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Media – has great influence over us early in our life, and creates fragmentary images of people. Example: If we see terrorists on TV but do not understand the context, then everyone resembling them will become terrorists in our mind. Myths – some conceptions can be adopted by a whole culture and live on for generations. Some of them become legends, others become “truths”.
In their book “Vit makt och blågula drömmar” (“White power and blue and yellow dreams”) AnnaLena Lodenius and Per Wikström, journalists and authors, write that there are several additional factors besides personal conditions -- like bad upbringing, vulnerability and lack of male role models -- that make people, mostly men, become racists. These are other factors they consider to have an influence: • • •
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Society. When society suffers from a financial crisis and when unemployment numbers are high and hopes for the future low, then there is a context where racist opinions may form. Political decisions. “Institutionalized” discrimination and housing segregation are said to make way for racist views even in political decisions and hence “sanitizes” them.. History. Swedish history is full of racist views and actions. We are beginning to forget about the Holocaust and Racial Biology and because of this, views from back then are heard again. The Christian Church of the early days had a very limited view of what should be the norm and condemned anything that was different. Although the church of today does not hold these views, racists make use of that history. Feminism. The more influence women have in the society and the less power men have over them, the more some men will see women as a threat to them and to their view of what is “manly”. Many racist ideologies express opinions that will fortify men and weaken women.
Reacting to prejudices As described above, prejudices are seldom a result of statistics and reality. They are emotions or an interpretation of reality. Responding to an emotion by stating many facts is seldom of any use. Reacting to prejudices is much more complex than that. For you as a leader it is wise not to take part in the discussion. It is better to ask questions of the people voicing their opinions. Telling them what you see or saying that they are wrong will hardly change anything on a deeper level; rather, it will only have a momentary influence. Here are some examples of what you can ask: How do you mean? Is it always like that? When you are angry it may be difficult to remember that there is a human being behind the attitudes you react to but you should always take the person seriously. Do not make ironic remarks about what is expressed; instead, show respect although you cannot share the opinions. Try to avoid confrontation – ask questions and talk about the matter but do not attack because if you do there is risk of deadlock. Another thing that is important to remember is that we were not born with our opinions but choose how we will think and act, even if it is subconsciously. Because of this, one question could be: How did you come to think the way you do? Prejudices as self-fulfilling prophecies People who have prejudices will always look for proof that they are right. If you think that all immigrants live on “social welfare” you will stop there when you see the statistics and not think of the reasons for it. Most probably you will also automatically treat people you label “immigrants” as dependent on benefits, having lower status and exploiting the System.