Ethno-Racial Attitudes and Social Inequality Editor's Proof

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Ethno-Racial Attitudes and Social Inequality Editor's Proof Editor's Proof Ethno-Racial Attitudes and Social Inequality 22 Frank L. Samson and Lawrence D. Bobo 1 Introduction (1997)). Within psychology we have seen an ex- 22 plosion of work on implicit attitudes or uncon- 23 2 Sociologists ordinarily assume that social struc- scious racism that more than ever centers atten- 24 3 ture drives the content of individual level values, tion on the internal psychological functioning of 25 4 attitudes, beliefs, and ultimately, behavior. In the individual. We argue here that, in general, a 26 5 some classic models this posture reaches a point committed social psychological posture that ex- 27 6 of essentially denying the sociological relevance amines both how societal level factors and pro- 28 7 of any micro-level processes. In contrast, psy- cesses shape individual experiences and outlooks 29 8 chologists (and to a degree, economists) operate and how the distribution of individual attitudes, 30 9 with theoretical models that give primacy to in- beliefs, and values, in turn, influence others and 31 10 dividual level perception, cognition, motivation, the larger social environment provides the fullest 32 11 and choice. Within the domain of studies of ethno- leverage on understanding the dynamics of race. 33 12 racial relations, each of these positions has mod- Specifically we argue in this chapter that ethno-ra- 34 13 ern advocates. From the sociologically determin- cial attitudes, beliefs, and identities play a funda- 35 14 istic vantage point Edna Bonacich trumpets the mental constitutive role in the experience, re-pro- 36 15 “‘deeper’ level of reality” exposed by class ana- duction, and process of change in larger societal 37 16 lytics (1980, p. 9), while Omi and Winant (1994, patterns of ethno-racial inequality and relations. 38 17 p. 59) focus on “racialized social structure.” Oth- Some basic conceptual anchoring of attitude, 39 18 ers, while not so completely rejecting micro-level race, and ethnicity is necessary. By attitude, we 40 19 analyses, nonetheless call for primary attention to refer to “a favorable or unfavorable evaluation of 41 20 so-called “structural racism” (e.g., Bonilla-Silva an object” (Schuman et al. 1997, p. 1). Race typi- 42 21 cally involves socially constructed perceptions 43 Frank L. Samson was supported in part by funding from of phenotypic differences, variation in skin color 44 the National Science Foundation awarded to the Univer- and tone, hair texture, eye shape and other facial 45 sity of Miami (Award No.: 0820128) during the writing features while ethnicity refers to variations in 46 of this chapter. language, attire, aspects of self-presentation, and 47 other cultural behaviors. Ethno-racial attitudes 48 F. L. Samson (*) thus reflect a variety of race and ethnicity associ- 49 Department of Sociology, University of Miami ated objects: racial and ethnic groups and their 50 5202 University Drive, 120D Merrick Building attributes, features and assessments of relations 51 Coral Gables, FL, 33146, USA e-mail: [email protected] between such groups, intergroup contact, and 52 public policies pertinent to either race or ethnic- 53 L. D. Bobo Department of Sociology, Harvard University ity. Ethno-racial attitudes are built up and consti- 54 33 Kirkland Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA tuted in environments structured to correspond to 55 J. D. McLeod et al. (eds.), Handbook of the Social Psychology of Inequality, Handbooks of Sociology and 527 Social Research, DOI 10.1007/978-94-017-9002-4_22, © Springer Sciences+Business Media Dordrecht 2014 528 F. L. Samson and L. D. Bobo 56 socially constructed and recognized ethno-racial Second, whites prefer to maintain their social 101 57 markers or designations (Omi and Winant 1994; distance from non-white minorities. While white 102 58 See and Wilson 1988). support for school segregation has assuredly de- 103 59 With only a limited amount of space to review clined, white respondents’ objection to sending 104 60 a wide range of scholarship on the social psychol- their children to a school with black children 105 61 ogy of racial inequality, this chapter focuses on increases as the proportion of blacks increases. 106 62 just three key areas. First, we summarize trends As will be discussed in greater depth later, white 107 63 reflecting important changes in ethno-racial atti- attitude towards residential segregation parallels 108 64 tudes. Next, we briefly review major contempo- these school segregation findings. As a third mea- 109 65 rary theoretical approaches in the social psychol- sure of social distance, while white opposition to 110 66 ogy of racial prejudice, including a theory captur- interracial marriage has declined overall, whites 111 67 ing the current tenor and behavioral implications still prefer Hispanic/Asian marriage partners for 112 68 of modern ethno-racial attitudes, labeled aversive one of their family members and in 2008, about 113 69 racism. Lastly, we address how ethno-racial atti- one-fourth of whites surveyed were still opposed 114 70 tudes affect processes of labor market inequality, or strongly opposed to a family member marry- 115 71 residential segregation, and politics and public ing a black person. 116 72 policy. Third, white support for inequality amelio- 117 rating policies and government intervention is 118 limited and has remained so for decades. White 119 73 Changing Ethno-Racial Attitudes attitude regarding the denial of government’s 120 special obligation to improve blacks’ living stan- 121 74 Sociologists have systematically studied change dard after such lengthy discrimination has hov- 122 75 in ethno-racial attitudes since at least the 1950s ered between 50 and 60 % from the mid-1970s 123 76 (Hyman and Sheatsley 1956). Critical baseline through 2008. Forty percent of whites in 1990 124 77 surveys were conducted in the early 1940s and felt it was somewhat likely that affirmative ac- 125 78 then replicated in subsequent national surveys. tion would hurt whites’ job or promotion pros- 126 79 University of Chicago scholars famously report- pects, a perspective that half of whites expressed 127 80 ed these studies in a series of Scientific American in 2008. However, while income-targeted policy 128 81 articles (Garth et al. 1978; Greeley and Sheatsley interventions are more popular than race-targeted 129 82 1971; Hyman and Sheatsley 1964,1956). A more ones, substantial percentages of whites still sup- 130 83 expansive review and integration of available ported black-targeted programs such as early 131 84 sources was undertaken by Howard Schuman childhood education and college scholarships. 132 85 and colleagues in the book, Racial Attitudes in Approximately 90 % of whites opposed preferen- 133 86 America: Trends and Interpretations (Schuman tial hiring or promotion for blacks, a percentage 134 87 et al. 1985) and later broadened conceptually and that has not budged since 1994 when the question 135 88 extensively updated (Schuman et al. 1997). was first asked. 136 89 Most of this work has focused on the attitudes Fourth, racial stereotypes have become less 137 90 of white Americans towards blacks. One recent categorical and more gradational, departing from 138 91 extensive summary of the General Social Survey earlier assumptions of absolute biological differ- 139 92 stressed the following key patterns (Bobo et al. ences towards more qualified, group-based com- 140 93 2012). First, surveys point to a large positive nor- parisons on stereotypical traits. The belief that 141 94 mative transformation in ethno-racial attitudes. blacks are inherently less intelligent than whites 142 95 Since the 1970s, white attitudes have shown a has declined. While 40 % of whites in 2008 be- 143 96 clear and steady decline in support for school lieved that blacks tend to be lazier than whites, 144 97 segregation, the right to segregate neighbor- this percentage has dropped from over 60 % in 145 98 hoods, laws allowing homeowner discrimination 1990. More whites express belief in blacks’ rela- 146 99 in selling a house, and laws banning interracial tive lack of industriousness than the belief that 147 100 marriage. blacks tend to be less intelligent. Relatedly, ex- 148 22 Ethno-Racial Attitudes and Social Inequality 529 149 planations for black-white socioeconomic in- for black-white socioeconomic inequality. Final- 196 150 equality have also shifted towards more cultural- ly, black support for some types of government 197 151 ly rooted attributions (i.e., need to work harder), intervention has declined. Since 1994 when less 198 152 rather than the belief that blacks have less inborn than 40 % of blacks opposed preferential hiring 199 153 ability. Lack of motivation or willpower has been and promotion for blacks, recent survey data in- 200 154 either the first or second preferred rationale for dicates that a majority of blacks (~ 55 %) oppose 201 155 black-white socioeconomic inequality since such preferences. 202 156 1977, compared to lack of education (which sur- Finally, racial apathy appears to be on the rise 203 157 passed motivation in the early 1990s), inborn (Forman 2004). In 1976, one out of ten young 204 158 ability or discrimination. whites expressed no concern that minorities may 205 159 We should note it is important not to infer get unfair treatment, which almost doubles to 206 160 from these results that biological thinking has 18 % by 2000. Surveys of white adults also ap- 207 161 disappeared from how white Americans think pear to express racial apathy. Compared to ei- 208 162 about race more broadly. Sociologist Ann Morn- ther support or opposition, national survey data 209 163 ing has rightly cautioned that processes of “racial indicates an increase in the percentage of white 210 164 conceptualization”—how people frame the very respondents from 1964 to the mid-1990s and 211 165 notion of race itself—continues to exhibit strong 2000 who expressed “no interest” in federal in- 212 166 biological overtones.
Recommended publications
  • Although During the Last Few Years There Has Been a Series of Theoretical Analyses in Social Sciences on the Issue of Racism
    Basque Country University. San Sebastian. Spain. Although during the last few years there has been a series of theoretical analyses in social sciences on the issue of racism (Dovidio & Gaertner, 1986), Duckitt's (1992) historical overview is one of the most interesting and comprehensive. According to this author, social theorists have approached racism from different perspectives. He distinguished six different periode in the social-psychological analysis of racism: The social scientists who worked during the first period (....-1920s, termed as the "race psychology period") assumed, following a social-darwinist perspective, that ethnic groups could be placed along a natural evolutive hierarchy. The most developed groups (whites) were at the top of the hierarchy and the less developed groups (blacks, hispanics, females, etc) at the bottom of the hierarchy. The hierarchization was the obvious result of natural selection forces. Thus, people who supported White superiority over other groups were not regarded as prejudiced. The superiority of white was an "empirical fact". This period was followed by the "racial prejudice phase" (1920s-1930s). The new social atmosphere (emergence of anti-colonial movements, the increasing number of Jewish social scientists, etc.) led to a largely extended criticism of the racial domination theses. Racism was regarded as irrational and unjustified attitudes. The dominant methodological approach to racism was descriptive (i.e. Katz & Braly's research on stereotypes). The 1940's was the era when the first systematic attempts to conceptualize prejudice was undergone. Psychodynamic approaches dominated this period. Racism was seen as the result of defense mechanisms through which internal conflicts were resolved. The origins of racism were based on psychopathology and unsolved intrapsychic conflicts.
    [Show full text]
  • Explaining the Exceptional Behaviour of the Portuguese Church Hierarchy in Morality Politics
    Shunning Direct Intervention: Explaining the Exceptional Behaviour of the Portuguese church Hierarchy in Morality Politics by Madalena Meyer Resende (FCSH-UNL and IPRI-UNL) and Anja Hennig (European University Viadrina) Abstract Why are the Catholic churches in most European countries politically active in relevant morality policy issues while the Portuguese hierarchy has remained reserved during mobilizing debates such as abortion and same-sex marriage, whose laws’ recent changes go against Catholic beliefs? The explanation could be institutional, as the fairly recent Portuguese transition to democracy dramatically changed the role attributed to the church by the former regimes. However, in Spain – whose case is similar to Portugal in matters of timing and political conditions – the hierarchy’s behaviour is different. This begs the question: what elements explain the exceptionality of the Portuguese case? This article shows that the Portuguese case illustrates an element usually not emphasized in the literature: the ideological inclination of the church elites. The article thus concludes that institutional access is a necessary, but not a sufficient, condition for the church to directly intervene in morality policy processes. A church may have access to influence political decision makers but, for ideological reasons, may be unwilling to use it. Keywords: Portugal, morality policy, Catholic church, Vatican Council II, abortion, gay-marriage, ideology, historical institutionalism Introduction the church from the policy-making arena. As we The recent debate in the Portuguese parliament will show, up until 2013, the Portuguese hierar- (July 2015) about restricting the 2007 liberal- chy showed great restraint during the process of ized abortion law in Portugal revealed a novum moral-political liberalization.
    [Show full text]
  • SJRC 2019 Freng Schweitzer
    Running head: GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF PREJUDICE 1 Geographic Distribution of Prejudice Toward African Americans: Applying the Two- Dimensional Model Scott Freng University of Wyoming Kimberly Schweitzer University of Wyoming Victoria Estrada-Reynolds Stockton University Elizabeth Leki Penn Schoen Berland Market Research & Samuel Choi University of Wyoming Author Note Scott Freng, Department of Psychology, University of Wyoming; Kimberly Schweitzer, Department of Criminal Justice, University of Wyoming; Victoria Estrada-Reynolds, Department of Psychology, Stockton University; Elizabeth Leki, Penn Schoen Berland Market Research, Denver, Colorado; Samuel Choi, Department of Psychology, University of Wyoming. This research was funded in part by a grant from the Social Justice Research Center at the University of Wyoming and funds raised by crowd sourcing through Experiment.com. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Scott Freng, Department of Psychology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071. Email: [email protected] GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF PREJUDICE 2 Abstract Using the two-dimensional model (Son Hing et al., 2008) of prejudice as a guide, we sampled 10,522 people to examine the geographic distribution of prejudice toward African Americans in the United States. We found the East South Central, West South Central, and South Atlantic regions were associated with modern racism (MR), principled conservatism (PC) characterized the Mountain region, aversive racism (AR) was prevalent in the East North Central region, and finally, truly low in prejudice (TLP) was found in the Pacific, West North Central, Mid Atlantic, and New England regions. Consistent with the two-dimensional model, those high in MR and PC self-identified as more politically conservative than those high in AR or TLP.
    [Show full text]
  • Implicit Racial Bias in South Africa: How Far Have Manager-Employee Relations Come in “The Rainbow Nation?”
    Implicit Racial Bias in South Africa: How Far Have Manager-Employee Relations Come in “The Rainbow Nation?” Carin Bergh* and Jenny M. Hoobler Department of Human Resource Management, University of Pretoria, South Africa *Corresponding author. Email: [email protected] Acknowledgements This work is based on research supported in part by the National Research Foundation of South Africa (Grant Number 110835). And this research forms part of a thesis conducted in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the University of Pretoria. 2 Abstract This article examines manager-employee relations in democratic South Africa, using an unobtrusive, implicit measure of managers’ racial bias. We test the link between manager automatically activated evaluations of race labels with positive/negative words (implicit racial bias), and employees’ judgement of their manager’s effectiveness, their satisfaction with their manager and their willingness to engage in extra-role workplace behavior. Results indicated that Indian and white managers were similar in their negative automatic evaluation of African blacks, and that employees of white managers report higher manager satisfaction, higher manager effectiveness, and a greater likelihood of engaging in extra effort, compared to employees of African black managers. From these results we infer that racial bias has gone “underground” and continues to play a pivotal role in manager-employee relations in “the Rainbow Nation.” Keywords: implicit racial bias, IAT, discrimination, leadership, South Africa 3 …. Races will live and travel separately. Education will be separate for all groups at all levels … Work fitting for the White man will be reserved for him and him alone. Apartheid rests on … Scientific Proof that the White man is a superior being … - South African Prime Minister, D.F.
    [Show full text]
  • The Psychology of Racism, Environmental Discrimination, and the Argument for Modernizing Equal Protection Analysis
    Vanderbilt Law Review Volume 46 Issue 4 Issue 4 - May 1993 Article 5 5-1993 It's Not Easy Bein' Green: The Psychology of Racism, Environmental Discrimination, and the Argument for Modernizing Equal Protection Analysis Edward P. Boyle Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.law.vanderbilt.edu/vlr Part of the Environmental Law Commons Recommended Citation Edward P. Boyle, It's Not Easy Bein' Green: The Psychology of Racism, Environmental Discrimination, and the Argument for Modernizing Equal Protection Analysis, 46 Vanderbilt Law Review 937 (1993) Available at: https://scholarship.law.vanderbilt.edu/vlr/vol46/iss4/5 This Note is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Vanderbilt Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in Vanderbilt Law Review by an authorized editor of Scholarship@Vanderbilt Law. For more information, please contact [email protected]. NOTES It's Not Easy Bein' Green: The Psychology of Racism, Environmental Discrimination, and the Argument for Modernizing Equal Protection Analysis I. INTRODUCTION ........................................... 938 II. THE PSYCHOLOGY OF RACISM ............................ 940 A. The Dynamics of Individual Racism: Dominative and Aversive Types ............................ 942 B. The Dynamics of Institutional Racism .......... 945 C. The Historical Progression From Dominative to Aversive Racism ............................... .947 III. EQUAL PROTECTION ..................................... 950 A. Two Models of Equal ProtectionAnalysis ....... 952 B. Judicial Interpretationof the Clause............ 955 C. The Flaws Inherent in the Intent Standard ..... 963 IV. ENVIRONMENTAL DISCRIMINATION AND ITS CAUSES ....... 967 A. Racially Segregated Neighborhoods ............. 970 B. The Environmental Hazard Siting Process....... 971 C. The Lack of Real Representation for Minorities.. 977 V. THE SOLUTION: INTERMEDIATE-LEVEL SCRUTINY FOR ALL STATE ACTIONS WITH A SIGNIFICANT DISPARATE IMPACT ON SUSPECT CLASSES .....................................
    [Show full text]
  • Harassment, Bullying, and Hazing Policy
    HARASSMENT, BULLYING, AND HAZING POLICY It is the policy of the District to provide a safe and nurturing educational environment for all of its students. This policy protects all students from bullying/cyberbullying/harassment/sexual harassment and other aggressive behaviors regardless of the subject matter or motivation for such impermissible behavior. Bullying/cyberbullying/harassment/sexual harassment or other aggressive behavior toward a student, whether by other students, staff, or third parties, including Board members, parents, guests, contractors, vendors, and volunteers, is strictly prohibited. This prohibition includes written, physical, verbal, and psychological abuse, including hazing, gestures, comments, threats, or actions to a student, which cause or threaten to cause bodily harm, reasonable fear for personal safety or personal degradation. Demonstration of appropriate behavior, treating others with civility and respect, and refusing to tolerate harassment or bullying/cyberbullying is expected of administrators, faculty, staff, and volunteers to provide positive examples for student behavior. This policy applies to all "at school" activities in the District, including activities on school property, in a school vehicle, and those occurring off school property if the student or employee is at any school sponsored, school-approved or school-related activity or function, such as field trips or athletic events where students are under the school's control, or where an employee is engaged in school business. Misconduct occurring outside of school may also be disciplined if it interferes with the school environment. Notification: ​ Notice of this policy will be annually circulated within the District and discussed with students, as well as incorporated into teacher, student, and parent/guardian handbooks.
    [Show full text]
  • Tackling Implicit Bias
    Tackling Implicit Bias By Dr. Becki Cohn-Vargas Published on Teaching Tolerance Website on March 25, 2015 http://www.tolerance.org/blog/tackling-implicit-bias Editor’s Note: This blog is the first in a three-part series that links three important ideas—implicit bias, stereotype threat and identity safety—all backed by research. As educators, it may seem overwhelming that, in addition to addressing overt racism in our classrooms and schools, we also need to tackle unconscious racial prejudices, known as “implicit bias,” not only in our students, but in ourselves. However, it is possible to address implicit bias, and the solutions are in our hands. The recent events in Ferguson came as a dramatic wake-up call for our country. Fifty years after Selma, we still have a racial divide in this country. While overt racism has greatly declined from the days of segregation and lynching, and many laws now seek to protect our citizens from discrimination, pervasive racist attitudes rear their ugly heads in harmful and sometimes deadly ways. For many of us who strive for equity and social justice in our rapidly diversifying country, the next big hurdle in our path is tackling aversive racism and stereotyping—also known as implicit bias. Negative stereotypes feed our minds like a steady drip of toxin; we may not even be aware of as it occurs. Whether toxic attitudes are about other people or ourselves, they are very damaging. Several research experiments have deepened our understanding of implicit bias: • In one experiment, word association was used to identify bias.
    [Show full text]
  • A Recipe for Success in the 'English World': an Investigation of the Ex
    Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Dissertations Graduate College 12-2018 A Recipe for Success in the ‘English World’: An Investigation of the Ex-Amish in Mainstream Society Jessica R. Sullivan Western Michigan University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations Part of the Sociology of Culture Commons Recommended Citation Sullivan, Jessica R., "A Recipe for Success in the ‘English World’: An Investigation of the Ex-Amish in Mainstream Society" (2018). Dissertations. 3358. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations/3358 This Dissertation-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS IN THE ‘ENGLISH WORLD’: AN INVESTIGATION OF THE EX-AMISH IN MAINSTREAM SOCIETY by Jessica R. Sullivan A dissertation submitted to the Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Sociology Western Michigan University December 2018 Doctoral Committee: Angela Moe, Ph.D., Chair Whitney DeCamp, Ph.D. Jesse Smith, Ph.D. Cynthia Visscher, Ph.D. Copyright by Jessica R. Sullivan 2018 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My graduate work and dissertation would not have been possible without the help of my participants and the amazing support and love of those around me. I would like to take a moment to acknowledge their contributions (in no particular order of course). First of all, I would like to thank Angie Moe, my dissertation chair.
    [Show full text]
  • Cultural Competence Concepts Contemporary Racism
    NebGuide Nebraska Extension Research-Based Information That You Can Use G2281 Index: Youth & Families, Families Issued October 2016 Cultural Competence Concepts Contemporary Racism Aileen S. Garcia, Extension Research Graduate Assistant Sarah A. Taylor, Extension Research Graduate Assistant Maria Rosario T. de Guzman, Extension Specialist Introduction aversive racist attitudes tend to rationalize or explain away bigoted feelings, reactions, and behaviors that Contemporary racism refers to the subtle and some- they may express. For instance, a person who feels times implicit negative beliefs about others based solely uneasy sitting beside a person of color on a bus might on their race or ethnic background. Whereas “traditional” feel guilty for having those feelings and explain to forms of racism tended to be visible through a person’s himself that it is not because the person is an ethnic blatant discriminatory words, actions, and opposition to minority but because that person was acting suspi- policies that may have brought about equality, contem- cious. An adult program leader might have negative porary racism is not as obvious and is often expressed in biases towards a child who is of ethnic minority back- publicly acceptable ways. Because of its subtle forms, it is ground but rationalize these feelings by pointing out easy to think that racism no longer exists. Nonetheless, that child’s behaviors— even if other children act in the modern racism can have many serious repercussions and same way. thus it is important to understand this concept and learn how to address it in our daily lives. • Symbolic racism: Having deeply held racial/ethnic bias Over the last several decades, researchers have made that is expressed by opposing rules, laws, and values distinctions in the various forms of contemporary racism that may uplift minorities.
    [Show full text]
  • Two Cultures of Punishment
    Stanford Law Review Volume 68 May 2016 ARTICLE Two Cultures of Punishment Joshua Kleinfeld* Abstract. As American criminal punishment has become more severe and European more mild, the two systems of punishment have come to represent different cultural possibilities for the modern West. Implicit in American and European punishment are two visions of wrongdoing and wrongdoers, of the terms of the social contract, and of the foundations of rights. American punishment pictures serious offenders as morally deformed people rather than ordinary people who have committed crimes. Their criminality is thus both immutable and devaluing, a feature of the actor rather than merely the act. The forms of punishment deployed in response do not just exact retribution or exert social control, they expressively deny offenders’ claims to membership in the community and to the moral humanity in virtue of which a human being is rights bearing. European criminal punishment expressively denies that any offense marks the offender as a morally deformed person. Criminality is always mutable and never devaluing, actors are kept at a distance from their acts, and the forms of punishment affirm even the worst offenders’ claims to social membership and rights. These conflicting moral visions are not only implicit or immanent in European and American punishment but likely played a role—albeit not an exclusive role—in causing European and American punishment to diverge. After an enormous mid-century crime wave, two very different groups took hold of America’s politics of crime: moralists who viewed criminals as evil and instrumentalists who viewed criminals as dangerous beings. Different as the two groups were, they agreed on policy: for both, the crime problem was a criminals problem, and the solution was to get rid of criminals.
    [Show full text]
  • Racial Microaggressions in Everyday Life: Is Subtle Bias Harmless?
    RACIAL MICROAGGRESSIONS IN EVERYDAY LIFE: IS SUBTLE BIAS HARMLESS? By Dr. Derald Wing Sue Not too long ago, I (Asian American) boarded a people of color are constantly faced with in their small plane with an African American colleague day-to-day interactions with well-intentioned in the early hours of the morning. As there were White folks who experience themselves as good, few passengers, the flight attendant told us to sit moral (basics/ethics-and-morality) and decent anywhere, so we choose seats near the front of human beings. the plane and across the aisle from one another. The Common Experience of Racial At the last minute, three White men entered the Microaggressions plane and took seats in front of us. Just before takeoff, the flight attendant, who is White, Such incidents have become a common-place asked if we would mind moving to the back of experience for many people of color because they the aircraft to better balance the plane’s weight. seem to occur constantly in our daily lives. We grudgingly complied but felt singled out as passengers of color in being told to “move to When a White couple (man and women) passes the back of the bus.” When we expressed these a Black man on the sidewalk, the woman feelings to the attendant, she indignantly denied automatically clutches her purse more tightly, the charge, became defensive, stated that her while the White man checks for his wallet in the intent was to ensure the flight’s safety, and back pocket. (Hidden Message: Blacks are prone to wanted to give us some privacy.
    [Show full text]
  • Development of the Internalized Racism Scale for Asian Americans by Liang Liao a Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment O
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by ASU Digital Repository Development of the Internalized Racism Scale for Asian Americans by Liang Liao A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Approved July 2016 by the Dissertation Committee: Giac-Thao Thanh Tran, Co-Chair Richard T. Kinnier, Co-Chair Hyung Chol Yoo ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY August 2016 ABSTRACT Internalized racism is a destructive, yet insidious psychological effect of racism. Although it has garnered increased attention in the research and clinical community due to its pervasive impact in racial minority individuals, empirical research on this topic has been limited. At the time of this study, no existing scale captures the key dimensions of internalized racism of Asian Americans. This study attempted to fill this gap by developing a self-report instrument that identified the key dimensions of this psychological construct. Seven hundred and fourteen Asian Americans participated in this study, and exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to investigate the factor structure of the scale. Results indicated that the Internalized Racism Scale for Asian Americans (IRSAA) has five factors, which are Endorsement of Negative Stereotypes, Sense of Inferiority, Denial or Minimization of Racism, Emasculation of Asian American Men, and Within-group Discrimination. This dissertation also examines and discusses the evidence of convergent, discriminant, and incremental validity for the IRSAA subscales. i DEDICATION To my Mother, who loves me unconditionally, I love you! To Preethi, the love of my life! ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am forever grateful for my committee members who were generous with their expertise and time.
    [Show full text]