We learn to be racist, therefore we can learn not to be racist. Racism is not genetical. It has everything to do with power.
Interpretation
Racism is a learned behavior, not an inherent trait, and can be unlearned through awareness and education.
In this quote, Jane Elliott emphasizes that racism is not a genetic predisposition, but rather a societal construct that individuals learn through cultural and historical influences. She argues that just as racism can be taught, it can also be unlearned, highlighting the importance of education and awareness in dismantling prejudiced beliefs and promoting equality.
In practice
This quote can be shared during a diversity training session to encourage discussions about overcoming racism.
White people’s number one freedom, in the United States of America, is the freedom to be totally ignorant of those who are other than white. We don’t have to learn about those who are other than white. And our number two freedom is the freedom to deny that we’re ignorant.
We dont know anything about racism. Weve never experienced it. If words can make a difference in your life for seven minutes, how would it affect you if you heard this every day of your life?
We are still conditioning people in this country and, indeed, all over the globe to the myth of white superiority. We are constantly being told that we don't have racism in this country anymore, but most of the people who are saying that are white. White people think it isn't happening because it isn't happening to them.
This country isn't a melting pot. Think of this country as a stir fry. That's what this country should be. A place where people are appreciated for who they are.
I was a new person then, I knew things I had not known before, I knew things that you can know only if you have been through what I had just been through.
The survival of the United States of America as we know it is at risk. And even more — if more should be required — the future of human civilization is at stake.
All things change, nothing is extinguished. There is nothing in the whole world which is permanent. Everything flows onward; all things are brought into being with a changing nature; the ages themselves glide by in constant movement.
The War on Drugs has been an utter failure. We need to rethink and decriminalize our marijuana laws.
You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight.
One mushroom cloud would change history. My deepest fear is that this is exactly what they [Al Qaeda] intend.
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