No one said that these studies are applicable to everyone. There are no absolutes in the world. And I'm pretty sure everyone in this thread was speaking in general terms. The doll test showed that even today, many kids have been racially biased against black people. Has this happened to all kids? Probably not. Has it happened to a sizable amount of them? Probably so.</p>
<p>Do all white people think that all blacks look alike? Of course not. But do many white people have a hard time distinguishing blacks from one another? Yes.</p>
<p>naj7488: "The politically correct thing to do in response to the Cabot incident, would be to do exactly what you have done, deny that it was racism in order to not offend those poor Cabot kids and not tarnish Harvard's pristine reputation."</p>
<p>Why do I even bother debating you? I never denied that the Cabot incident was racism, I said that none of us are mind readers. It is interesting that you think my quest was to avoid offending someone. My stated intention was to be fair and not to defame anyone unjustly. Big difference.</p>
<p>The politically correct thing to do was clearly to jump on the bandwagon and join those who were accusing the Cabot residents of racism. Let's not lose sight of the fact that I stand alone here in this very long discussion. It is you who are on the side of political correctness.</p>
<p>"The un-pc thing to do would be to admit that everyone is at least a little racist, and whether it was subconscious or not, there were racial undertones in the email conversation and the calling of the police."</p>
Well, I disagree. You seem to cling to the idea that many people are not racist and that the studies can't be trusted. When presented with conclusive evidence that 5 year olds are racially biased, you said that this doesn't happen in your world. When someone mentioned that some racial groups have trouble distinguishing others, you called it a "generalization" and called its validity into question. Like I said, you seem hell-bent on seeing the world through pc rose-colored glasses.</p>
<p>naj7488: "The un-pc thing to do would be to admit that everyone is at least a little racist, and whether it was subconscious or not, there were racial undertones in the email conversation and the calling of the police."</p>
<p>Also, if we are all a little racist, then it is just as possible that racism was involved in jumping to conclusions about the Cabot residents. It works both ways.</p>
Maybe racism was involved in thinking that the Cabot incident was racist. Perhaps if it had been a group of latino or black students who called the police, no one would have cared. But, there was definitely racism involved in the calling of the police, whether it was intentional or not.</p>
<p>naj7488: "Maybe racism was involved in thinking that the Cabot incident was racist. Perhaps if it had been a group of latino or black students who called the police, no one would have cared. But, there was definitely racism involved in the calling of the police, whether it was intentional or not."</p>
<p>I don't see how you can have an open mind about one possibility, and a crystal ball for the other. It is more reasonable to say that both could have racial undertones, or perhaps neither (or a combination). We can't know for sure, so some good discussion, connecting, apologizing, etc. would go a long way (but accusations which lack a truly solid foundation can only be inflammatory).</p>
<p>You want to know the truest statement on this entire thread, NAJ7488? You and I are capable of beating a dead horse out of this world and through nine more lifetimes.</p>
<p>The whole point is what others are thinking. I just found out that American Indians have to prove it - with an id number or by living on/near a reservation or something. Other groups can just claim to be a minority and get by. I’m not any minority at all and I think this is ridiculous. You can claim any minority you want, but if you want credit for being an Indian you’d better be on the reservation where the government stuck you?</p>