Jeremy Hine
6, May, 2011
FD#5/ Final Exam
Whether we are conscious of it or not, all of us have some prejudices in our psyche. In the extreme form, these manifest in hate speech or crimes. These crimes can often be horrific, and are often targeted at the most vulnerable in our society. For the most part these prejudices, be they religious or racial, are learned from a young age. [Thesis]To combat these prejudices, and subsequently hate crimes, I propose two changes to the way we educate our children in both religious and cultural matters [Thesis].
Many of us would like to believe that we are not prejudiced. However, if we examine ourselves closely, we often find that we do have a prejudice towards those who have beliefs different from our own, or who are of a different race. Some of these prejudices can be ingrained in our unconscious. This can even manifest in those who view themselves as tolerant. A study, by Russell Fazio a social psychologist at Ohio State, found that white people had a supposedly unconscious prejudice towards black people and tended to favor the white option (DeAngelis). So where do these prejudices come from? And how do they develop? According to the American Psychological Association “anti-bias teaching should start in early childhood and continue through high school (APA).” This indicates that we are learning our prejudices from a young age. To effectively tackle the problem of hate crimes and prejudice I believe we have to start with our children.
My first proposal would be to alter how we teach our children about religion. When we teach our children that our own religion is superior to others, and that those who do not believe the same as us are going to hell; we are implanting a prejudice in their head. I propose that we no longer involve our children in organized religion until they are adults. We seem to agree that children are not old enough to make decisions about politics until they are eighteen. Yet at the same time we seem to think they are old enough to make rational decisions about the cosmos and mankind while they are still children. Although it would be impossible to stop parents from teaching their children religion, I would propose banning children from churches till they are old enough to enter the voting booth.
Opponents of my controversial proposal would likely point out the moral lessons taught to children through religion. I would agree that most religions contain and teach many important morals and values that can benefit society. However, I think these morals can be taught to children without promulgating one religion. For example, if parent’s taught their children lessons from Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity and gave equal validity to all; it is likely that when these children reach adulthood they would be much more tolerant of all faiths. I would also point out to my opponents, the dark more sinister lessons which religions promote. The most prominent of these is the attitude towards homo- sexuality. It is clear that the big three monotheistic religions have a pretty intolerant view towards the homo-sexual lifestyle. This can be directly linked to hate crimes. Randy Blazak, director of the Hate Crimes Research Network at Portland State University in Oregon writes “The gay-marriage thing has freaked out those who see it as a sign of ‘end days’ (Knickerbocker).” I don’t think we can ignore the fact that religion plays a role in the hate crimes experienced by the gay and lesbian communities. Religious fundamentalism can also fuel hate crimes, and is something moderates often turn a blind eye too. Jean Rosenthald, a researcher at the UCLA Center for the Study of Religion, writes more on religions connection to hate crimes “Hating becomes a religious obligation, demonizing the other is a precondition for killing and winning. This is the basic apocalyptic scenario. The enemy is God’s enemy and evil. Eradicating the enemy is God’s work and good. War cleanses the polluted world and prepares the ground for the advent of the millennial kingdom of peace and plenty (Knickerbocker).”
My second proposal to altering the education of our children will be too increase children’s awareness of different cultures. I propose that children experience a different culture on at least three occasions during the K-12 years. At the college level every student would be required to complete one semester studying abroad. These programs would be government funded. So why is it important to learn about other cultures? And how will this prevent hate crimes? Psychologists Bernadette Park, PhD, and Charles Judd, PhD, explain the “outgroup homogeneity effect” writing, “When you meet a person who’s a member of an outgroup, you’re less likely to individuate them, to pay attention to individual characteristics, than when you meet members of your ingroup. That’s because stereotypes concerning outgroup members are stronger than those of ingroup members; people are therefore more willing to ignore individuating information about members of outgroups, lumping them all into a single disliked category. The less you know about a group, the stronger this effect will be (DeAngelis).” My plan will help to negate this effect by giving children a chance to learn and experience different cultures. When someone has experienced a different cultural it is much harder to be prejudiced against that culture.
Personally, being an avid traveler, I have had the opportunity to travel around Europe and a good portion of Asia. I was also able to do a study abroad in Korea, which gave me an extended view into one countries culture. The different cultures I have experienced have opened my eyes to how humanity lives around the world. I have found that we are all the same no matter where we are from. We all strive for love, for friends, and for happiness. I now have friends from all over the world and I think this has made me a lot more tolerant of people who view things differently from me.
Despite the farfetched nature of my proposals, I strongly believe that they would contribute to a tolerant, less hate filled world. We must keep our children away from religious indoctrination, and instead teach them the valuable moral lessons from all religions. We also must let our children experience other cultures, in order that they can come to an understanding of those who are different from them, and that they can see all humans as equals. If we can accomplish this our world will truly be a better place.
Works Cited
“Hate Crimes Today: An Age-Old Foe in Modern Dress.” APA Online 1998. 9 Dec. 2004 [http://www.apa.org/pubinfo/hate/#top].
DeAngelis, Tori. “Understanding and Preventing Hate Crimes.” Monitor on Psychology 32.10 10 Nov. 2001. 9 Dec. 2004 <http://www.apa.org/monitor/nov01/hatecrimes.html>.
Knickerbocker, Brad. “National Acrimony and a Rise in Hate Crimes.” csmonitor.com. 3 June 2005. 30 June 2005 [http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0603/p03s01-ussc.html].
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