Sorry, but my entries here are just going to be sporatic for a while. I'm in the middle of edits to one novel, finishing a first draft of another, and working on two short stories--one of which I'm not entirely sure is going to be finished in time. Plus, my parents have things going on, and I'm going to be helping them out when I can. Yeah. Busy. It doesn't mean I'm abandoning y'all. It just means that I'm working. This is a very good thing as soon there will be more books. Mmmmm. More books.

That said, it occured to me (after the last post) that a lot of people seem to respond to the terms classism, racism, sexism, agism, ablism... and so on with the idea that it only pertains to acts of conscious prejudice--that it only ever means that an active conspiracy is in place. er. NO. That isn't actually how it works most of the time.

We all make judgements. There is this thing called a 'first impression.' We're hard wired for this stuff. It's why the problem of prejudice is still with us, and I believe, always will be.[1] Our perceptions are designed such that we see what isn't necessarily there. We also see what we expect to see--ask any house inspector. Every day, every minute we're inundated with an overwhelming amount of data--sight, sound, touch, taste, smell[2] each hit us on multiple levels all at once. If we waited to process all of the millions and millions of bits of data before (for example) walking across a room, we'd never get anywhere. We have to analyse this stuff instantly and take the necessary risks. Our safety requires it. So it is that our brains take short cuts. We filter the data entirely without being aware of it. We look for patterns that aren't necessarily there and jump to conclusions. We recieve hunches. Most of the time, these short cuts work in our favor. (Oh, evolution.) However, they don't always, and that's where prejudice comes in. It's hard work--dealing with things that are so engrained. It's uncomfortable too. But it's necessary. I'd even go so far as saying it's absolutely necessary if human beings are to continue to evolve. We need one another. We need differing points of view. We need different cultures, lifestyles, and spiritual practices. These are the things that make human beings so creative, intelligent, and (dare I say it) beautiful.

The problems we face in prejudice are complex. The answers aren't simple.

Should people be held accountable for unconscious prejudice? I think so. The problem with unconscious prejudice is that it doesn't go away without awareness. Making excuses doesn't help. Intent isn't a free pass. The thing I often have to remind myself is that while it's okay to make mistakes--it's not okay to repeat them. Therefore, I do my best to own my mistakes.[3] We can't learn from what we don't acknowledge. I also do my best to make new mistakes.[4] Because that's the path to wisdom, and there's a part of me that would love to be Yoda when I grow up.

Well, except for the being green bit... and the living in the swamp. I don't care for swamps. And then there's the huge pointy muppet ears. Being bald. Yeah. I'd rather not be bald. It's not a good look for me, really. I suspect my husband wouldn't like it either. And being fictional. That's gotta suck...

Well, you know what I mean.
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[1] That doesn't mean we shouldn't try.
[2] Assuming that you're not blind or deaf or both, of course. Even so, data is still being poured into the brain at a fantastic rate.
[3] And, baby, do I ever make mistakes. Was I embarrassed when Nick M. called me on the blood thing in the last post? Yep. Terribly so. But you know what? I'm glad he did. I learned something new which is great because I asked for it.
[4] Collect the whole set!