Michael Morris

It becomes a trigger that people learn to use as a group marker if they live in a society like the United States where race, where physiognomy is correlated with cultural groups. But in places like Israel, you know, you can't always tell from somebody's face whether they're Palestinian or Israeli. In Ukraine, you can't tell whether someone's Russian or Ukrainian from their face.

You know, if you get them to talk, then you can tell. You can sometimes tell from their clothing. So these other cues are – there's a lot of evidence that we are wired more – to use language as our basis of sorting.

You know, if you get them to talk, then you can tell. You can sometimes tell from their clothing. So these other cues are – there's a lot of evidence that we are wired more – to use language as our basis of sorting.

You know, if you get them to talk, then you can tell. You can sometimes tell from their clothing. So these other cues are – there's a lot of evidence that we are wired more – to use language as our basis of sorting.

Like kids, kids don't use race. They don't like preferentially socialize with someone, a stranger of the same race until they're like six. But the language thing starts when they're infants, because even when, even. In the womb, the kid is hearing their mother's language and even their mother's dialect. So even like neonates, they'll have a preference, you know, if you kind of put them in front of

Like kids, kids don't use race. They don't like preferentially socialize with someone, a stranger of the same race until they're like six. But the language thing starts when they're infants, because even when, even. In the womb, the kid is hearing their mother's language and even their mother's dialect. So even like neonates, they'll have a preference, you know, if you kind of put them in front of

Like kids, kids don't use race. They don't like preferentially socialize with someone, a stranger of the same race until they're like six. But the language thing starts when they're infants, because even when, even. In the womb, the kid is hearing their mother's language and even their mother's dialect. So even like neonates, they'll have a preference, you know, if you kind of put them in front of

you know, two screens and there's someone talking with their mother's dialect and there's someone talking with a different dialect, they'll reach for the food, you know, in front of the screen. No way. It's not their mother, but it's their mother's dialect. So they, you know, the mother tongue is a super important and fundamental thing.

you know, two screens and there's someone talking with their mother's dialect and there's someone talking with a different dialect, they'll reach for the food, you know, in front of the screen. No way. It's not their mother, but it's their mother's dialect. So they, you know, the mother tongue is a super important and fundamental thing.

you know, two screens and there's someone talking with their mother's dialect and there's someone talking with a different dialect, they'll reach for the food, you know, in front of the screen. No way. It's not their mother, but it's their mother's dialect. So they, you know, the mother tongue is a super important and fundamental thing.

And there's also some funny studies that show that children are wired to start assuming that that people who speak the same language as them will prefer the same food as them. And the way they do these studies is that, you know, they've got like a baby who can't talk yet, but the baby can listen, right? And the baby sees one adult, you know, maybe speaking French and one adult speaking English.

And there's also some funny studies that show that children are wired to start assuming that that people who speak the same language as them will prefer the same food as them. And the way they do these studies is that, you know, they've got like a baby who can't talk yet, but the baby can listen, right? And the baby sees one adult, you know, maybe speaking French and one adult speaking English.

And there's also some funny studies that show that children are wired to start assuming that that people who speak the same language as them will prefer the same food as them. And the way they do these studies is that, you know, they've got like a baby who can't talk yet, but the baby can listen, right? And the baby sees one adult, you know, maybe speaking French and one adult speaking English.

And then there's two kinds of food. And they've seen, you know, the... They've seen like an English speaker eat this food and they've seen a French speaker eat this food. And then if the French person speaks, reaches for the English food, you know, the baby shows a surprise reaction, like startled, like, oh my God. So what's really interesting is that babies are not racist.

And then there's two kinds of food. And they've seen, you know, the... They've seen like an English speaker eat this food and they've seen a French speaker eat this food. And then if the French person speaks, reaches for the English food, you know, the baby shows a surprise reaction, like startled, like, oh my God. So what's really interesting is that babies are not racist.

And then there's two kinds of food. And they've seen, you know, the... They've seen like an English speaker eat this food and they've seen a French speaker eat this food. And then if the French person speaks, reaches for the English food, you know, the baby shows a surprise reaction, like startled, like, oh my God. So what's really interesting is that babies are not racist.

They don't judge you based on your race. but they already judge you on your accent and on what you eat. They're already watching what you eat and your accent. So they're not little Buddhas. They're not racist, but they're not little Buddhas. They're judgmental already.

They don't judge you based on your race. but they already judge you on your accent and on what you eat. They're already watching what you eat and your accent. So they're not little Buddhas. They're not racist, but they're not little Buddhas. They're judgmental already.

They don't judge you based on your race. but they already judge you on your accent and on what you eat. They're already watching what you eat and your accent. So they're not little Buddhas. They're not racist, but they're not little Buddhas. They're judgmental already.

Sure. So I've mentioned the peer instinct. That corresponds to what we might call conformist impulses or the herd instinct, you know, the bandwagon instinct, we're wired to sort of unconsciously learn what the people in our group do. We just form like a register of what's normal in our group without even trying to.