Hidden Biases of Good People
Do you think you are biased against people of other races? Most of us don’t, although we do have unconscious automatic reactions to others based on stereotypes. That’s the finding of a book called “Blind Spot: Hidden Biases of Good People” by psychologists Mahzarin Banaji and Anthony Greenwald.
When my son was about eight years old, as we stepped off a flight, my brother met us and asked my son if any of the flight attendants were pretty. He responded, “I don’t know. They were all black.” His response stunned me. I hadn’t taught this sweet, innocent little boy such prejudice. This example demonstrates that whether intentional or not, the cultural attitudes around us influence our view of others.
The tendency to prefer members of one’s own group emerges early in infancy, based largely on familiarity. Lines are drawn unconsciously, and discrimination follows. Discrimination is not just blatant acts of aggression toward those not in our group. Rather, it involves favoring those who are like us over those who are not.
Seeking to help and advance people who are like us is admirable, but it can lead to opportunities being denied to minority groups. The unequal status quo is perpetuated if minority groups are deprived of the resources and social networks available only to the majority group, which obtains advantages by birth and status.
Benefits received from being a member of the majority or historically more powerful group are assumed for the most part. Blind spots hide both discrimination and privileges, so neither the discriminators nor the targets of discrimination are aware. This favoritism toward each other within the majority or most powerful group may be the largest contributing factor to the relative disadvantages experienced by African Americans and other minorities.
Such favoritism is not intended with malice or prejudice, but its pernicious effects are the same. Without understanding blind spots, it is awfully difficult to level the playing field. We are unaware of the many routine, daily social interactions in which automatic in-group preferences unintentionally put out-group members at a disadvantage.
It is not humanly possible to avoid using stereotypes. Unfortunately, stereotypes assigned to other groups typically consist of traits that are noticeably more negative than those we would attribute to our friends. A hidden impact of stereotypes is the denial of fair consideration to people not in our group. Good people do not intend to deny opportunities to others based on stereotypes, but we do.
We all have blind spots. They require no malign intent and yet can have negative consequences for others. Stereotypes take no special effort to acquire, but take special effort to control. By understanding our hidden biases, we can work to minimize their impact on our behavior.
To be sure, the disadvantage experienced by many African Americans is at least partly due to overt and historical discrimination. However, hidden bias, unintentional as it may be, possibly contributes more to discrimination in America today than does obvious prejudice. We are unaware of our hidden bias, but the discrimination it produces is just as real and deleterious as intentional bias.
As we join together to celebrate the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, and as we congratulate ourselves on the progress we have made on race relations, we must not lose sight of our unfinished business to promote equality. Our unfinished business includes recognizing and addressing the hidden biases of good people.
Brother Rogers is a guest columnist for the Starkville Daily News and works at the Stennis Center for Public Service.
When my son was about eight years old, as we stepped off a flight, my brother met us and asked my son if any of the flight attendants were pretty. He responded, “I don’t know. They were all black.” His response stunned me. I hadn’t taught this sweet, innocent little boy such prejudice. This example demonstrates that whether intentional or not, the cultural attitudes around us influence our view of others.
The tendency to prefer members of one’s own group emerges early in infancy, based largely on familiarity. Lines are drawn unconsciously, and discrimination follows. Discrimination is not just blatant acts of aggression toward those not in our group. Rather, it involves favoring those who are like us over those who are not.
Seeking to help and advance people who are like us is admirable, but it can lead to opportunities being denied to minority groups. The unequal status quo is perpetuated if minority groups are deprived of the resources and social networks available only to the majority group, which obtains advantages by birth and status.
Benefits received from being a member of the majority or historically more powerful group are assumed for the most part. Blind spots hide both discrimination and privileges, so neither the discriminators nor the targets of discrimination are aware. This favoritism toward each other within the majority or most powerful group may be the largest contributing factor to the relative disadvantages experienced by African Americans and other minorities.
Such favoritism is not intended with malice or prejudice, but its pernicious effects are the same. Without understanding blind spots, it is awfully difficult to level the playing field. We are unaware of the many routine, daily social interactions in which automatic in-group preferences unintentionally put out-group members at a disadvantage.
It is not humanly possible to avoid using stereotypes. Unfortunately, stereotypes assigned to other groups typically consist of traits that are noticeably more negative than those we would attribute to our friends. A hidden impact of stereotypes is the denial of fair consideration to people not in our group. Good people do not intend to deny opportunities to others based on stereotypes, but we do.
We all have blind spots. They require no malign intent and yet can have negative consequences for others. Stereotypes take no special effort to acquire, but take special effort to control. By understanding our hidden biases, we can work to minimize their impact on our behavior.
To be sure, the disadvantage experienced by many African Americans is at least partly due to overt and historical discrimination. However, hidden bias, unintentional as it may be, possibly contributes more to discrimination in America today than does obvious prejudice. We are unaware of our hidden bias, but the discrimination it produces is just as real and deleterious as intentional bias.
As we join together to celebrate the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, and as we congratulate ourselves on the progress we have made on race relations, we must not lose sight of our unfinished business to promote equality. Our unfinished business includes recognizing and addressing the hidden biases of good people.
Brother Rogers is a guest columnist for the Starkville Daily News and works at the Stennis Center for Public Service.