Soo many people have those stereotypes inbedded in their minds and a lot of people can't open up their minds so they just hold on to the idea that their ideas are superior to other people's. There is no reason for them to dispose of their own ideas if they think theirs is the best. It starts from childhood and how they are taught to see new ideas.

What is a lie to someone is the truth to another. It is amazing how people will believe just about anything in the name of hate or goodness. It works both ways. You think your evidence is fact and reality when it actually is composed of some conjecture and false assumptions. In conclusion, you are stating that your absolutely factual reasons are absolute? That's what the other guy says.

I refuse to admit that 2+2 = 4 I always liked it to be the number 9. - The answer is yes.

This is a an interesting question. :) I think that people who hold on that tightly to their hatred have probably been brought up to believe in that hate since they were very young, so it has a huge impact on how they've seen the world ever since. They may actually believe that the people who give them proof that their hatred is unfounded are the liars! Sometimes, it's just harder for people to admit that they're wrong, when they've based so much of their outlook on life, opinion on people and decisions concerning them, on that hatred. It could be pride, or it could just be too hard and too long in coming for them to adjust to a new point of view. The "easy way out" is to just hold on to the hate, in that case.

People don't LIKE having their beliefs challenged. They learned most of them from family and close friends, and when someone points out how WRONG the belief is, that means (to many) that you are calling their family and friends liars. They don't understand that it's just POSSIBLE that what their family and friends learned and taught them may have been wrong, in the first place. Many are so close-minded to new ideas, that they will absolutely REFUSE to hear and/or accept anything that goes against what they KNOW (even if THEY have doubts). These people also hate change. They're probably running Commadore 64s, and watching black & white TV using rabbit ear antenaes. And there are those who have to find out for themselves... Many don't like it when people profer the "truth" to them... It will take them some time, and at some point, they will come up with the idea of how wrong it is themselves. (It MAY even be the exact same truth shown them before, but at least THEY found it themselves.)

whats that saying "better the devil you know..." people, in general are very reticent to admit they were wrong in anything. somehow, that turned into "flip-flopping" rather than "learning"

Yes they have. They were brought up in an environment of irrational hatred, often time rooter in ignorance, fear and purposely created stereotypes. When I say "purposely created" I'm refering, for instance, to old cartoons in TV which were "purposely" designed to depict African-Americans in a very negative and dishumanizing way. There were some whites who knew better, but there were others who very ignorantly accepted as a valid truth; so when or if they would interact with any individual of African descendent--regardless how intelligent, intellectual and decent that individual would have been--he would display a behavior reflecting his ignorant assumption that had nothing to do with facts. These ideas were, and to a lesser degree still are, very pervasive and prevalent in American society. Those stereotypes were used quite often to rationalize and justify racism in all its sick forms. Too many people resist change because one of many aspect of change means "to let go". When you "let it go" there's going to be a vaccum. And what are you going to fill this sense of emptiness with? The fact remains that many white have and will continue to hold on to their old belief as their own religion and there's virtually nothing that can be done about it. Peace!

Lies beget lies. After so many are told it's hard to know the difference. It's the same with news, or magazines, the head lines are almost ALWAYS bad news for so one, till the next horror story. WHY? Because that's what the majority of people want. People don't tell good things about you behind your back, or want to be your friend because your an honest, hard working no body. The bad wins out ......for awhile, the lies are only lies for as long as we won't face the truth. It's hard for some to admitt they were WRONG, even when they know the truth.

Fear.

Simply because they are too proud. Accepting the truth is so hard.

Because truth is relative and subjective...Republicans vilify Democrats...Democrats vilify Republicans..each side has its own "truth"...same thing in some religions. Your truth and my truth might be the same or they might be diametric opposites..will you give up your truth for mine? Should I give up my truth for yours? You see the problem. :(

I wish I would have seen this question when it was first posted. This hits home for me. I am a white guy living in Hawaii. I am sure that sounds glamourous and it can be in some ways. But what people don't realize is the discrimination white people in Hawaii face. When I first moved here 8 years ago, I learned right away that many Hawaiians blame the haoles (hawaiian for white guy or foreigner) for taking their land. I was overwhelm with it and having to be a white social studies teacher to Hawaiians was tough at first. I researched and studied the issue myself and discovered that it was King Kamehameha who invited the white and gave them land so he could use their weapons. Of course students would refuse the truth. But over time I have learned ways to challenge both their views and my own. I posted the question, "Was Kamehameha a traitor to his own people by inviting the white man here?" You would be amazed at how they really had to think about this.

because they are insecure, afraid of change, and scared.

Fear of being wrong.

Because they don't know they're based on lies, stereotypes and assumptions. It takes experience to recognize those things for what they are. In the meantime, they (like all of us) tend to treat contrary evidence as an exception to the rule, rather than as proof that the original rule was wrong. The hurdle that's tough getting over is making the leap to realizing that the things you were always taught are themselves the exceptions rather than the rule. This is difficult because so many stereotypes are based on fear -- and lowering your guard in the presence of something that might be a threat is not easy. And the fact that the threat may actually be incredibly rare isn't necessarily reassuring. You may not be happy with this comparison, redcatt, but I think it's true. As a gay guy, when I meet people who are fundamentalist Christians or devout Muslims, or Republicans, I've learned that more often than not those folks would never even dream of being rude to me, much less doing something harmful. But let's say that you and I are about to walk into a cocktail party and, before we go in, I pull you aside and say, "There are 100 people in that room, and I absolutely guarantee you that 99 of them would never even think about pulling out a baseball bat and clubbing you over the head." You'd ask me about who person 100 is -- and I'd say, "I have no idea. And he or she might be fine. I just don't know one way or the other." If you go into the room at all, figuring out who person 100 is will occupy a significant portion of your attention. The fact that the "threat level" in the room is, at worst, 1% isn't terribly comforting, really. I raise that to say that it takes a lot to let your guard down when you're in the presence of people or things you've been taught to fear. Taking that example of 100 people, the accuracy of the stereotype may be disproven when you hit OK person #51 -- but your wariness is going to be there until you identify and categorize person #100 as safe or a threat. This is why defeating and changing stereotypes, especially those based on fear, is so difficult. The fact that so many people do, in fact, make it past that hurdle gives me a lot of faith about humanity. The really tough part is being nice to the other 99 while you're trying to figure out who #100 is. LOL.

I only believe in facts and there easy to get of the net, however I never trust the media or the tv, most the stuff they show is biased and pure lies. The internet can gather facts from various sources and freely post them, these facts are 'sensitive' to the media and tv's and that's why they never get aired. I see the truth and it's ugly and that's why people close there eyes and won't admit the truth, also most people are stupid and can't accept reality.

The Q you ask, whether you (or anyone who asks it) want to accept it or not, is psychological - and nothing more. It is too easy to simply categorize those types as hateful, narrow-minded, or whatever. You miss some vital information when you do that, which hurts YOU more than anything else (that doesn't mean you have to lay down and take what is dished out to you, but that is a different subject for a different day). They are that way because they were raised to think the way they do. A person isn't born knowing how to think or how to view the world. It is a learned behavior. They've never had an AHA! moment in their entire lives, mostly because they learn to remain with like-minded people. I mean, to a certain extent, we are ALL like that. We stick with those who support with our reality one way or another, even to our detriment. That is a HUMAN condition. Until you put a face on this demon of yours, you will feel the same degree of pain for the rest of your life with no relief - EVER. I can accept you and love you either way, but I would prefer to seeing you grow beyond it. The thing is, you are just as guilty of the same behavior as "they" are. In all the time I have known you, your pain has never lessened with this issue. To a certain degree, I have to admit that I am *almost* resigned to the notion that this pain is comforting to you, because you refuse to leave it under any circumstance. You hang onto it with the tenacity of a pitbull who chases cars and finally catches one. Please note - I said the exact same thing about those who hang onto thier false beliefs. I DID say it was a human condition, right? You have to look at WHY they are like that, and not just bitch about it. I will leave it up to you whether this is the time for you to grow with this or not. I'm sure you will let me know. +5

I think it is a combination of being taught that their views are correct and the fear of accepting the truth...

some answers have mentioned the fear of being wrong and i'd like to elaborate on that...people have a need to be right...for some that need is greater than others. also, many people can only think in rigid terms of right or wrong...the concept of different is foriegn to them. when the need to be right and right and wrong thinking are present with a fragile ego, the person can't tolerate the concept of being wrong...so they can't assimilate new information into their framework and allow it to change how they think (or create a new "right" for themselves). that would mean that they must have been wrong before they changed or either they are wrong now...and it is too frightening for them.