Lecture 8: Forms of Prejudice l Flashcards
continuum of prejudice (from blatant to subtle)
old-fashioned prejudice -> symbolic prejudice -> aversive prejudice -> ambivalent prejudice -> implicit prejudice
when was old-fashioned racism present?
Reconstruction- 1960s
3 key ideas of old-fashioned racism
- Whites’ absolute belief in their biological superiority over other races
- A firm belief in racial separation and subjugation
- The use of the government to establish a system of segregation and other forms of discrimination
racism over the past half-century
racial prejudice has taken more subtle forms either in attitude or behaviour
why were theories of symbolic and aversive prejudice developped?
Theories of symbolic and aversive prejudice were originally developed to explain anti-Black prejudice on the part of white people, but have since been extended to other fields
do theories of symbolic racism assume everyone is prejudiced?
Theories of symbolic and aversive prejudice assume that some prejudice resides within most white people in some fashion
when did social norms shift toward the belief in principles of equality?
post wwll
what people have accepted the norm of equality most?
politicially liberal & younger people
does old fashioned prejudice still exist today?
yes, but it isn’t as prevalent
Lee Atwater’s Southern Strategy
type of dog-whistle politics that relied on race-related policies designed to uphold the racial hierarchy, without overtly being racist
dog-whistle politics
underlying message that is only understood by some
welfare queen
common trope that highlighted people who were allegedly taking advantage of the welfare system
symbolic prejudice is also called
modern prejudice
symbolic prejudice
A set of beliefs about Black people as an abstract group rather than as individuals. Beliefs portray members of stigmatized groups as morally inferior because they violate traditional values like hard work
what might a symbolically prejudiced person say about the accusation that they’re racist?
“It’s not about race per se; it’s a social political/issue”
5 main beliefs of symbolic racism
- Racial prejudice/discrimination no longer exist (or are not barriers to success)
- Differences in economic status results from a lack of motivation
- Anger over inequality and unfair treatment is unjustified
- Rather than working to get ahead, Black people seek special favours from the government
- Black people are now getting more than they deserve economically
distribution of symbolic prejudice
positively skewed (most people do not display modern racism)
paradox of symbolic racism
people with symbolic prejudice endorse racial equality in principle, but oppose policies that could bring it about
two types of equality
equality of opportunity & outcome
equality of opportunity
everyone deserves the same chance to succeed
do people high in modern racism agree with equality of opportunity?
yes
equality of outcome
everyone should have an equal share of successes.
do people high in modern racism agree with equality of outcome?
no
criticism of symbolic racism
how do you distinguish anti-Black prejudice from principled ideological views?
prime minister of malaysia controversy
Mahathir Mohamad, claims that discriminatory laws are not prejudiced, but are rather an attempt to make Malays work harder, demonstrating symbolic prejudice
differences b/n symbolic & old-fashioned racism
- Moves away from biological superiority
- Focus on outgroup violation of shared cultural values
- Justification of inequality and unfair treatment due to negative internal characteristics of outgroup
aversive racism
Having positive explicit attitudes towards Black people while holding negative implicit attitudes toward Black people
partner discomfort study
non-Black male participants had to interact with either a white or Black confederate while doing a word-find task. Found that people with aversive prejudice had higher heart rates, which indicative of them being more uncomfortable and anxious around minorities
are aversive racists egalitarian?
they see themselves as egalitarian
when do aversive racists discriminate?
They discriminate when there is unclear “correct” behaviour
ambivalent racism
Negative and positive feelings about a group
how do non-Black people see Black people?
disadvantaged and culturally deviant
what kind of response does viewing Black people as disadvantaged elicit?
positive sympathy response
what kind of response does viewing Black people as culturally deviant elicit?
negative aversion response
cognitive dissonance
people try to resolve states of uncertainty
what happens when ambivalently prejudiced people become aware of their ambivalence?
they experience cognitive dissonance and become motivated to reduce this conflict by either increasing positivity or negativity
response amplification
more extreme behaviour towards a stigmatized group
(More positive when receiving good information & More negative when receiving bad information)
ambivalent persuasion study
measured ambivalence towards Indigenous peoples, then gave participants either pro or anti-Indigenous land grants. They then measured attitudes again and found that ambivalent people swung more extremely to one side or the other
ambivalent prejudice study
participants interacted with a control confederate or a confederate who was facially stigmatized and their physiological reactions were tracked afterwards. Participants high in cardiovascular threat showed greater behavioural positivity towards the confederate with the birthmark
