Aversive racism

Imagine you have two toys, a toy truck and a toy car. You really like the toy truck because it's big and fast and fun to play with. You don't really like the toy car, because it's small and slow and doesn't do much.

Now imagine that your friend comes over to play, and she really likes the toy car. She wants to play with it and have fun with it, but you don't really want to because you don't like the toy car very much. You might not be mean to your friend, and you might let her play with the toy car for a little while, but deep down, you still don't really like it.

This is kind of like aversive racism. A lot of people might not consciously think of themselves as racist, and they might even believe that they're not racist. But sometimes, they still have negative feelings or attitudes toward people who are different from them, especially people from different races or ethnic groups.

These negative feelings might not be overt or obvious, like calling someone a mean name or refusing to be friends with them because of their race. Instead, they might be more subtle or unconscious, like feeling uncomfortable around people of a different race or assuming that someone is less intelligent or capable because of their race.

Aversive racism can be hard to recognize because it's not as obvious as other forms of racism. But it can still have a big impact on how people are treated and how they feel. The best way to fight aversive racism is to try to be aware of these negative feelings or attitudes and to challenge them when they come up. By being open to learning about other cultures and perspectives, we can all work toward a more inclusive and accepting world.