Although I believe that it is virtually impossible to get any useful or accurate measure of racism in any but the most anonymous environments, some Canadian psychologists have just published the results from a recent effort. The conclusion? A new study published Thursday in The Journal Science suggests many people unconsciously harbor racist attitudes, even though they see themselves as tolerant and egalitarian.Not surprising. But the experiment as outlined had no "control" and was based primarily on a reaction to a verbal slur. See what you think:
"This study, and a lot of research in social psychology, suggests that there are still really a lot of negative associations with blacks," said Kerry Kawakami, associate professor of psychology at York University in Toronto, Ontario, and lead author of the study. "People are willing to tolerate racism and not stand up against it." Source
The authors divided 120 non-black participants into the roles of "experiencers" and "forecasters." The "experiencers" were placed in a room with a white person and a black person, who played out pre-arranged scenarios for the experiment. The scenarios began when the black role-player bumped the white role-player's knee when leaving the room.
In the first scenario, the white person did not comment afterwards. In the "moderate" case, the white person said, "Typical, I hate it when black people do that," after the black person left the room. In the "extreme" case, the white person remarked, "Clumsy n****r."
The "forecasters," meanwhile, predicted how they would feel in these situations.
The magnitude of the results surprised even the authors, Kawakami said. Experiencers reported little distress in all three scenarios, much less than the forecasters did in the moderate and severe situations.
"Even using that most extreme comment didn't lead people to be particularly upset," said co-author Elizabeth Dunn, assistant professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
Immediately afterwards, the participants were asked to choose either the black person or the white person as a partner for an anagram test. More than half of experiencers chose the white partner -- regardless of the severity of the comment that person made earlier. As for the forecasters, less than half chose the white partner when a comment was made, but most chose the white person when no comment was made.
"Some people might think that they're very egalitarian and they don't have to deal with their prejudices, and that's not related to them at all, when in actual fact they may hold these hidden biases," Kawakami said. Source
If someone bumped my knee and did not apologize, my response might have been something like, "a**hole." Thus, my problem with this study is that a racist comment does not mean that a person is racist. And the way words are thrown around these days, I don't know what an offensive term actually says about a person.
Also, were the participants asked questions about their anticipated reactions anonymously or were they talking to interviewers? What was the race and gender of the interviewers? How did that impact forecaster responses?
Personally, I find this study more problematic than insightful. I don't care what people think. I care about their actions.
Comments: (8)
Add a comment
By: BMERRY on 1/09/2009 12:10PM
The basic ruling of the United States Supreme Court, announced by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, was that the framers of the Declaration of Independence were honorable men, therefore, when they held slaves while declaring universal human rights, they obviously could not have intended to include those of African descent, for that would have made them hypocrites rather than honorable men. Taney found it was "just and lawful" to reduce the black man to slavery "for his own benefit." FOR WHO'S BENEFIT I QUESTION THAT? Taney also pointed out that if blacks were citizens, they could do things protected by the Constitution. YES SIREE! LIKE BECOME PRESIDENT OF THE USA! YEAH BOYEE!!!According to Taney the unhappy black race were separated from the white by indelible marks$$$$@@%%@$$$,(ATTEMPT TO ROOT THEM OUT) laws long before established,(medieval methods of trial by ordeal)survival of the human Africans, were never thought of or spoken of except as property, and when the claims of the owner or the (PROFIT) of the trader were supposed to need protection...
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: Judge Shirley on 1/09/2009 7:14PM
This example indicates a weak study. I don't think the example is a good one, nor the responses.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: Cornell Fisher on 1/10/2009 1:56PM
During my 23 years in the U.S. Army I spent seven years as a Race Relations, Equal Opportunity facilator during the 60's and 70's. I came to the conclssion that most people harbor some racist feelings. I believe that the use of all non-black subjects determined the results of the study. Sprinkle some Blacks in the forecaster's and the expermenter's groups and check the outcome. It would be helpful to know what the hypothis for the study was, if it was to determine if there were still negetive feelings toward Blacks by some non-blacks, they should have asked Blacks. What you are dealing with in this study is perceptions and not facts and if a Black precieves that a non-black is racist, be that fact or fiction, the damage is done.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: dave on 1/11/2009 11:51AM
I think this entire website is proof of racism. Let's go Whitevoices!
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: Josh on 1/15/2009 9:08AM
I'm white and I think half the problem is people not seeing the difference between race and culture. It's so much easier to sort and divide color like laundry but there's a lot of gray areas in between called culture. It gets a bit old when the assumption is made that a color is an identity. It works in both directions but I don't hear a lot of people talk about that. When we start looking at the accomplishments and downfalls of people as people and not as black or white we'll be in a much better spot.
As a teacher I see it in my classroom all the time. "Oh - you didn't call on me cause I'm black" Nowadays, I shoot back a satirical - "Yes, and I sent Jose to the principal because he is Latino" or when President Obama was first came on the scene he was being criticized by very popular members of the black community and kids in my class because he was "too white" The man is educated, has vision and has some brilliant new ideas but he aint talk like he from da streets so some black people were going to dismiss him!?!?!? Insane. I would call those people ignorant ***holes and that has NOTHING to do with their color. - Peace.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: codelyric on 1/12/2009 3:17AM
dave,
Unless you were born yesterday or are irredeemably arrogant to accept and/or
ignorant to realize that y'all (still) got a BIG problem in America; a disease that has plagued
that Nation for over 4 centuries and that the atrocities committed all this time by White (Supremacist)
America has forced other minorities to retaliate and rebell, then you - and whoever else like you - cannot
be helped.
Precisely, many a Black-'this' and Black-'that' (including BlackVoices) are a call on Black people to awareness and defiance of such
constant and stubborn White Supremacist/racist attitude, practice and sh**.
Indeed, your simplistic approach to such an obvious and volatile matter manifests a completely
uninformed/ignorant and shallow outlook. You, therefore, need to go back to school and learn
some elementary history, acquire some reasonable depth and perspective, before attempting
to type or "think" anything that is even remotely constructive.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: Michael Zack on 1/12/2009 1:49PM
With the Very high percentage of Crime, Unwed Mothers, Joblessness, Uneducated, Violence and Drug use coming from the Black Community. Is it any wonder there is racism?
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: marketner on 1/13/2009 1:14AM
WHERE'S OUR RACE CARD..........?
Reply to this Comment | Report This