I agree Lilyflower
I was going to write something laong those lines myself.
But am loathe to add much to a stir thread.
I watched a documentary type programme a few years ago.
The toddlers that had whiter skin went towards adults of the same skin colour.
As did the darker skin babies go towards darker skin adults.
Gransnet forums
News & politics
Racism is a result of poor psychological functioning
(375 Posts)Steve Taylor, a senior psychological university lecturer has produced an article which outlines how racism may develop, and the 5 stages leading to it.
“ Research shows a link between prejudice and poor psychological functioning, including poor relationships with insecurity and aggression. This can often be traced back to a disturbed and insecure childhood. Other research has shown a link between racism and anxiety, demonstrating that people become more prejudiced during challenging times.
More generally, studies demontrate that when people are made to feel insecure or anxious, they are more likely to identify with their national or ethnic groups. This enhances their self-esteem and their sense of identity, as a defence against insecurity and anxiety.
There are clearly social and economic factors that encourage racism, such as hierarchy and inequality. But the above research suggests that racism is largely a psychological defence mechanism against anxiety and insecurity.”
The 5 stages
1. L“the process begins when a person lacks a sense of security and identity, which generates a desire to affiliate themselves with a group. This affiliation strengthens their identity and provides a sense of belonging.
What’s wrong with this? Why shouldn’t we take pride in our national or religious identity, and feel a sense of brotherhood or sisterhood with others who share our identity?
2. Because group identity often leads to a second, more dangerous stage. In order to further strengthen their sense of identity, members of a group may develop antagonism towards other groups. Such hostility may make the group feel more defined and cohesive, as if they can see themselves more clearly in opposition to others.
3. A third stage of the process is when members of a group withdraw empathy from members of other groups, limiting their concern and compassion to their peers. They may act benevolently towards members of their own group but be indifferent or callous to anyone outside it. The withdrawal of empathy turns other human beings into objects, and enables cruelty and violence.
4. Fourth is the homogenisation of individuals belonging to other groups. People are no longer perceived in terms of their individual personalities or behaviour, but in terms of prejudices about the group as a whole. Any member of the group is a legitimate target and can be punished for the alleged transgressions of other individuals from the group. In contemporary terms, any asylum seeker can be punished for the alleged crime of an individual asylum seeker.
5. Finally, people may project their own psychological flaws and personal failings onto another group, as a strategy of avoiding responsibility. Other groups become scapegoats, and consequently are liable to attacked or even murdered. People with strong narcissistic and paranoid personality traits are especially prone to such projection, since they struggle to accept their personal faults, instead searching for others to take the blame.
In other words, racism is a symptom of psychological ill-health, a sign of anxiety and of a lack of identity and inner security. Psychologically healthy people with a stable sense of identity and security are very rarely (if ever) racist. They ultimately have no need to strengthen their sense of self through group identity.
The Conversation
16/9/25
And then children grow up, and make friends with all sorts., don't they?
I'm confused about the 'stir thread' comment, fancythat. It's a News and Politics thread. Doesn't GN itself describe these threads as 'lively'?
Allira
LizzieDrip
As Elizabeth Bennet said to her mother "If he were not so rich he would not be quite so handsome"
🤣🤣🤣 Jane Austen got it in one!'Will you tell me how long you have loved him?" "It has been coming on so gradually, that I hardly know when it began. But I believe I must date it from my first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberley."'
Yes, and Elizabeth well knew the prevalent view that money matters more than anything else. Nothing has changed in 2025 and it takes guts to contend with money= power,
fancythat
I agree Lilyflower
I was going to write something laong those lines myself.
But am loathe to add much to a stir thread.
I watched a documentary type programme a few years ago.
The toddlers that had whiter skin went towards adults of the same skin colour.
As did the darker skin babies go towards darker skin adults.
It's not just a skin colour thing. The phrase "Birds of a feather flock together" is very apt in a lot of ways.
A teeny-tiny little incident in a supermarket years back told me that one. Three people involved - the till assistant, the customer before me (similar backgrounds etc to each other by the look of it) and me. The other customer did something wrong - can't remember the details...but she was mucking around with my shopping on the conveyor belt behind her. Cue for the till assistant decided to join in - and she joined in with the wrong person (ie the customer in the wrong ahead of me).
I checked the two of them out and they "matched" each other and didn't look etc like me. She supported the one who was wrong - because she was like her and I wasn't.
Just one teeny tiny little example of where I've noticeably often realised the wrong person is being supported - because they are like their "supporter". No concern for who is right or wrong - just "Who is like them?"
I'd just taken it for granted pretty much that other people would evaluate objectively to see who to support - and not do the "pick a person like themselves" (right or wrong).
And letting in thousands of unvetted men who we know absolutely noting about? I would call that person 'deranged'.
^I watched a documentary type programme a few years ago.
The toddlers that had whiter skin went towards adults of the same skin colour.^
As did the darker skin babies go towards darker skin adults.
Well, I've never seen that.
And it has not been my experience which, admittedly, is fairly limited.
You can get people who are racist who aren't necessarily the poorer, uneducated white stereotype. I can remember going to school in the eighties with someone who came from quite a well off background who absolutely hated black people and once brought in National Front News. Even in the supposedly more liberal university world, it wasn't uncommon to hear racist comments. I suppose it was a less liberal time, but racism can occur in all classes.
Cumbrianmale56
And then there’s the closet racists, who denounce others, declare their own non racism, but actually are.
Cumbrianmale56
You can get people who are racist who aren't necessarily the poorer, uneducated white stereotype. I can remember going to school in the eighties with someone who came from quite a well off background who absolutely hated black people and once brought in National Front News. Even in the supposedly more liberal university world, it wasn't uncommon to hear racist comments. I suppose it was a less liberal time, but racism can occur in all classes.
I think people know that. Farage is a classic example.
Look at Mosley.
There was a lot of anti-Semitic sentiment amongst the aristocracy.
Whitewavemark2
Look at Mosley.
There was a lot of anti-Semitic sentiment amongst the aristocracy.
Of course there were/?are. I'm not at all sure where the idea that it's a working class phenomenon comes from.
Yes Farage, there are reports about how nasty he was to a young Jewish lad at the same posh school.
Allira
^I watched a documentary type programme a few years ago.
The toddlers that had whiter skin went towards adults of the same skin colour.^
As did the darker skin babies go towards darker skin adults.
Well, I've never seen that.
And it has not been my experience which, admittedly, is fairly limited.
Very young children learn from their significant others. A human baby fostered by wolves will move towards the wolf not the human.
Mollygo
Cumbrianmale56
And then there’s the closet racists, who denounce others, declare their own non racism, but actually are.
I work with a man who professes to be completely anti racist and liberal, and yet has a list of prejudices a mile long( basically anyone who doesn't share his views). He came out with a completely stupid statement that he disliked Scottish people because they kept Labour out of power in 2015 and 2017.
Caleo
Allira
^I watched a documentary type programme a few years ago.
The toddlers that had whiter skin went towards adults of the same skin colour.^
As did the darker skin babies go towards darker skin adults.
Well, I've never seen that.
And it has not been my experience which, admittedly, is fairly limited.Very young children learn from their significant others. A human baby fostered by wolves will move towards the wolf not the human.
Newborns don’t have a built-in preference for humans. They move towards warmth, touch, gentle movement—and even face-like patterns (two eyes counts!). Harlow’s monkey experiments showed comfort beats food every time.
So, in theory, a human baby could move towards a wolf if it was the cosiest, most comforting presence around. It’s all about sensory cues, not species loyalty.
Caleo
Caleo
Allira
^I watched a documentary type programme a few years ago.
The toddlers that had whiter skin went towards adults of the same skin colour.^
As did the darker skin babies go towards darker skin adults.
Well, I've never seen that.
And it has not been my experience which, admittedly, is fairly limited.Very young children learn from their significant others. A human baby fostered by wolves will move towards the wolf not the human.
Newborns don’t have a built-in preference for humans. They move towards warmth, touch, gentle movement—and even face-like patterns (two eyes counts!). Harlow’s monkey experiments showed comfort beats food every time.
So, in theory, a human baby could move towards a wolf if it was the cosiest, most comforting presence around. It’s all about sensory cues, not species loyalty.
Species loyalty and skin-color loyalty are learned in the family, the are not born with the individual
Caleo
Allira
^I watched a documentary type programme a few years ago.
The toddlers that had whiter skin went towards adults of the same skin colour.^
As did the darker skin babies go towards darker skin adults.
Well, I've never seen that.
And it has not been my experience which, admittedly, is fairly limited.Very young children learn from their significant others. A human baby fostered by wolves will move towards the wolf not the human.
Yes, I agree.
There was are stories of children who were fostered by wolves but whether these stories have any foundation in fact, I do not know.
Allira
Caleo
Allira
^I watched a documentary type programme a few years ago.
The toddlers that had whiter skin went towards adults of the same skin colour.^
As did the darker skin babies go towards darker skin adults.
Well, I've never seen that.
And it has not been my experience which, admittedly, is fairly limited.Very young children learn from their significant others. A human baby fostered by wolves will move towards the wolf not the human.
Yes, I agree.
There was are stories of children who were fostered by wolves but whether these stories have any foundation in fact, I do not know.
Yes, like Romulus and Remus and the Wild Boy of Aveyron. I think these stories are not factitious or not sufficiently factitious, attractive as they are. We do have cross species fostering like a nursing bitch will foster a kitten It would of course be unethical to do the experiment with human babies.
I wonder if a bereaved mother of a young baby would nurse a puppy or a kitten.
I wonder if a bereaved mother of a young baby would nurse a puppy or a kitten.
Take comfort from stroking or cuddling a puppy or a kitten, yes, but nursing it as a replacement baby? I don’t think so.
Bereaved people often rely on their pets for comfort, but that’s different.
Mollygo
I wonder if a bereaved mother of a young baby would nurse a puppy or a kitten.
Take comfort from stroking or cuddling a puppy or a kitten, yes, but nursing it as a replacement baby? I don’t think so.
Bereaved people often rely on their pets for comfort, but that’s different.
I bet someone somewhere has either breastfed an animal or expressed her milk for a baby animal.
Caleo
I bet someone somewhere has either breastfed an animal or expressed her milk for a baby animal.
Quite possibly. Certainly someone would claim to have done so, or to know someone who has done so.
Nigel Farage isn’t helping to bring us altogether. In my words he seems so old-fashioned when after World War II my dear neighbour, a barrister from Jamaica, couldn’t get a job in the UK so he and his English wife had to move to Lagos
His latest plan seems set to make the British worker poorer and take away the funding for State Pensions. I do wonder what he has to do to make those who laud him understand the reality of his ideas.
DaisyAnneReturns
His latest plan seems set to make the British worker poorer and take away the funding for State Pensions. I do wonder what he has to do to make those who laud him understand the reality of his ideas.
Farage has also pledged to cut welfare payments, including disability benefits. Earlier this year, he claimed that mental ill health and learning disabilities are over-diagnosed.
If you're poor, disabled or old (and relying on a state pension), it wouldn't be a good idea to vote for Reform.
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