The Simple Reasons We Discriminate and The Devastating Impact On Race Relations
What is discrimination and what exactly are the complex reasons we discriminate.
Discrimination is the act of making unfair or prejudicial distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong, such as race, gender, age, or sexual orientation. Discrimination especially occurs when individuals or groups are unfairly treated in a way which is worse than other people are treated, on the basis of their actual or perceived membership in certain groups or social categories. Bias and discrimination can be difficult subjects to discuss. But there are very good reasons to get past our discomfort and talk about these important issues.
“Human survival may be the most fundamental benefit of eliminating discrimination. That we fear and recoil from those who are different than we are, is unfortunate and potentially dangerous.” Dr. Gwendolyn Keita PhD
As we mentioned in our podcast Episode 01 ‘Are Interracial Friendships Truly Sustainable’, when 75% of white social circles are all white, we find that discrimination and stereotypes are much more evident within the conscious and subconscious without much desire to change. A lack of diversity, perpetuated by discrimination, makes our society weaker. Diversity breeds creative thinking, democratic communities and innovation. Diversity in higher education makes better citizens and results in a more vibrant and prosperous society that benefits everyone. Productive, meaningful dialogues can help contribute significantly to awareness of these important truths. The problem that many experience when talking about discrimination is that it can also be uncomfortable for those with privilege because it requires them to acknowledge their inherent privilege. Even if they consider themselves unbiased, they have to acknowledge they benefit from the system that keeps discriminatory practices in place. According to psychological research, talking openly about discrimination may threaten to unmask both conscious and unconscious belief systems about one’s own bias and prejudices. In talking about discrimination, we are afraid of saying something that may be interpreted as discriminatory. Ever heard the expression, ‘I don’t talk about race, religion or politics with others’? That’s because societal norms surrounding the open discussion of topics related to race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, politics, and class differences hinder an honest and open discussion of these topics. Those societal norms can influence people to avoid or only superficially engage in meaningful and honest discussions on these socially taboo topics. Bottom line, people don’t want to feel ashamed if the feelings or beliefs that they harbor may be interpreted as racist or discriminatory. So, too often, they avoid those topics altogether.
According to research, it is possible for people to change and modify prejudicial attitudes, even in instances where these attitudes are outside conscious control. More research suggests that one possible route to reducing discrimination may be increasing individuals’ internal motivation to eliminate prejudice. Increased motivation coupled with an awareness of implicit biases can lead to the consistent effort necessary to reduce one’s discriminatory behaviors and prejudicial attitudes. When it comes to implicit biases, I highly recommend listening to a ‘Hidden Brain’ segment by Shankar Vedantam titled ‘The Mind of the Village: Understanding our Implicit biases.”
Bottom line, discrimination can be a complex situation, but people discriminate easily as a way of preserving self esteem. It’s the ús’ vs ‘them’ mentality. Even if you feel as though you don’t hate the ‘them’. It’s more a term of preference, a liking for people in your ín group’ those who are similar and familiar to you. But, the preference, the preferring of ús’ is what can lead to discrimination. So, when it comes to racial groups, if there are white people who don’t necessarily hate other Black people or people of color but have an extra special liking for other white people, such as enjoying being in the presence of other white people, enjoying living in neighborhoods with other white people, you feel as though you understand other white people more. The mentality that white people are easier to work with, build friendships with. That preference and extra liking for the ús’ means a lack of liking for others or a lack of liking the ‘them’. According to research by psychologists, these preferences and prejudices serve to protect your self-image and self-esteem because liking ‘you’’ and if you want to stay liking ‘you’ then it helps to like people who are like you. It’s the effects of a social psychology research methodology called the Minimal Group Paradigm or the Minimal Group Effect. The Minimal Group Effect proposes that the minimal condition for group biases (like favoritism towards your own group and prejudice towards other groups) is simply being a member of a group. Having a greater liking for your in group and when there is a racial hierarchy involved as in white people being the majority and dominant culture, it can have devastating and long-lasting impacts on others.
Are you familiar with Jane Elliott, well, she’s a 90-year-old white antiracism activist who at the time in the 60s was an Iowa school teacher who did an experiment with her students the day after Martin Luther King was assassinated. In this experiment, she divided her students, who were white, into groups based on something as minute as ‘eye color’. Jane did this because she wanted to shine a light on how discrimination works and how it can affect how others live, learn, relate and see themselves. In the divided groups, based on eye color, she elevated the ‘blue eyed’ students and devalued the ‘brown eyed’ students. The study showed how when the blue-eyed students were elevated, the students who never before made notice of who had blue eyes or brown eyes, looked down on the brown eyed students. The blue-eyed students felt a kinship and felt a need to devalue the brown eyed students. The brown eyed students felt dejected and had a lot of behavioral issues, lack of focus, and performed poorly, it affected them significantly. The next day, she reversed it and showed preferential treatment towards the ‘brown eyed students’ and devalued the ‘blue eyed’ students. Though this wasn’t a formal study, and it wasn’t a lifetime of prejudice and bias, a lifetime of a lack of representation or a society sending all of these negative messages, it simply took one teacher making minimal differences in a matter of a couple of days for them to fully internalize the detriments of discrimination and prejudice. Now, imagine how this affects people who deal with prejudice and discrimination their entire lives. Think of how a lifetime of prejudicial treatment affect Black children in schools, in neighborhoods, and how they see themselves overall. That’s the detrimental effects of discrimination.
Think about how serious the ‘us’ vs ‘them’ mindset is, even when you don’t necessarily have hate towards the ‘them’ and especially when you are the group that is in a position of power.
Want to learn more? Listen in on our latest episode, Episode 09: This Is A Private Club: The Simple Reasons We Discriminate and The Devastating Impact On Race Relations