[Neurons] 2021 Neurons #18 NLP TO THE RESCUE

Fri Apr 23 18:23:34 EDT 2021

From: L. Michael Hall

2021 Neurons #18

April 23, 2021

NLP TO THE RESCUE

For many years I have repeatedly argued that there is no such thing as
"races" among us humans.  Not in the sense that there are multiple races.
There are not.  There is only one race- the human race.   If you were to
point to the reference of what you mean by the word "races," what would you
point to?  If you point to a person, a human being, yes that person is a
member of the human race.  But what about races?  This is where NLP comes to
the rescue.  With the NLP Communication Model that we call "The Meta-Model
of Language" we now ask:

           How many human races are there?  What distinguishes one race
from another?

           If there are difference races, how is it that all races can
intermarry?  Doesn't that demonstrate that they are members of the same
race?

That there is just one race- the human race- speaks to the fact that we all
share the same characteristics and traits- human traits.  Spiritually I
think about this in terms of all human beings being God's children.  If we
are all "made in God's image and likeness," then we are all members of the
same family.  And as there are plenty of differences within every family- so
there are plenty of differences within the human family.   The fact of
difference does not create different "races."

Given that there is but the one human family, how can there be such a thing
as "racism?"  Again, NLP to the rescue.  The term is a nominalization and an
abstract one at that, so when we denominalize this abstract nominalization,
racism comes down to some very specific behaviors that a person does.  To be
"racist" or to operate in a "racist" way, you have to do the following: 

           over-generalize a person or persons based on some trait or
feature.

           label a person or persons, confusing the person with the label.

           confuse a person or persons with their trait or actions.

           judge a person or persons in a negative due to some feature.

           hate another person or persons due to something the person has
associated with them.

           prejudge a person or persons so that the judgment is now an
automatic feeling or mood.

When we look at the strategy by which a person would learn the behavior of
engaging in "racism," we see that it requires a whole set of cognitive
distortions.  You have to confuse map and territory.  You have to get into
some pretty negative mental/emotional states.  Then you have to let it
influence your talk and your behavior.  The bottom line is that the
subjective experience that is called "racism" is chosen.  It is learned
behavior, learned and chosen.

It is not an identity unless the person identifies himself in those terms.
It is not a thing at all, it is a set of mental, emotional, linguistic, and
behavioral actions.  Given this, "racism" is about one's character and
ethics (or the lack of such!), not the color of the skin.  Whatever your
skin color- that does not define or prescribe the "racist" set of actions.
There's no such thing as "white racism" or "black racism" or any other kind
of "racism" that would be based on something that a person received and over
which one has no choice.  No one is by their birth heritage or
identification with a family group a "racist."  To be a "racist" you have to
choose to over-generalize, label, confuse, judge, hate, and pre-judge.  It
occurs in people who have not yet matured in their mental and emotional
development. 

In the 1960s Affirmative Action resulting from the Civil Rights Movement,
sought to give a hand up to those who had been disadvantaged educationally.
That made good sense.  It was a hand up so that minorities could more
equally compete in this democracy.  But Affirmative Action was not to be a
permanent hand up, that would imply that the minorities were inferior and
could not compete on an even playing field. 

The equality we seek is one of opportunity.  The idea of equality does not
negate our differences.  Nor is it equity that we seek, but an even playing
ground.  Our differences are not due to our country of origin or ethnicity
or skin color, it is neurologically wired in individually.  Howard Gardner
developed the Multiple Intelligence Model based on the neuroscience
discoveries of our innate differences.  With it we are enabled to celebrate
differences, rather than label, judge, hate, and prejudge them.

NLP rescues us from the non-sense of such primitive thinking and language so
we can use our language for sanity.  The next time you hear "white racism,"
"black racism" or "racism," let a light go off in your mind warning you that
"this is primitive language" that itself is highly biased and unsane.  It
will keep you more alert to the fact that "the map is not the territory."

L. Michael Hall, Ph.D., Executive Director 

Neuro-Semantics 

P.O. Box 8

Clifton, CO. 81520 USA                             

               1 970-523-7877 

Books can be purchased at www.neurosemantics.com 

Many Neuro-Semanitc PDF books and training manuals can be purchased at "The
Shop" on www.neurosemantics.com

131688 NeuroSemantics ThinkingMetaphoricalyCover FRONT

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