Treating others as equals (Gladwell)
September 13th, 2007 | Published in Morality, Psychology, Race, Quotes | 1 Comment
If you are a white person who would like to treat black people as equals in every way – who would like to have a set of associations with blacks that are as positive as those that you have with whites – it requires more than a simple commitment to equality. It requires you to change your life so that you are exposed to minorities on a regular basis and become comfortable with them and familiar with the best of their culture, so that when you want to meet, hire, date, or talk with a member of a minority, you aren’t betrayed by your hesitation and discomfort.
–Malcolm Gladwell, Blink (2005), p. 97
September 13th, 2007 at 8:44 pm (#)
If you treat individuals with respect and love, then the “hesitation and discomfort” that will almost inevitably be a part of getting to know someone from a different background (racial, cultural, national, religious) can be a sign to them that you like them so much that you are prepared to be embarrassed in order to get to know them better. Have we not been charmed by the “hesitation and discomfort” a potential lover or friend (even of the same background) has shown in his/her attempts to get to know us? Then, with luck, you find common ground and go from there.