I read a book called "A People's History of the United States" By Howard Zinn. This book suggests that naturally, human beings are not predisposed to racism. Racism in America is a result of the segregation that was created by the wealthy to keep the different classes divided to prevent uprising in colonial times. Black slaves, indentured servants, freemen, natives, women, and non-landowning freemen could shift the balance of power if they were to all stand together against the minority elite. Their rights were intentionally engineered specifically to highlight their differences. Later, we caste gay and lesbians, preps, jocks, geeks, whatever. Just give one group rights that the other groups don't have. Eventually, you get prejudice. Add color to it, and you have racism. I am not saying it doesn't exist, it certainly does. But it never had to exist in the first place. We cannot stand together if we are all divided.
