Alright, first things first. With any conversation involving an 'ism' (capitalism, racism, sexism, Americanism, socialism, Buddhism, Marxism, the list goes on), it is imperative that we start out by defining our terms. As I'm sure you are aware, all of these terms carries a plethora or connotations with it. But what you may not know, is that many of these terms now have many different definitions, both official and unofficial. For the purposes of clarity and brevity, I will focus on just two, racism and sexism, both of which fall under the broad umbrella of prejudice. Now in this article, I am using the definitions of racism and sexism as follows:

Racism: The belief that all members of a race (White, Black, Hispanic, etc) share characteristics and/or qualities both physical, mental and psychological that go beyond mere scientific fact, typically with negative connotations.

Sexism: The belief that all members of a biological sex share characteristics and/or qualities both physical, mental and psychological that go beyond mere scientific fact, typically with negative connotations.

When I say "qualities…that go beyond mere scientific fact," I mean things beyond, "black people have more melanin in their skin than white people" or "women have ovaries and men don't," (I will talk about the qualities I do mean later in the article).

Please note that this definition does not include the systematic oppression of minorities or women. Not because I believe that these things do not exist, but simply because these things are not the topic of my article (I have to narrow the topic down to a manageable size otherwise this article could become an unreadably-long dissertation).

Now that we've finally got the definitions out of the way, we can finally move on to the premise of this article, which is as follows: You are racist and sexist. Everyone is. You, the reader, I, the writer, your friends and family, and their family and friends. Everyone is prejudiced. Now, some of you might already know this, and if you do, feel free to skip the rest of this paragraph and the next two. I'm just going to try and convince the stubborn remainder.

Alright you guys, so you think you're not a racist/sexist. Is that because you don't like to be put into that group? Are you somebody who just "doesn't see people that way" or "have moved past all that?" Or are you from a minority? "Black people can't be racist." I would urge you to reread my definitions, and if you still don't think that fits you, meet me at the next paragraph.

Really? Alright, let's do this. What's the very first mental image that comes to mind when you read the word Gangsta? I got probably got some of you there. What about CEO? (Of course you didn't think they were white, you're not racist, you're not going to fall for that twice. But was your CEO a man or women?) What about this one, who's the best at math? Who lives in the suburbs, who lives in the inner city? Who would you trust more with a kid, a man or a women? I can do this all day. They don't have to just be stereotypes (though they do make the easiest examples). My point is this, whether or not you are aware of it, you bring many subconscious associations to the table whenever you interact with anyone or anything. You cannot avoid this. It just part of who you are, and it's time to accept it.

Hello, everyone. I'm not sure if my earlier paragraphs convinced the racist, sexist people that they are prejudiced or not, but either way we're going to move on. So we've established the what--everyone is prejudiced--let's move on to the why. Why is everyone prejudiced? The answer is both simple and complicated, and for the sake of space I'm going to stick to the simple explanation: we're naturally wired that way. While we might think of ourselves as civilized, our subconscious minds are still on the lookout for lions and tigers and bears oh my. We're always looking for threats, trying to assess situations as quickly as possible to avoid harm and find allies. Our brains like to categorize things, a knife is not the same as an iron fence post, but they are both sharp, pointy objects, so our brains tell us not to rub against either of them. Just because one dog bit us does not mean that another dog will, but our brain still gives us an adrenaline rush when we see a Rottweiler "just in case." The same principle applies to people. Our brain lumps people with similar characteristics together in a kind of subconscious, protective prejudice.

We watch people on TV, in ads, in books and music, on the news, etc. and our brain makes subconscious notes and files them away for later. "Chains and a tank-top = violent person, got it. White male with dead eyes = serial killer, noted. Foreigners = terrorists, understand."

Now, just because you're subconscious as a paranoid chicken does not mean you are without hope. One humanity's most important faculties is our ability to rise above our base instincts. But in order to do that, you have to be aware of what your subconscious is telling you. Now, not all of your subconscious categorizations are bad, or even wrong. There are some stereotypes that are there for a reason, (more due to historical or cultural influences than actual innate qualities). But it is important to recognize them for what they are. Once you do that, you can think through your first instincts, and use your own common sense and reason to determine whether or not what you're thinking is right. This understanding is the foundation on which all other conversations on gender, race, culture, etc. are based. And while you'll never fully be able to remove these subconscious prejudices, if you are aware of them and practice overcoming them, you can get to the point where they do not influence your words or actions. And in my opinion, that is a goal worth working toward.