Unconscious Racism: Implicit Stereotypes

Unconscious racism

Implicit bias is the attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner.The implicit associations we harbor in our subconscious cause us to have feelings and attitudes about other people based on characteristics such as race, ethnicity, age, and appearance. Implicit bias refers to the suppressed thoughts people conceal in order to “keep the peace”. Many people refer to Implicit bias as unconscious racism. Often, people's implicit biases aren't based on personal experiences or beliefs, but rather reflect societal messages, such as the images of blacks or other minorities seen in the media. In my study I wanted to figure out how common implicit bias was experienced by
When she initially told me about this problem I could not fathom how a name could cause issues. She told me that she had been experiencing this issue since she was in college. She would send emails to faculty members at her university asking to talk about research opportunities and would never receive a response. Her mother told her she should try “using another name”. She immediately started sending emails to the same faculty members ,but this time using a stereotypical white name and immediately received emails back. She told me she recieved one email back within 6 minutes. Her name is Asha a common name in the nigerian culture that she said means “lively woman”. Studies show that Asha is not the only one who has encountered this problem. CNN wrote an article in may of last year explaining four common ways people may display hidden bias , and this example was one of them. Students with stereotypically “black”-sounding names tend to be labeled as troublemakers by teachers. Job applicants with such names are less likely than their white-sounding counterparts to get called in for interviews. Thus showing that unconscious biases penetrate various realms of society from hiring decisions to medical
Despite that fact it does not mean that those biases are not learned. Implicit bias is considered relatively unconscious although it may not seem as such. Studies in the New york times state that by the age of six we have started making unconscious associations with certain racial groups based on fear or other negative effects. Based on my studies African americans are on of the predominant racial groups that are affected by implicit bias. Although I learned Implicit bias and racism are not interchangeable , implicit bias is part of the foundation of racism. If I was to research this topic further I would try to find out the main source of people’s bias ,and where exactly they come up with these concepts. Implicit bias can influence many of the most important decisions we make in our personal , professional , and social lives as seen through the experiences of myself and my interviewees. Who we are friends with , whom we sell products to , and even who we vote for are all influenced by racial attitudes. Implicit bias distorts these attitudes and decreases the possibility of living a fully “engaged