Ask Lemmy

If you are asking if a racist can become less racist, yes, but only if they spend time around people of other races often (and is willing to be open minded)

I'll tell you that, if I didn't immigrate to the US, and I was in China, I'd probably be very xenophobia against non-Chinese people, due to the lack of exposure to other people.

So in this timeline, I'm a Social Democrat that is accepting of LGBT+ people and people of other races.

In the other timeline, the one in which I did not immigrate to the US, who knows, maybe I'd be some Han-Supremacist Chinese-Nationalist?

When I think about stuff like the multiverse and stuff, its kinda unsettlling how different the diverging timelines could be.

I mean, there are probably "racist" versions of yourselves in another timeline, just saying. 👀

Yep, but they have to want it and work at it for positive results in many cases. Negative change can happen pretty easily through unwelcome events. That's my overly simplistic answer.

They can for sure.

Only if they want to.

And that is a HUGE if. Most people after their formal education decide to stop learning. And learning is the most important form of change.

It depends and I judge based on what a person has done.

Can a murderer change? Well, they've taken a life or maybe numerous lives so I place them on the irreversible pile. Those who can't change because let's say, they might've had multiple chances to change prior to murdering and they blew them all.

Can an addict change? Possibly, if they haven't gone far deep into the addiction. There will always be some kind of change opportunity for them and they haven't done irreparable damage yet.

You have to evaluate people by levels and where their stances are in life.

Aren't all our cells replaced every seven years? So apart from inner change, depending on your view on Theseus' Ship, you literally are a completely different person from seven years ago.

Can they change? Yes.

Do they change? Not often.

nope you're predetermined to be exactly as you were when you were born

Theres a few types of changes that can happen to people.

1: Change hammered in by the vicissitudes of time.

This is stuff like getting used to your dead end job because it's comfy.

2: Change foisted upon you by happenstance.

This is stuff like becoming a parent or suffering a life changing medical emergency.

3: Reactive change caused by inner turmoil.

This is the kind of change that happens during a midlife crises or by an sudden inspiration that must be acted upon immediately or it loses its potency.

4: Intentional change by measured reason.

This is the kind of change people typically think of when they say people can't change. It's the hard kind of change and is rarely done in one's life and even when it is done it's the kind of windmill you can waste your whole life tilting at without ever slaying a single giant.

Anyone can change the shape of their soul if they recognize its current shape and start making changes to it.

Changing for the better is the real task.

Depends.

I have no doubt it can be done. I've seen something along these lines for myself. Many people have begun their life with destructive ideas only to realize what was wrong and shake that off themselves, which one might say is natural as the seekers of insight we are. I'd be lying to say this didn't describe me in a few ways, having thought in a more generalized, unthinking way in the past. Given enough time, it's hard to imagine that not all of us would become Uncle Iroh.

We are given a glimpse of this in history; we see the likes of Hirohito going from warlike to a pacifist, General Butt Naked converting from a genocidal warlord to a preacher, Dr. Seuss once being Japanophobic before making amends, the great Confucius himself becoming who he was after being disillusioned with his position of power, and if you are of my religious group, God himself.

Yes in 2 ways:

• Gradually through the years, so slowly they don't even notice it
• If they internally decide they have to do it, for some motivation of their own

What will never ever happen is that people change if others demand it from them. If you hear someone saying "I promise I will change" - no they won't.

Intentionally as in "X parts of my personality are pushing people away so I should work on that"? Yea in general, but it's not easy, it requires serious effort and motivation from within.

Over time and just leaving it to fate on if those changes are good or bad? Also yes, but without putting in the effort to control it who knows where it'll end up. Like if someone is "an angry person" in their 20s maybe they'll chill out in their 40s...or get worse

Yes, have you never changed?

sometimes

People can change if they're willing to put in the effort to do so.

I'm an old guy. I started my life as a right-wing Conservative Christian. I'm now. Both an atheist and an anarchist. So yes people change. My journey has been six decades long.

If they can't we're definitely fucked so it's better to assume yes.

Look into Neuroplasticity.

Some things, people cannot change, except by getting worse. Someone who is suffering from dementia, certain personality disorders, etc., may learn techniques to cope and even thrive, but there's nothing that can restore lost brain function, or undo childhood developmental issues that fundamentally affect the brain.

I have certainly changed over the years. The change can be attributed partially to growing as a person over the years, and partially to major, life-altering events.