"Its just how I was raised"

Often racists will try to excuse and justify their racism by blaming it on either their town/neighborhood, or their family and/or friends.

We all know the influences other people can have on you and how much it affects you. But its like with bad eating. Your parents are to blame for you getting fat by feeding you too much. But at some point you become old enough to be able to control your own eating habits.

In other words, the "how I was raised" argument is not excusable for being a racist.

Why?

Because at some point in your life, you have to take responsibility or continuing the belief. You have your own brain, you choose whether or not you will keep thinking the wrong way or not.

Its like blacks and the colorism issue. Many will always go right back to talking about how colorism started during slavery. But another black who is opposed to the colorism battle will come along and say "that may be so, but why do YOU keep it alive?"

Its the same way when you are exposed to racism.

People try to excuse their family's racism by saying "they just grew up in a different era", there is no excuse for racism. It doesn't matter if overt racism was once the norm, you still have the right to choose for yourself the truth or not.

Same with today, saying "I was raised in a racist family" or "my town is very racist, thats how I learned it", does not explain why you haven't taken the time to unlearn those things and educate yourself on the truth.

You choose what you are. No excuses. Own up, Put up and just Shut up.