Hidden Racial Feelings

[magenta321]

So do you have any hidden racial biases. You can take the test to see if you do at tolerance.org or take a look at what you really think.

I have to be completely honest. I didn't think there was any way I was a racist. Apparently, according to that test I had a slight preferance for white people, which really shocked and upset me. I know I don't live my life in a racist mannor. However, taking this test, talking with friends and a thread on this board have all had me thinking a lot about race issues lately.

So, here is my poll up at the top. You can answer that off the top of your head. Or take the test and see how you make out. I wonder if this is an issue where people will be able to take an honest and open look at themselves. I know it was hard for me to do. Is this something that people will be able to talk about?

[jnbmoore]

I think the test is biased.

I can see what they were doing...

But when the test was African American/Good -- European American/Bad was when you were under the curve trying to figure out how the test worked

By the time you got to African American/bad -- European/Good part of the test you figured out what was going on..... and your response time would go up. Of course that's where the were measurng the bias

I wonder if the test was the other way around if it would be the same?

Bridgette

[cristina1]

"By the time you got to African American/bad -- European/Good part of the test you figured out what was going on..... and your response time would go up. Of course that's where the were measurng the bias"

I think they switch it around in case you take it more than once. Because mine was different both times - I had to watch that.

I did it twice.....the first time came out inconclusive....I think because that was when my husband and the kids woke up. The second time it came out with no preference.

[pluckyduck]

Well, I took the test three times....and it just kept getting worse.

I was acutely aware of what a strain it was for me to keep associating the good words with black people and the bad words with white people when I was in that section of the test, no matter which way the test started off. (They do change it around.) My brain was always relieved when it had to stop straining and could just make bad/black and good/white associations.

Where does this crap come from? I guess from the culture. It sure doesn't come from my concious. I would have bet a thousand dollars (really!) that my results would have been way different, to the point of having a bias for black people. Not even close.

I also took the gender bias test...wasn't surprised to find that I have a slight preference for associating science as being male. I've never been much of a science person....but who knows after that race bias test results, I may find I have a bias toward men being breadwinners and women staying home and baking cookies.

This was really depressing. I'm not voting in the poll!


Andrea

[conradd]

This was very interesting to me. My eye/brain/hand coordination is awful and I made lots of mistakes throughout, but I was trying to click before I could consciously think about the definition. Here in Oregon, especially the part of Oregon that I live in, there are very few blacks. I just returned from shopping in a crowded grocery superstore with stops at Walmart and K-mart this morning and the only people of color I saw were Hispanic and a couple of Asian women. And, I'd read this thread last night so it wasn't like anyone was invisible to me. Really, the only black people I've interacted with in the past two years are students in my classes. (Of course most of the white people I've interacted with are students in my classes too - gotta get out more.) But, when I saw "friendly" or "warm" I saw Al's face or Fritz's face instead of the one on the screen. I didn't do that with white faces.

My test results showed a slight preference for black people, but I think my brain skewed the survey. Honestly, I don't think I have a preference, but I know that in my classes, I probably pay more attention to the black students than white simply because I want to get to know them. I want to make sure that there aren't any classroom prejudices that bar learning. And I want each student, regardless of race to have a quality educational experience. Taking the test made me realize that I need to make sure I don't overcompensate. That's also a form of discrimination, even if intentions are good.

Deb

[wivabef]

I admit I have an innate bias for my own kind, but I also have an innate bias for

1) my right hand
2) consistent patterns

I'm also a smart lady who had yet to be able to pass the fastest finger test for who wants to be a millionaire.

Very few people of any race or color could honestly say that those who look, live and act like themselves don't appeal more to them.

[susanwhipple]

Go figure, I am 'moderately biased' towards black people.

I think it has much more to do with the test. I found a different problem in the second round. I was used to how the test worked, but I couldn't get the first association of African American/Good and European American/Bad out of my head- so I kept making mistakes.

Personally, I think I do make certain assumptions about people based on many factors-skin color being only one of them. I am actually more likely to avoid being friendly to a new person because of a puss on their face than the color of that face.

[magenta321]

Originally posted by pluckyduck
I would have bet a thousand dollars (really!) that my results would have been way different, to the point of having a bias for black people. Not even close.

I have to admit, I would have bet the same for myself. Even all of my friends were shocked. They told me to take the test again, or start dating white guys I decided to take the test again, but still came up leaning towards a preference for white people. Hmm.

[pluckyduck]

The reason I don't think the test was flawed in my case (even though I hated the results) was that I took it three times, the order was changed around each time...and because I was aware of how much strain I was under when I had to file black/good and white/bad things in the same place.

Now, I tried the fat/thin test, fully prepared to find out I had a preference for thin people. Even though I'm not concious of it, I know that I'm happier when I'm thinner, and that the culture has pressed me to consider thin= good.

I'll be damned, I ended up with a strong preference for fat people. Again, I was aware of being strained when I had to file fat/bad thin/good together.

All in all, extremely unsettling.

Andrea
who would rather be inconclusive, dammit

[frazzledspice]

I agree that the test results could have been affected by eye/hand coordination, reflexes, age, or right/left handedness.

It also could have been affected by the test taker's becoming more experienced and comfortable with the test as time went on.

I don't think I gained any great personal insights when I took it. I initially had been thinking about looking into the ageism test, too, but, after taking the first test, didn't feel it would be that helpful to me.

[vein]

I received "inconclusive" both times I took the test. I have major issues with it, because I judge people for who they are, not for what they are.

Or, as my SO likes to say, I'm not racist, I hate everyone equally. *rolling eyes*

[patach]

It's probably not a big problem anymore in most states of big deals of racism of skin color. However, the new "racism" in this country is homophobia. As of most people I talked to I ask the question," do you hate gay people?" And most of them have a nervous reaction to the matter-

"No! No! Of course not! I respect their lifestyle... it's just not for me. And I respect them, unless they hit on me!"

I don't remember this. I have friends of the opposite sex (coincidentally one is a lesbian), does it mean I or they hit on me all the time? People have this notion that just because someone is gay, means they want to have sex with everybody that holds their own gender. Which I find to be stereotypical. Speaking which, steretypically, bisexuals are the ones that hit on straight people.

"Is Comics killing America, or is America killing Comics?"

[KristenNC]

I hate the term "lifestyle" - as if you can define a human being based on 1 single aspect of their life and call it a lifestyle, thereby assigning them into the "them" category...

That said - I have always, always, always admitted that I am a racist to some degree and I wish that wasn't true.

You can't change something you don't admit to, right?

And I have made assumptions about Asian drivers, young, black basketball players, skinny Indian grad students named tipu... I've locked my car doors when driving by a group of 10 young black men and not when I see 10 young white kids. That's racist, plain and simple, even it it wasn't a concious bias on my part.

I think it is important to be aware of any kind of reaction or assumptions about a human being's character based on appearance. The only way to overcome such false thinking is by first admitting to it, then working to change it.

And note - I say that I am a racist coming from an inter-racial family, with a lot of positive dating and friendship experiences outside of my own skin color and ethnic background.

I still am not perfect. I work to overcome bias. I hope my child will be better - and her child better than that. That's the best I can do.

I sound like a really bad commercial.

[AuntieEmma[$]]

I didn't take the test, but I did check off the "My biases affect my daily life" box above, because I think they do.

I think race is always a factor in my first impressions. I agree very much with what Kristen said. I'm not pleased that I react this way, based on race, but I do, and I think being aware of it helps.

The thing that intrigued me most about the online world, when I first entered it, was that it seemed like a way to filter out all the static, all the extraneous things that we use to form first impressions. It seemed like a grand experiment -- how would people interact if they didn't know each other's race, or for that matter, appearance, age, occupation, and even gender -- all the things that come together to create an instant snap judgment. What would happen if the only thing people had to go on in forming judgments was how people expressed themselves in writing? It seemed like a very exciting possibility.

In practice, though, it hasn't really worked out that way. At Epinions, for example, we're encouraged to post pictures and bios -- which brings back all the information we use, in real life, to put people into preconfigured slots. And generally, people do seem to want to self-identify -- certainly gender, but often race and everything else as well.

[Dani257]

I don't remember my result on the test (I took it a long time ago), but I think everyone has some prejudices in them. People make snap judgements when you first meet someone, and classify people all the time. But, the thing is the real bigotted people can't move beyond the initial kneejerk reaction.

Of course, I see color. Hiding the fact that people are different skin colors doesn't help. Like Kristen said, I've made assumptions based on it. But, the minute I make the assumptions, I give myself a mental shake and tell myself they're probably not true.

[AuntieEmma[$]]

But, the thing is the real bigotted people can't move beyond the initial kneejerk reaction.

In a way it's tempting to think that I'm not one of those real bigots, but I don't know that it's true. I don't make blanket statements, and I feel put on the spot when people do (reluctant to object and sound like I'm giving a prissy lecture, I don't know what to do and usually just grunt and try and change the subject). I prefer to live in places and be in situations where there's a racial mix ("white bread" places feel unnatural to me and usually set off a round of jokes about whether they've posted guards at the entrance.) So I guess I could say, oh I'm not one of those bigots, except that my first reaction is real and it matters and it is bigotry.

As for how long it takes to move beyond that, I think it lasts until the person emerges in my mind as a distinct individual. If I've just been introduced to someone and we're talking, that could take only a split second. But if it's someone I only know well enough to say "hi" to and never interact beyond that, it could take months or even years before they register as an individual. And if it's someone I'm just passing on the street, it will never happen -- I'll never get beyond that first impression.

And maybe seeing someone in racial terms never goes away completely. For example, I hold the stereotype that Asians are neat and hard-working and conscientious. And say I meet an Asian who's a lazy slob. So, okay, that person doesn't fit the stereotype, but I think to some extent the perception may always remain that they're playing against type -- that is, the conception of type doesn't disappear completely. And if they're a friend, it might even be something I could tease them about. But that can get touchy. I know when friends tease me about the ways I either do or don't fit into the stereotypes of what a Jew who grew up in New York is supposed to be like, it's ok up to a point, but eventually it gets irritating.

[poseidon]

Oh bite me. These tests are so biased and set up to give negative results its incredible. So much of this depends on if you're left-handed or right-handed and how quickly you can mash buttons. I spent the entire Black/White preference test trying to remember which keys were "Good" keys and which ones were "Bad" keys, and got into trouble when they reversed them.

Then I took the male/female test which was a joke. Apparently I'm associate males with science and women to arts? Funny, but I didn't even miss a single question on those tests, yet it still told me that I have a preference? Puleeze! 99% of my friends are women, and I'm of the opinion that women are better at math (which is a science) and medical (also a science) than are men.

I then did the age bias thing. I said I was a 13 year old girl just to see if that would skew the numbers... and it says I hate my grandma... sigh. In truth I have a very hard time dealing with children and get along fine with "older" people.

I didn't bother with the other ones... This is a crock.

[cristina1]

"It seemed like a grand experiment -- how would people interact if they didn't know each other's race, or for that matter, appearance, age, occupation, and even gender -- all the things that come together to create an instant snap judgment. "

When I first got online, the internet was more like this. Most people did not have pictures scanned, and we had to go by the written word to make our friends.

A bunch of us decided to meet in person and it was actually quite funny. Although we all had a great time and got along like we have been life-long friends, we realized that had we met traditionally, we would never have become as close as we had. We are all so different in so many ways - so much so that the apparent differences (age, background, the way we look and dress, the city slicker and the country bumpkin) would have prevented us from wanting to get to know each other better.

As a matter of fact, I met my own husband from that group. Never before then would I have even considered dating someone 5 years younger than me. I am so happy that that time on the internet opened my eyes so much, because not only did I meet some great people, but I also learned never to judge by looks alone.