--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Just because somebody is a racist, it…" description: "\"Just because somebody is a racist, it doesn't mean they are not human. It just means that they perhaps have had a certain upbringing, or have had thing..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/637/paterson-joseph-6527_human_just-because-somebody-is-a-racist-it-doe_1950767.jpg" --- # Just because somebody is a racist, it doesn't mean they… ![“Just because somebody is a racist, it doesn't mean they are not human. It just means that they perhaps have had a certain upbringing, or have had things reinforced, that have made them ignorant of 'the other.'” quote by Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/637/paterson-joseph-6527_human_just-because-somebody-is-a-racist-it-doe_1950767.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/637/paterson-joseph-6527_human_just-because-somebody-is-a-racist-it-doe_1950767.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/637/paterson-joseph-6527_human_just-because-somebody-is-a-racist-it-doe_1950767.jpg) > “Just because somebody is a racist, it doesn't mean they are not human. It just means that they perhaps have had a certain upbringing, or have had things reinforced, that have made them ignorant of 'the other.'” [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People can hold hateful beliefs yet remain human, shaped by upbringing and social reinforcement. **In simple terms:** Humans can be racist but still human. Key Takeaway Recognize humanity while addressing ignorance. Themes empathy prejudice humanity Mood reflective compassionate Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - education - community dialogue - policy making - personal reflection Key Concepts social conditioning bias formation psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does upbringing influence prejudice? - Can we separate person from belief? A Different Perspective Ignoring systemic factors oversimplifies the issue. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Racist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racist/) [Upbringing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/upbringing/) ## Related quotes > [It is one of the worse things you can say about somebody, they are racist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-hannity/it-is-one-of-the-worse-things-you-can-say-about-somebody-they-are/) [Sean Hannity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-hannity/) > [You don't smear somebody as a racist when there is obviously nothing there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-goldberg/you-don-t-smear-somebody-as-a-racist-when-there-is-obviously-nothing/) [Bernard Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-goldberg/) > [You can't prove somebody is a racist unless they really come out and do the act and is found to be that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/you-can-t-prove-somebody-is-a-racist-unless-they-really-come-out-and/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [The concept 'a bit racist' doesn't exist. There are no tolerable quantities of racism. It's unacceptable regardless of where it happens or the form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-prince-boateng/the-concept-a-bit-racist-doesn-t-exist-there-are-no-tolerable/) [Kevin-Prince Boateng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-prince-boateng/) > [I'm very hesitant to call somebody a racist, a sexist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jedediah-bila/i-m-very-hesitant-to-call-somebody-a-racist-a-sexist/) [Jedediah Bila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jedediah-bila/) > [“Non racist doesn't mean less bigotry”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thabiso-monkoe/non-racist-doesn-t-mean-less-bigotry/) [Thabiso Monkoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thabiso-monkoe/) > [There are a lot of well meaning white liberals. And a lot of well meaning black liberals. But you know what? When all they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/there-are-a-lot-of-well-meaning-white-liberals-and-a-lot-of-well/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [“Non racist doesn't equate bigotry free”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thabiso-monkoe/non-racist-doesn-t-equate-bigotry-free/) [Thabiso Monkoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thabiso-monkoe/) > [Look, my friends, if I'm a racist, this doesn't mean that I hate brown people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/look-my-friends-if-i-m-a-racist-this-doesn-t-mean-that-i-hate-brown/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [The Western notion of masculinity goes back a long way. It doesn’t allow for women, and it’s also racist - it doesn’t allow for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/the-western-notion-of-masculinity-goes-back-a-long-way-it-doesn-t/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [People who are racist, they love, they laugh, they are committed to their family and their friends. They're human beings. This is what's so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/people-who-are-racist-they-love-they-laugh-they-are-committed-to/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) > [Anyone who starts badmouthing Latino immigrants is not only a racist but ignorant. You need to refer them to what was written about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gray/anyone-who-starts-badmouthing-latino-immigrants-is-not-only-a-racist/) [James Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gray/) > [My mom and dad met at U. Conn., and their lives couldn't have been more different in terms of their upbringing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheo-hodari-coker/my-mom-and-dad-met-at-u-conn-and-their-lives-couldn-t-have-been-more/) [Cheo Hodari Coker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheo-hodari-coker/) > [I had a very blessed journey with the upbringing I had. When you're working on sets as a stuntman, you have a firsthand account…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ric-roman-waugh/i-had-a-very-blessed-journey-with-the-upbringing-i-had-when-you-re/) [Ric Roman Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ric-roman-waugh/) > [I had a rough upbringing. Group homes. Foster homes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-shamrock/i-had-a-rough-upbringing-group-homes-foster-homes/) [Frank Shamrock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-shamrock/) ## More by Paterson Joseph > [We must have belief in BAME artists and have total trust in their work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/we-must-have-belief-in-bame-artists-and-have-total-trust-in-their-work/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) > [It takes a long time to shoot 'Peep Show' whenever I do a scene - that's probably why I don't do much stuff on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/it-takes-a-long-time-to-shoot-peep-show-whenever-i-do-a-scene-that-s/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) > [It's essential for people to socialise with each other, to play games, to open up, to role-play. It brings empathy and that is vital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/it-s-essential-for-people-to-socialise-with-each-other-to-play-games/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) > [I'm not a big movie-watcher, but I do watch quite a bit of TV.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/i-m-not-a-big-movie-watcher-but-i-do-watch-quite-a-bit-of-tv/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) > [My career started off very well in classical theatre, a genre that I shouldn't perhaps have done so well in. As a result it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/my-career-started-off-very-well-in-classical-theatre-a-genre-that-i/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) > [I'm not a gambler. And I don't approve of gambling unless it's for the Grand National.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/i-m-not-a-gambler-and-i-don-t-approve-of-gambling-unless-it-s-for-the/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) > [I mean, ethnic is a meaningless term because everybody thinks it means brown or something, but actually, we're all ethnic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/i-mean-ethnic-is-a-meaningless-term-because-everybody-thinks-it-means/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) > [When I got to secondary school I copped out and started bunking off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/when-i-got-to-secondary-school-i-copped-out-and-started-bunking-off/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) > [People who are racist, they love, they laugh, they are committed to their family and their friends. They're human beings. This is what's so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/people-who-are-racist-they-love-they-laugh-they-are-committed-to/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) > [You can transform somebody just by telling them, 'I'm listening.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/you-can-transform-somebody-just-by-telling-them-i-m-listening/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) > [That's the mentality of the soldier. You act on order, not on your own cognition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/that-s-the-mentality-of-the-soldier-you-act-on-order-not-on-your-own/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) > [One of the excuses used for not casting culturally different actors is authenticity. But theater is not documentary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/one-of-the-excuses-used-for-not-casting-culturally-different-actors/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) > [When I was 14 I was really taciturn - I hardly said a word - but then I auditioned for Shylock. With Shakespeare's words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/when-i-was-14-i-was-really-taciturn-i-hardly-said-a-word-but-then-i/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) > [Great African-American stars who can command major theatre and film roles in successful international projects are not uncommon: James Earl Jones, Denzel Washington, Halle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/great-african-american-stars-who-can-command-major-theatre-and-film/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) > [The black presence in our British history has sometimes wilfully, sometimes neglectfully, been whitewashed out of our national tale. This is not only deeply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/the-black-presence-in-our-british-history-has-sometimes-wilfully/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) [Explore all 99 Paterson Joseph quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) ## More Human quotes > [There is no human nature, since there is no god to conceive it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/there-is-no-human-nature-since-there-is-no-god-to-conceive-it/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [To hurry through the rise and fall of a fine, full sentence is like defying the role of time in human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/to-hurry-through-the-rise-and-fall-of-a-fine-full-sentence-is-like/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) > [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Gambling has held human beings in thrall for millennia. It has been engaged in everywhere, from the dregs of society to the most respectable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-bernstein/gambling-has-held-human-beings-in-thrall-for-millennia-it-has-been/) [Peter L. Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-bernstein/) > [Here's the reality. The image of a white Jesus has been used to justify enslavement, conquest, colonialism, the genocide of indigenous peoples. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/here-s-the-reality-the-image-of-a-white-jesus-has-been-used-to/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [Every human creates his own problems. Problems are ones private property and we shouldnt meddle into them self-initiatively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruben-papian/every-human-creates-his-own-problems-problems-are-ones-private/) [Ruben Papian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruben-papian/) > [I found out about Sister Song through Poppy Liu, who's on the show 'Hacks.' Reproductive rights are human rights, and I wanted to shine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayo-edebiri/i-found-out-about-sister-song-through-poppy-liu-who-s-on-the-show/) [Ayo Edebiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayo-edebiri/) > [The human element should be the two players on the court, not the officials. The best officials are the ones you never notice. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-scott/the-human-element-should-be-the-two-players-on-the-court-not-the/) Gene Scott > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [I've always been a believer in research. It's great to have an instinctual human reaction to a character, too, of course, but it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/i-ve-always-been-a-believer-in-research-it-s-great-to-have-an/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [Almost all accidents take place because of human distraction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-thrun/almost-all-accidents-take-place-because-of-human-distraction/) [Sebastian Thrun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-thrun/) > [I think everybody, or the great majority of human beings, have this aspiration to become other: to live a different identity, at least for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/i-think-everybody-or-the-great-majority-of-human-beings-have-this/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [Professionally speaking, the proudest moment was when I booked the 'Human Stain.' I knew it had Nicole Kidman, Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris and Gary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wentworth-miller/professionally-speaking-the-proudest-moment-was-when-i-booked-the/) [Wentworth Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wentworth-miller/) > [A composer knows that music is written by human beings for human beings and that music is a continuation of life, not something separated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanns-eisler/a-composer-knows-that-music-is-written-by-human-beings-for-human/) Hanns Eisler > [“I take my actions because of my passion not because of compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-take-my-actions-because-of-my-passion-not-because-of-compulsion/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) [Browse all 8,656 Human quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Just because somebody is a racist, it doesn't mean they are not human. 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