Experiments in Philosophy

Eliminating racism would be a heavy load for psychology to carry, considering that the school as a whole hasn't learned to eliminate any other social sicknesses pervasive of our culture (e.g. homophobia, ageism, singlism, even the vast array of mental illnesses.) It is worth merit, however, to consider how the psychological approach could benefit the process of eradicating racism. Social awareness alone is not the key, largely due to the fact that awareness often highlights the very stereotypical norms we like to consider false and negative (as our other poster likes to say, stereotypes aren't stereotypes for no reason). Consider how often we are force fed negativism in regards to other races on a daily basis through a diet of media, virtual, and physical encounters. I know I'm not the only (black) person who's shaken her head in abject horror at loud talking, loud laughing, ignorant black people. Nor am I the only person to recoil in dismay at entitlement toting, narcissistic,ignorant white people. And God forbid any other American pretend they haven't at some point wondered if the Middle Easterner sitting beside them on the bus was secretly a terrorist. One reason we can't consider skin color in the same way we identify eye color is because its so apparent, so readily identifiable at almost any distance, and so indicative of Differences. I'd wager success might be attained by the "so what" take on race in that perpetuating the concept of one human race might further the group dynamic in the favor of humane-ness. But I'm interested to see what you think the best psychological approach would be in solving America's chronic race relations problem.

What happened to Part II???

Delayed by the summer! But bear with me!
edouard

Racism is fear-based. Many of us think that there is not enough (materially) for everyone and we want to keep what is there for ourselves and our own.
If we can move away from being fear-based and realize that, in fact, there is more than enough for everyone, perhaps then we can celebrate our individual and group differences!

You're right that race is an arbitrary, meaningless distinction. For that matter, so are Nationality, gender, sexual orientation and often religious orientation (if you do not seek out spiritual growth, but instead stand waist-deep where you were dropped), things into which we are born are not of any value, personally, I admire accomplishments, personal growth, the sum of individual wills. Essentially anything that you have not worked toward of your own drive and volition, things handed to you, gifted, inheritted, are completely and utterly useless and meaningless; it annoys me to no end to see people trumpet pride in these affairs, how can you have pride for something that you had no hand in bringing about? National pride? Racial pride? Gay pride? Bah, usurpations, thefts, you did not accomplish race, you did not accomplish being gay, you were born into it, it was gifted to you, and now by issuing forth billouous pride, you claim ownership or mastery of it? Nay, it was handed to you, pride comes when you cross a finish line after a long and grueling race that tests your volition and ability, pride comes from winning, achieving, accomplishing, not inheritting. If anyone should have pride, it might be the parents that have borne you, the society that forged your sheltered existence, the toilers who paved your way. All of these prides in unachieved achievements seems utterly ridiculous to me, take pride in building a house, writing a novel, creating a child, landing a job, take pride in things you did of your own ability, not of something that comes down to mere luck. You were born in America, X gender, Z race, Y religious family, you could just as easily have been born in any country, of any race, to sit down at a dinner table and pray to any God, you did not choose any of these things, they are mere happenstance, random, meaningless chance. A hurrican doesn't care about national boundaries, nor do I, wildfires do not care about state lines, nor do I, volcanoes care not for the race of the people it affects, nor do I, broccoli doesn't care what religion the people it feeds practices, fyck distinctions, forget race, religion, nationality, homestate, hometeam, useless, meaningless, random signifiers, if earthquakes do not favor raining havoc on one race over another, then I will not favor raining havoc on one race over another...wait...my metaphor...damn...oh, well, let's run with this, if tsunamis have no preferance to who they kill, then nor do I. :)

Whether race is a biological or social phenomenon does not matter. Nor does it matter whether the differences evolved because of geographical isolation or cultural reasons. The definition of racism today is any descendant of a once indigenous culture who wishes to reproduce and preserve the unique traits which define them.

This is what articles like these are advocating, the destruction of race, not the insignificance of it.