When I first was learning guitar, I'd bring a song to my teacher each week to learn. After thirty seconds, he knew all the chords.
Every single song, every genre. How did he do that?
I kept practicing and listening. Pretty soon I could do it too.
I noticed recognizable patterns.
Like most bluegrass songs are in G.
And 90% of blues progressions end on the five chord.
And ragtime songs usually have a 3-6-2-5 bridge.
And the best reggae songs go back and forth on just two chords – the one and four.
And hundreds of songs across all genres have the same exact four chord progression. Google "Axis of Awesome 4 Chords" for hilarious proof.
So, yeah, you start to recognize patterns once you know to look for them.
It's not too dissimilar to the recognizable patterns I notice about how White people engage in conversations about race.
Some recognizable patterns: defensiveness, aggression, denial, guilt, gaslighting, tone policing, canceling, White solidarity.
Once you know to look for the patterns, you can't help but see them all over the place.
And, to be clear, just as not all bluegrass songs are in G, and not all blues progressions end on the five chord, and not all reggae songs only have two chords. . .
Not all White people exhibit these behaviors.
But a whole hell of a lot do.