36: Unthinkable Evil: Understanding Racism with Stanley Gold

Stanley Gold is concerned with racism, and in his recent book,
‘Unthinkable Evil-Understanding Racism’ he makes the claim that
we talk about racism, but not about the cause of racism, because
to do so is unthinkable. He takes this phrase from politicians
who talk about the ‘unthinkable evil’ when confronted with a
racist or terrorist incidents.   Stanley shares his edgy
idea that racism is caused by neuro-biological and infantile
changes in brain structure. Simon challenges this idea as the
sole cause of racism. He believes that whilst racism,
authoritarianism, sexism, homophobia, and other forms of
scapegoating can be linked to rigid forms of thinking, anxiety
states and perhaps even neuro-biological wiring, it cannot be
divorced from social causation. This social causation is the
space which can be worked on to mitigate and reduce how anxieties
and individual/collective troubled mindsets act out on the stage
of life.  Simon agrees with Stan that we all have the
potential to be racist and authoritarian, and some more than
others.  Stan believes it is important to face this
‘unthinkable truth’, that racism is caused by infantile and
neuro-biological factors.  Simon claims our task is to work
on the social areas – economic, social equity, education,
institutional containment etc, that can reduce the potential of
racism being manifested, and utilised by populist and nationalist
politicians and other sub-groups.  Stan thinks Simon avoids
the unthinkable issue, Simon thinks Stan misses the important
point that whatever the underlying cause of human behaviour, it
is what happens in the social sphere that exacerbates, exploits,
the worst of human behaviour or mitigates against it.  They
both agree that being able to talk openly about differences, and
to think about the unthinkable is vitally important today when so
many conversations are shut down or cancelled. Enjoy this lively
discussion! 



 BIO
Stan Gold graduated in Medicine in Melbourne Australia and
subsequently Guys Hospital London in Adult and Child Psychiatry
where he became the inaugural Research Fellow. studying childhood
Psychosis. Returning to Australia as research fellow to the
inaugural department of Psychiatry , he was also consultant
Psychiatrist at Prince Henry’s Hospital.. He  subsequently
trained in Psychoanalysis, becoming a training Analyst of the
Australian Society and chair of the Centre for Psychodynamic
studies Monash University. Returning to London and a position at
the Cassell Hospital, he broadened his interests to groups and
organisations and became a board member and later, President of
ISPSO. More recently he has been appointed as member of the
Mental Health Tribunal in his state. He has written over 40
papers ranging from clinical and research studies in childhood to
Psychodynamic aspects of Organisational life. He has written two
books, “How to Bring up your Parents” and last October,
"Unthinkable Evil: Understanding Racism”.