“Ambient Perception” and “Racism”

We can sometimes show a leftist how he’s wrong about something, but it’s almost impossible to turn him into a right-winger. This is because our opinions are not typically shaped by isolated incidents or experiences; they’re shaped by the totality of those experiences.

Our perception of reality is shaped by:

1. Our personal experiences, as filtered through pre-conceived notions, accurate or not
2. The experiences of others in our circle of friends and relatives, subject to the same caveat
3. What we are taught in school and by our parents – subject to the same caveat
4. What we read/see in “The News” heavily subject to the views of those reporting it
5. What we read/see in movies, commercials, books, billboards etc. (the Mass Media) – regardless of whether those movies and books are represented as “fiction” or “non-fiction.” To our subconscious minds, it doesn’t make much of a difference; over time, the accumulated “experiences” of those novels and movies meld into one ecosystem of Ambient Perception.

Changing an ecosystem requires a lot more than simply replacing one tree or shrub; it requires massive efforts, and this is why it’s so difficult to change the world-view of a leftist. His Ambient Perception is shaped by his ecosystem of ideas, which have accumulated over the course of his entire life in most cases.

Today, I had a conversation with some relatives. They had visited a state in the South, and one of them commented, “racism is still very strong there!”

I didn’t want to get into an argument, because a single argument cannot change their ecosystem, but here’s what I wanted to ask:

Did you ASK the “racists” you encountered there WHY they’re not fond of black people?

Did you ASK them WHY they’re not fond of INDIANS?

In a different scenario, where I felt I could safely ask this question, I would do so. In this particular situation, there were two of them and only one of me. They would have simply shouted at me. No good would have come of it.

It’s a common theme. Leftist individuals will encounter what they perceive as “racism,” and they’ll condemn it – but rarely do they approach the offender and ask him why he feels that way. It’s the same with researchers. They’ll report statistics that, according to them, provide evidence of “racism,” but they don’t actually ASK the subjects why they won’t rent to black people, or why they avoid hiring them.

People who are truly interested in the truth will take the time to ask questions – and they will ask in a nice way, in order to understand. Those who seek the truth are willing to challenge their own ecosystem. They make a serious effort to look past their own Ambient Perception.

People who refuse to ask questions are not interested in the truth; all they want to do is condemn and pontificate.