Is It Possible for a Bigot to Change?

[leftylady]

I'm not so sure they can - its like the prejudice is so ingrained at such a deep level that they can't really change it.

But I still would like to have hope.

[progmom]

1. are you, or is someone you know a bigot?

[leftylady]

6. No, I don't think I am. But I have friends who are.

You have to remember that I live in Redneck country. Bigotry runs rampant here.

I would like to think that people can think about things and change but I'm not so sure.

My dad was a good example. He was a terrible bigot - but he never talked about it. He said he knew it was wrong but he just couldn't stop his mind from thinking those thoughts.

[bicentennial_baby]

2. my friend was raised as a white supremacist

and he's now a converted jew, and one of the most tolerant and accepting people i know...so yes, it's possible.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

3. I believe it's possible for a person to recognize when they have

judged simply for superficial reasons without cause and to consciously make a decision to recognize their prejudices when they occur.

Yes.

The cost of being a bigot needs to be greater than the payoff (even if that cost is only in their heart)

[Misunderestimator]

4. Of course it is... I know plenty of bigots who changed.

It's called enlightenment ;)

Sounds like someone close to you must be one... are you having a hard time with the relationship because of it?

[leftylady]

7. Yea - it can be tough sometimes

I don't tend to judge people much. People are who they are. But bigotry is a hard one for me. Maybe I am a bigot against bigots. Is that possible?

[ScreamingMeemie]

5. Confession time. MrG was just a wee bit prejudiced when we first

dated. His father was a massive bigot. But, at heart, MrG is a kind and loving person...mindful of his neighbor. It was basically superficial window dressing and it's gone now. :hi:

[Beware the Beast Man]

8. Yes. It may take time, but yes.

[Hugin]

9. Yeah, I've seen them turn from simple bigotry to breathtaking bigotry...

in a matter of seconds.

[leftylady]

11. Yes, there is that, too.

Amazing how that can happen and how fast. One minute you think you know a person and then you realize that you don't at all.

I do think that people have to want to change in order to change - or to at least be aware that their is something fundamentally wrong with their thinking.

Course there are those Road on the Way to Damascus moments - when someone may be confronted by how absolutely stupid and wrong their bigotry may be.

[noonwitch]

10. Yes, my grandpa has mellowed somewhat on issues as he's gotten older

Not on politics-a right winger he will always be.

On race, however, he has changed. I don't think he would be real thrilled if I married a black man, but he now does have a black great grandchild by my cousin (a boy with a black wife, which is a very different matter for old school racists like grandpa than a white girl with a black husband).

My sister used to work for Head Start, and grandpa went to visit some of her sites. He was very impressed, and enjoyed seeing all the kids of different races getting an equal educational opportunity to rich kids who go to fancy preschools. He totally supports public education these days.

During the riots in the 60s in Detroit, he worked at Ford, in the engineering department. He and many of his white male coworkers personally drove black females home from work to ensure that they got home safely. He gets along very well with one of my best friends who is black, too. I think that the fact that my siblings and I always had a mixed bunch of friends has been one of the factors that has caused him to soften a bit. He told me recently that he never saw anyone of color until he was 11 and on his way here from Europe. He said when the boat stopped in Algiers, there were african merchants selling food and such to the passengers, and he was afraid. It took situations in which he got to know black people as individuals to counter that childhood fear of the unknown.

[Shell Beau]

12. Of course it is possible. It just may not be likely.