[tcdent]

That's really interesting. It sounds like that is very much a symptom of ingrained racism; something these people have been encouraged to do for most of their lives.

I grew up in a pretty diverse neighborhood, so I know the people to fear are not divided along racial lines. Someone who came from a wealthier area would probably not have that opportunity.

To the point I made elsewhere on this page, does a program like this help to reduce that perception of inferiority, or just get people riled up about someone getting a perceived handout?

If the problem really is circumstantial, education seems like the obvious solution to me. In your specific example, the symptoms are fear driven; the more diverse experiences someone has, they more they will see how little there really is to fear. Travel is one of those obvious things that reduces bigotry.

[tptacek]

The idea behind the phone call is that it welcomes people into the field. If we want to couch these issues in the emotions of the victims, rather than the (often inadvertent) perpetrators, then yes: it's mostly about ameliorating "fear". I don't know that we need much psychoanalysis, though. Mostly what YC is doing is just neighborly common sense.

Bluntly: people getting "riled up" about "perceived handouts" are complaining in bad faith, and their opinions shouldn't be taken into account. The 20 minute phone call YC is offering today is the least of the excuses people could generate about the persecution of the majority. If it's not this, it's something else.

[cperciva]

I don't think it's necessarily accurate to say that people are complaining in bad faith. They might just be wrong.