We are judged by our actions, not thoughts and emotions.

WE HAVE LITTLE CONTROL OF OUR CALCULATED PERCEPTIONS

PERCEPTIONS ARE AN ACCUMULATION OF INFORMATION INPUT  AND PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

We are being repeatedly told that white majority America is a racist, bigoted country which bestows certain privileges and opportunities to white citizens but denies these same opportunities to other races especially blacks. We are also being told that we are personally bigoted and racist if we have perceptions that some races or groups of people are a threat or are poorer achievers than others.

Our brains are continually taking in information, whether consciously or not, and calculating perceptions and conclusions that are part of our biology, likely to protect us from danger and give us a basis for rational calculation.  We take in visual and audio information continually, whether in our everyday experiences or from radio, television or the internet.  We unconscionably analysis all this information and it allows us to make sound judgement about everything we do. Some people have some malfunction with certain information and this is considered a psychosis or phobia. An unobjective or inordinate fear of spiders, height, snakes, or other threats to our well being. While these threats are real and all these things will get the attention of all normal humans, it causes an over reaction in some.

So, we are told if we encounter several young black males on the sidewalk and we experience some anxiety, this is a sure sign that we are racist. Or if we have an opinion that blacks as a group are not as well mentally equipped as some other races we are racist. If we have the perception that women and men often respond to the same input in different ways, we are a misogynist. All these calculations are an accumulation of the input we have received during out lives. We all have had similar and also different inputs and have calculated different perceptions, some real and some exaggerated.

Today particularly, we are being bombarded with sound and visual information to mold our perceptions, whether it is to increase sales of a product, or an attempt to change public perception either for good or for a political advantage. While visual and other information is important, the defining, reliable and most relevant information is personal experience. Personal experience will quickly and often permanently override all other information. Whether it is directly personal or  witnessing experiences of others. Visual information will usually have more validity than just information that is not visual.

So when we see statistics that young black males are involved in a large number of violent and anti-social behaviors that input is stored. When we see 50 years of preferences for black people in education, employment etc that information is stored. We don't see these preferences for other races, but we do see them for females. This calculation is made unconsciously and we can calculate that women and blacks may be inferior to whites and males. Also that young black males may be a bigger threat than other groups. Is this a valid perception, maybe not, but it is the accumulated input society has been receiving for years. Can we by our will erase these perceptions, NO, only a input of a different perception will change our unconscious calculations.

It also applies to the perception by blacks that the police single out blacks at a higher rate than white people and that they are less tolerant in their interaction. This may be true or maybe not, numbers or statistics alone may indicate that is the case but there are many other factors to consider. Again personal experience will trump all other information.

One thing for sure,  if a person receives the input from their birth that race is the defining cause of their future problems, that perception will be hard to change. These perceptions about race have been reinforced by the media and politicians for political advantage forever,. These practices have been used by both parties, but the democratic party has certainly reinforced the idea that blacks have been intentionally held down by the white majority and they need special advantages to succeed. This creates a negative perception by other races.  Republicans have sometimes pointed out crime and violence to instill fear and garner support. Sometimes this is true and sometimes exaggerated, but videos of looting, arson and violence just reinforce a very negative perception, even when some of the violence and looting is being done by white anarchists and other politically motivated groups.

However,  I have hope that the vast majority of people do judge other people personally, not by any group perception. I think that an employer can make a personal judgment on an applicant for a job and believe this individual can be an asset to his or her business. To do otherwise would be a moral failure on the employers part even if he has doubts about his decision. If after such a decision he has a negative result, this could then become a permanent perception. Likewise if he is happy with his decision he will likely create a more positive permanent perception. We can not be judged by our perceptions, only acting on our perceptions in an unjust way. These perceptions by society will not change unless our accumulated experience and input of information changes.

Originally published 6/15/20