Essay on Bias Theory

Summary

The bias theory argues that the majority is to blame for their discriminatory attitudes toward the minority. Even people who think they are not racists and are dedicated to fair and nondiscriminatory treatment may have unconscious racial prejudices that affect their behavior. In today’s world, laws against racial discrimination exist, and people are more aware of racism and actively working to fight it. This promising start does not negate the reality that greater attention should be given to the deeply ingrained structural and institutional racism. Progress in these two areas has been difficult because, although most individuals reject racism, they must maintain the system long approved of their seniority. Many white Americans are still reluctant to change the laws and institutions that still regard them as superior, primarily because they benefit from the system they live in. The majority’s views toward minorities and their unwillingness to change a system that still favors them.

My point of view

Implicit racial prejudices are a significant contributor to and fueler of race disparity.

Justification

The age in which we live now is slowly but steadily moving away from the problem of individual racism. Still, racism remains a part of the American tradition, and the reasons for this have long been a source of controversy. Many people who genuinely believe in and profess to be anti-racism and anti-prejudice have been shown to have biases that directly conflict with their claims of anti-racism and anti-prejudice. Numerous research has shown that the human mind has implicit biases, including prejudices towards black people (Feagin., pp58-59). Although individual adjustment of views toward minorities is a good strategy for eliminating racism, I believe that abolishing structural and institutional racism is also necessary because people’s brains will be cultivated in this way. They will be able to think beyond their prejudices, resulting in the eventual abolition of racism.

Understanding implicit biases are the first step in understanding why racial inequality continues to be an issue in this day and age. Implicit biases are defined as beliefs about a specific item or group of individuals that are held without conscious knowledge (Holroyd., pp 1-4). Implicit racial biases are unintentional attitudes or opinions towards a minority group of individuals held without awareness. Often, people’s actions are not motivated by their desires and motivations but rather by unconscious and ignorant biases that they carry. When the subject of racial disparity has been discussed, the same problem has arisen repeatedly (BBC.,pr. 1-5). The idea that individuals who are vocal in their opposition to racism and racial injustice may unwittingly contribute to inequality concerns. The biases are beyond the control of people, and in most cases, humans are not able to identify them. This has also led to connections, such as the perception that black men are more dangerous than white males. Later on, the associations impact people’s conduct, which manifests itself racially in the form of widespread racial inequality and has persisted throughout time in the United States.

The workings of institutional racism are based on latent racial prejudices that permeate society. The majority of individuals are unaware of how institutional racism works, even though many people have become aware of racism and are actively trying to combat it throughout time. One of the most effective strategies in the battle against institutional racism has been to oppose the “canteen mentality” and overtly racist terminology while diversifying institutions, including various professions and schools. The justification for each of these actions is unquestionable; yet, if unconscious prejudice plays a part, it is unlikely that any of these efforts will be effective. According to research, implicit bias may remain even after a person openly repudiates racist beliefs (Bertrand et al., pp. 94-98). It has been found in both whites and people of color but more in white people. A few bad apples do not constitute unconscious racial prejudice; instead, it is the consequence of widespread instinctual and subconscious connections that may impact how even good policies are selected and executed equitably.

The police force has been identified as one of the sectors victims of institutionalized racial prejudice. A police officer must make a split-second choice on whether or not to shoot at a potentially armed suspect. A videogame was used to show that players were quicker to decide not to shoot an unarmed white target than to choose not to fire at an unarmed black target, even though both targets were armed at the same rate in this game. This demonstration now illustrates the institutional racism that is shown daily in the police force, as it determines who is deemed a danger, who is more likely to be stopped by the police and frisked, and who is more likely to be shot by the police, among other associations (Peffley et al.pp.30). The presentation demonstrates how unconscious biases may eventually influence our decisions and actions. As soon as it is determined that prejudices impact practice in this way, it should be investigated how the system may be changed so that racial bias does not infect conduct. This will aid in the discovery of a cure for the racial discrimination cancer that has afflicted the world.

This demonstration is only one of several that may be seen daily. Compared to white people, persons of color are more often associated with aggression, antagonism, and threats than white people (Quillian., pp.6-11). Even when it comes to citizens’ interactions, there is a variation in how they regard the other person based on their ethnic background. This may happen even while you’re not thinking about it (Bobo., pp445-472). For far too long, the system has aided in perpetuating latent racial biases by preserving the status quo, despite its claims to be anti-racist. The rules have not been changed to account for this significant contribution to racial discrimination, and the continuing existence of racial prejudice has shown the consequences of this.

Understanding the findings of so many research studies on unconscious racial prejudice is the first step in resolving the issue of racial disparity in our society today. This is due to the fact that many individuals are in denial about it and claim to be anti-racist; as a result, they are unable to contribute to the solution of a problem they think does not exist (Conrey and Smith., pp718-735). Recognizing the depth of research findings has shown that implicit bias ties us to the belief that racism is more widespread than expected; it may manifest itself in the cognitions of fair-minded, explicitly anti-racist individuals and can taint otherwise fair policies an excellent start to solving racial prejudice. Although often overlooked, unconscious discrimination is a strong facilitator of racial prejudice and should not be underestimated. In order to better comprehend discrimination, it is necessary first to understand unconscious racial prejudice. Then, in order to accommodate implicit bias, it is essential to modify the current anti-racism measures in place. A suitable possible solution should be developed to decrease discrimination against people of color that prevents unconscious preconceptions about people of color from manifesting in behaviors (Weitzer and Tuch., pp. 1009-1030). Individuals, organizations, and systems must be reformed in order to implement policies and remedies that will decrease racial discrimination in the workplace.

In conclusion, To combat unconscious racial bias, more than just individual personal inanities will be required. Fighting racial discrimination will require a significant amount of reorganization, beginning with the core causes of the problem, which are the institutional and systemic sectors (Dorman., p. 1-4). While implicit biases are widespread and are a contributing factor to many racial discriminatory acts, they are not insurmountable, and some steps may be taken to identify and combat them. For the last few decades, researchers have attempted various ways to fight unconscious racial stereotypes, including trying to change the biases themselves via cognitive training. This training is intended to remove any remnants of negative associations or assumptions that may have formed in the brain itself. The implementation of structural controls and checks to avoid biases from influencing decisions and actions has also been a technique. For example, eliminating the racial identification question to prevent any prejudice that may arise as a result of knowing a person’s race is one example of a new way of doing operations. This strategy should then be enforced in all sectors to bring a solution to racial discrimination.

Works Cited

BBC. “Implicit Bias: Is Everyone Racist?” BBC News, 5 June 2017, www.bbc.com/news/magazine-40124781.

Bertrand, Marianne, et al. “Implicit Discrimination.” The American Economic Review, vol. 95, no. 2, 2005, pp. 94–98, www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/4132797.pdf?ab_segments=0%252Fbasic_search_gsv2%252Fcontrol&refreqid=excelsior%3A6ad12174b9567d2a9dbc76ebbcfb9db7. Accessed 3 Oct. 2021.

Bobo, Lawrence D. “Prejudice as Group Position: Microfoundations of a Sociological Approach to Racism and Race Relations.” Journal of Social Issues, vol. 55, no. 3, Jan. 2009, pp. 445–472, 10.1111/0022-4537.00127. Accessed 3 Dec. 2019.

Conrey, Frederica R., and Eliot R. Smith. “Attitude Representation: Attitudes as Patterns in a Distributed, Connectionist Representational System.” Social Cognition, vol. 25, no. 5, Oct. 2007, pp. 718–735, 10.1521/soco.2007.25.5.718. Accessed 17 Apr. 2020.

Dorman, Sam. “What Is Critical Race Theory?” Fox News, 14 May 2021, www.foxnews.com/us/what-is-critical-race-theory.

Feagin, Joe. “Still Whitewashing Racism: Whitewashing Race: The Myth of a Color-Blind Society by Michael K. Brown, Martin Carnoy, Elliott Currie, Troy Duster, David B. Oppenheimer, Marjorie M. Shultz, and David Wellman University of California Press, 2003, 338 Pages.” Contexts, vol. 4, no. 4, Nov. 2005, pp. 58–59, 10.1525/ctx.2005.4.4.58. Accessed 3 Jan. 2020.

Holroyd, Jules. “Implicit Racial Bias and the Anatomy of Institutional Racism | Centre for Crime and Justice Studies.” Crimeandjustice.org.uk, CCJS, 2019, www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/publications/cjm/article/implicit-racial-bias-and-anatomy-institutional-racism.

Peffley, Mark, et al. “Racial Stereotypes and Whites’ Political Views of Blacks in the Context of Welfare and Crime.” American Journal of Political Science, vol. 41, no. 1, Jan. 1997, p. 30, 10.2307/2111708. Accessed 20 Nov. 2019.

Quillian, Lincoln. “Does Unconscious Racism Exist?” Social Psychology Quarterly, vol. 71, no. 1, 2008, pp. 6–11, www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/20141814.pdf?ab_segments=0%252Fbasic_search_gsv2%252Fcontrol&refreqid=excelsior%3Aa68748b29efa0381cc965547b622353e. Accessed 3 Oct. 2021.

Weitzer, Ronald, and Steven A. Tuch. “Racially Biased Policing: Determinants of Citizen Perceptions.” Social Forces, vol. 83, no. 3, 2005, pp. 1009–1030, www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/3598267.pdf?ab_segments=0%252Fbasic_search_gsv2%252Fcontrol&refreqid=excelsior%3A2f2388a8f1803d35770c889d79aebad8. Accessed 3 Oct. 2021.