One. The most common and most frequently observed form of racism is being against others because they appear different.
Two. The other common and yet often unnoticed form of racism is being for others because they appear similar.
Three. A less common and less apparent form of racism is being against others because they appear similar.
Four. A less common form of racism is being for others because they appear different.
No one should be hindered, except perhaps those who practice hindrance, and the only qualification for help is the need of it. Not that everyone is racist, or that every situation contains racism, but when racism occurs, it occurs in one these four variations. The four forms of racism all share judgment based on ignorant, unquestioned preconceptions. Racism is institutionalized and mechanical, but results from individual mentality. The point is to first note the types of racism and then note one's own mentality to elevate one's thinking beyond racism. Only then it might be surpassed.
All people are capable of surpassing racist base thinking. Realization of the four types of racism can heighten awareness of it and with that better eliminate it. We should recognize our commonalities and celebrate our differences. Racist perspectives and prejudices prevent critical thinking at least partially and likely totally. The point is to question one's own thoughts and actions in respect to the four types of racism, not to make judgment or assumption about the thoughts of others. Obviously that defeats the point.
The number four assists exploration and understanding of problematic situations, no matter the stagnancy and severity, even racism. The point is to understand the conditions of a situation and then note opposing duality of ideas concerning the situation. Inclusion of ancient creation stories and philosophy may be mystical, but the point is philosophical and critical.
The ultimate way to understand people is through their mentality. It is not how one looks, but how one thinks, that is the fair assessment of an individual. There is a simple way to understand political mentality using the polarization of four as well. The distinction is based on one's reaction to information, it is not what one thinks, but how one thinks. Idiots do not question anything relevant. Zealots only question what is relevant to their beliefs. Elitists question everything to advance their possession. And patriots question everything to advance the information.
Idiots don't want to know anything. Zealots want to know everything that fits their viewpoint. Elitists want to know everything and keep the information. And patriots want to know everything and share the information.
Understanding political and critical thinking in terms of the idiot, zealot, elitist and patriot mindset can help form a more accurate understanding of the conditions of situations. In understanding the four basic types of political thinking, one can better decipher political rhetoric and refine questioning for instance. One is definitely not locked into one mentality. People shift in and out of the differing types of mentality depending on the situation. The point is to recognize how one reacts to information.
The idea of there being four types of mentality correlates with many stories and philosophies. The original four characters in the Bible are reflective of this. Adam displays the mindset of the idiot, Eve the zealot, Serpent the elitist and God the patriot.
The Socratic Allegory of the Cave also presents this idea. The Allegory of the Cave is from The Republic and displays political mindset with four types of people. They live in a cave and know only the cave as reality. Most are chained and forced to watch shadows on a wall. Some are unchained, but are so transfixed with the images which they perceive as reality in total, they focus on the shadows. The people who cast the shadows do so to control the chained and unchained or the elitists distract the idiots and zealots. It is supposed that if a person was brought out of the cave they would learn about reality and its shadows and would then be inclined to return and inform the chained and unchained of their predicament in the cave, or the patriots attempt to get the idiots and zealots to explore reality.
The adage of the Wise Monkeys is indicative of the four types of mentality as well. The four monkeys are depicted next to each other in a row and can be traced back to 8th century China. One covers its eyes, the next cover its ears, the third covers its mouth and the fourth monkey covers none of its senses. They are known as See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil and Fear no evil, or the idiot, zealot, elitist, and patriot. The idiot refuses to see at all, the zealot refuses to hear alternative views, the elitist refuses to speak what they know, and the patriot looks, listens and speaks unafraid.
In the U.S.A. the idiot is associated with no opinion or zero participation in relevant politics. The zealot is the traditionalist. The elitist is the modernist. And the patriot is the post-modernist.
It is all about information. How do you and those around you react to political information? Do they ignore the situation in total? Do they seek certain information which is relevant to their preconceptions? Do they seek to gain information and benefit from it? Do they seek to gain information and distribute it?
One can never understand anyone by appearance or description. One can only begin to understand a person by their reaction to information in a given situation. One can definitely better understand one's own mentality through the philosophy of four. And one might be able to better understand the mentality of others.
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