Silent Racism

I really liked what Trapagnier states on p. 71 in Silent Racism. She states that most sociologists believe that humans, especially Americans go through their days on autopilot, and that this is a result of the fact that people are in a routine, and enjoy this routine. I find this interesting because this is incredibly relatable to human behavior from a psychological perspective (my major is psychology). Humans, by nature love the monotony of routine because it allows for them to remain focused on things that are most important, while saving mental energy on things that could and should require little thought (i.e. getting up, showering, getting dressed, eating breakfast, commuting to work, etc.). Establishing a routine with monotonous duties of the day, then allows them to not have to consciously think about what they are doing. In addition, being on autopilot relieves humans of unwanted emotional stress that may inhibit their performance on various life activities. The number one emotion that humans subconsciously try to avoid is anxiety, which is an emotion that occurs on a wide spectrum of intensity throughout the day. Breaking a routine causes anxiety in humans, which is an emotion that is often thought as a negative one producing negative physiological side effects.
Though the breaking of routine is often avoided in order to avoid anxiety, Trepagnier believes that the breaking of routine, especially in regards to race relations is a really important factor in tackling silent racism. It is critical to feel a bit anxious about the topic in order to talk about it and get comfortable. Ideally, Trepagnier would like to see that discussing racism and race relations will become more of a routine in American society, hence allowing for more open discussion and less anxiety on the topic.