This is pretty damn insightful! I like this. So much has to do with the eyes that see, and not what is being seen. Do you know what I mean? There is a very old saying that sounds like a new one.
"We don't see things the way they are. We see things the way 'we' are."
I'm afraid a lot of it has to do with guilty consciences. If you are a habitual criminal , you expose a duality. As a habitual criminal you get nervous around law enforcement, and there's a real good chance that you are the first to recognize the fellow criminal. If you are a racist, your natural defense mechanism is to see a racist behind every bush! If you are a misogynist, you automatically see misogynists everywhere. I've actually had an extensive formal education in diversity training, and one of the first things they stress is the fact that we all individually need to be honest about our own prejudiced thinking, while knowing the difference between 'prejudice' and 'racism'. The two biggest causes of racism is the lack of education and information, and simple denial. If we convince ourselves that we are socially enlightened enough to put the 'scarlet letter' of racism on anyone we want, we most likely need to seriously engage in some honest introspection and deal with our deeply ingrained racism. The same goes for all the other 'isms' and 'phobias'.
To some on this site, I am one of the worst racist misogynist homophobic xenophobic Archie Bunker on steroids types on this site, and to others I'm wise and socially enlightened. It's not so much what is being seen, but whose eyes are doing the seeing.
