3 in 10 Americans Admit to Race Bias

[DSTCHAOS]

Originally Posted by KSig RC

You disagree?

Remember, "bias" can simply be a limited prejudgment (like "I assume all black guys I meet are better than me at basketball"), something more insidious, or something overtly racist.

I agree with your general assertion however "racial bias" is a weighted phrase.

A less loaded way of conveying the point is that 100% of humans subconsciously and consciously have preconceived notions, stereotype, and have biases that coincide with whatever categorical distinctions there are in their culture.

As an aside: Stereotypes and prejudgments like "Asians are smarter" and "blacks can dance" aren't positive and harmless, although people assume them to be.

Originally Posted by KSig RC

It can even be "I trust people of my own race more than others" - something that is actually quite natural.

There have been no studies that have found that this is natural.

The tendency to trust those who look like you and/or those who you are used to being around isn't necessarily the same as trusting people of your "own race." Either way, this is very much about socialization, especially since "race" is a social construct that doesn't exist in every society and culture.

Technically, it is only natural for humans to feel most comfortable around other humans. Categorical distinctions like race, gender, and social class are created and aren't "natural."

But people shouldn't reduce the importance of these kinds of findings by saying "everyone does it." because biases range in extent and in the ability for a bias to translate into behavior. I don't care about people's biases because I don't care what's going on in people's heads. What I care about is outward manifestations in terms of individual and institutional level exclusion and unfair treatment. And that doesn't happen equally because not everyone has the power and opportunity to exclude people from public office, jobs, and so forth. Folks can think whatever they want to, just don't try to impact my life chances based on your opinions.