The psychological phenomenon of "confirmation bias" is defined as "the tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one's existing beliefs or theories" (Oxford).
It is something we all experience on a daily basis. It doesn't have to do with intelligence or morality. It is just a fact of human psychology.
Confirmation bias is the reason we are all convinced that we always get in the slowest line at the grocery store check-out. We forget all the times we paid for our eggs and left relatively quickly and recall only the long waits that confirm our suspicion that we are forever picking the wrong line.
It seems to me that it is confirmation bias - made toxic by human sinfulness - at play in prejudice and racism.
When seen in this light, it is clear that prejudice is ...
- The result of a fundamental misinterpretation of reality. (Overvaluing certain pieces of "evidence" while undervaluing others.)
- Something to which every human being is susceptible. (It doesn't belong to any particular skin color or culture.)
- And, unfortunately, something which will always be with us. (Like "the poor".)
None of which is to say that it cannot or should not be confronted and countered.
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