Quotes About Bias

What, to many, passes for thought, is usually a compound of prejudice, desire, and whim.

When a narrative chimes with pre-existing beliefs, it can seem so self-evidently true that all conflicting evidence is discarded.

Americans who do not see themselves as victims — of an 'unfair' or 'racist' or 'misogynist' society — are more likely to vote Republican. On the other hand, Americans who see themselves as victims of American society are likely to vote Democrat. Therefore, the Democratic Party and its supportive media cultivate victimhood among almost all Americans who are not white and male.

When you don't understand something, you label it and condemn it" (94) - Danny Glover, "The Fundamental Things

No matter what you say or how many times you say, people always hear what they want to hear.

Individuals who have come to recognize and own their biased beliefs and prejudices, their roles in perpetuating racism, the pain their obliviousness has inflicted on people of color, and their privileged and advantaged position in society may feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of the problem.

Baron and Banaji (2006) found that implicit and explicit biases diverged as the age of participants increased: (a) At age 6 years, both implicit and explicit attitudes were roughly similar; (b) at age 10 years, the beginnings of a dissociation began to occur—that is, explicit bias began to decline while implicit bias remained unchanged; and (c) at adulthood, explicit bias dropped dramatically, but again implicit bias remained unchanged.

Several important conclusions can be drawn from these studies. First, we have made considerable progress in combating conscious forms of bias and stereotyping.

Second, although successful in dealing with overt expressions of bias, implicit biases in well-intentioned people remain relatively untouched and strong.

Third, although formal education and training seems effective in combating explicit bias, it appears to have less success in ameliorating implicit attitudes.

Fourth, it may be that remediation is less effective than prevention and starting at a young age (childhood) to combat stereotypes may offer a more effective solution.

Last, it is clear that color blindness may be seen as part of a strategy to internally combat recognition of implicitly held biases.

people of color is a necessary condition to dispel stereotypes and fears (Allport, 1954; APA Presidential Task Force, 2012; J. M. Jones, 1997). Ironically, White Americans are most likely to have contact with people of color who represent only a narrow spectrum of the group—those who have gotten into trouble with society or who need special help.

The irrational sense of entitlement is a dominant feature of White privilege (McIntosh, 2002).

If you accept the concept of White privilege, then you must entertain the more realistic notion that many Whites did not succeed because of superior ability, but due to favoritism.

These organizational policies and practices may appear neutral and nondiscriminatory in nature because they are applied to everyone equally, but their effects are to disadvantage certain groups while advantaging others.

The inability to see how the assumptions and biased practices exist in one's own beliefs and behaviors allows Whites to operate in a vacuum of naïveté and innocence that distances them from responsibility or the knowledge that their unawareness fosters complicity in the inequities of our society.

As long as biases remain hidden, however, responsibility for change at the individual, institutional, and societal levels can be avoided. The invisibility of White racial superiority and minority inferiority is a well-kept secret as long as people are not allowed to talk about it.

issues or racial situations present themselves, it is important to ask, "Where are the feelings of uneasiness, differentness, or outright fear coming from?" They may reveal or say something about one's biases and prejudices.

When around people of color or when race-related issues or racial situations present themselves, it is important to ask, "Where are the feelings of uneasiness, differentness, or outright fear coming from?" They may reveal or say something about one's biases and prejudices.

For persons of color, dealing with bias and prejudice is a day-to-day occurrence. If Whites are to be helpful, their lives must also be a constant "have to" in dealing with racism.

It is important to understand that prejudice by people of color occurs under an umbrella of White racial superiority and supremacy. Raised in the United States, they are equally prone to inherit the stereotypes and biases of the society. Although people of color can be prejudiced and discriminate, they do not have the power to oppress on a large-scale basis (Spradlin & Parsons, 2008; Sue, 2003).

Second, anxiety and outright fear of the personal consequences for raising issues of bias and unfairness were always on the minds of the targets.

When trainees feel accused of being biased, they engage in self-protective behavior in the form of righteous indignation or innocent victimhood.