to use your logic the answer has to be yes. If you believe no then you are cherry picking your idea. Maybe it's not cognitive dissonance and maybe it is a difference of opinion.
My advice to you is to learn to accept that people can have different opinions rather than if people don't believe the same thing as you they suffer from cognitive dissonance. It's just as likely that you are the one suffering from cognitive dissonance.
Come on dude, really? Racism and sexism playout in so many people's lives. That's not cognitive dissonance. That's fucking reality dude. Stop trying to downplay real life experiences. And you wonder why people don't respond positively towards you?? I guess maybe it's cognitive dissonance that my own racist grandfather refused to watch basketball because "too many black people (except he didn't use the term "black people") played." Or another family member was fired from his job because he unfairly treated black people. Yep, the "n" word was just a regular old common word used in my house. It's so common to these family members that one was banned from Facebook for using the "n" word. Guess what? They all see Trump as the greatest thing since sliced bread. Know why I don't get along with these conservatives? Because they (not me) decided that since I don't behave in this manner then I must be some liberal communist who wants to give everyone handouts. Not ironically I did get along with them somewhat while Obama was President. I believe having someone in power that espouses those horrible views has given them motivation to no longer keep them bottled up.
Yeah it must be great growing up and living in a perfect bubble where there is no sexism and racism. But that shit is everywhere, even in middle class suburban white households.
If I told you about my real life experiences of racism, would you downplay them because I'm not a minority? You have no idea about where I've grown up or how I was treated. What managers have done, etc. I don't really share my experiences because nobody seems to care when a non-minority faces racism, and I also don't have a victim mentality.
But I'll give you a few examples.
- As a teenager working at McDonalds, the African-American manager that came in would outright say "I only hire my people" and would not even bother interviewing white kids
- When I had dreams of becoming a police officer, it was nearly impossible to get an interview. The departments heavily favor minority candidates (including women). My sister immediately job offers from all over and still gets beneficial treatment when it comes to promotions. She's very open about it being the departments need for minority hires. That was almost 20 years ago now, and I DO see the benefit in minority hiring, but it was nearly impossible for me to get a job at the the time.
- Growing up, a close friend of mine was African-American. He has since passed. We were roommates in my early 20's, in a predominantly African neighborhood. "Get out of the way, cracker" wasn't uncommon. Cashiers at the store would be crazy friendly to the person in front of you, then not even look at you when it was your turn. Etc.
- When I got out of high school, I was dating a hispanic girl who attended a majority African-American high school. She would come home almost daily in tears for months because of the racist things, sexual things, etc. that were being said to her. She had to change schools.
Plenty of others, mostly from when I was living with my friend in that neighborhood.
So, would you accept that some people have different experiences growing up that maybe don't fit the mainstream narrative? I get it, nobody feels bad for the white dude. I probably get it on a level that might surprise you. I fully understand historic racism in this country and how that effects today. Would you downplay MY experiences?
And I do agree with you, racism and sexism is everywhere. But from MY life experiences, I'd probably disagree with the narrative. And understanding the true realities, that we are all equal, that we all can face discrimination, is a good step towards trying to solve the issues.