Aversive racism and the Burden of Representation: How has it affected you?

[mTOR]

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Have any of you experienced this? How have you dealt with it?


For those who don't know what aversive racism is, its basically subtle racial biases acting on a mostly unconscious level, with measurable effects and very real consequences. In its most benign form, it manifests as being robbed of the benefit of the doubt because you are an URM or are perceived as different. However it's more egregious manifestations may lead to loss of opportunities, discrimination, or judicial intolerance. If you're still confused, here are some links to further information:

http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/5976/Aversive-Racism.html

http://www.yale.edu/intergroup/PearsonDovidioGaertner.pdf

http://clinton4.nara.gov/Initiatives/OneAmerica/dovidio.html

Examples of how it may manifest can be most clearly demonstrated by ABC news's What Would You Do segments (which feature Yale social psychologist Dr. John Dovidio, who is credited with pioneering research into the phenomenon):

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrOSL85ZMck[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNu-WZdHzaA[/YOUTUBE]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIVgMvuCM_k[/youtube]

On an individual level, aversive racism and racial stereotypes from culture, history, and the media may collectively be referred to what some have called the "burden of representation" for URMs.

Anti-discrimination lecturer Tim Wise does a pretty good job at expounding on the burden here in his talk on white privilege (yes, strangely enough):

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQWP7fUSPJU[/YOUTUBE]


I'm wondering if any of you feel like you can identify with being on the wrong end of aversive racism, or feel as if you're continually working under the burden of representation (e.g., working 2x as hard to get half the recognition)?

Personally, I've never experienced this in my life until 3rd year of medical school. And at first I thought I was just being paranoid; maybe I just wasn't working hard enough; maybe I didn't make the best impression.. but when you get enough evals from people who you've only had fleeting contact with that default to a negative narrative, you begin to wonder....

 

[mTOR]

:-/

 

[LaZigeuner]

I'm sorry no one's yet responded. And I haven't watched those clips yet, though I will later.

But what you wrote sounds "normal" to me---meaning, what I've noticed for most of my life since I was aware of race (so the last 30 years or so). I don't talk about it or mention it or point it out, having been told off enough times for being "too sensitive" and for "looking for any excuse to 'cry' racism'". Right now, much of me thinks "what's the use"? Bringing this information to the awareness of those who experience it seems like preaching to the choir, frankly. And those who don't experience it---I can't see them having any reaction but defensive "I'm not a racist" responses, and chalking this up to "crying racism". (I'm not saying that's what you're doing.)

I'm sad and sorry that it was as an M3 you finally experienced this. I would have liked to think that by that time in one's training, you'd proven yourself "enough" to be considered on equal footing with your peers; and that those doing the evaluating would have enough experience outside their race (for wont of better phrasing, sorry, I'm tired) to work with "med students"---not with "med students and Black students", for example.

But what more can we do besides our best? We can legislate as much as we want, but that will not change people's beliefs, whether conscious or no.

It seems like the more things change, the more they stay the same. 🙁 Sorry, this is bumming me out now!

 

[mdfirst]

I had a friend who is a pharmacy student who experienced a similar situation in his last year of pharmacy school. Basically, he CONSTANTLY experienced racism from preceptors on various rotations as they would give the white students A's for their work whether it was good or mediocre but he would recieve only a B at the highest given full effort. He claimed racism when he knew he was much smarter and more prepared than his white classmates yet they kept recieving A's and he was getting B's. Why is this going on in 2011? When will white's give up on the demon of racism. Racism is totally demonic

 

[CecilJacobson]

Not meant to troll:

Why is it that some minorities that have experienced race aversion and racism struggle, while others are flourishing?

Blacks vs. Jews (yes it's also a race, and plenty of anti-Semitism in modern society, while all diaspora Jews in the US come from less than the African Americans).

Chinese immigrants vs. Latino immigrants in the US (the Chinese often come with a similar lack of savings, and there is a much sharper language and cultural barrier to overcome).

My explanation: These races have a cultural focus on integrity, hard work, education, and frugality, which pays rich dividends in time.

I support URM promotion in medicine. URMs do not "take the seats" of worthy Caucasian students. Diversity improves medical school classes. There is a need for more minority representation in medicine. I'm just saying that there needs to be a feeling of personal responsibility, integrity, and empowerment to raise an entire race. Many of (us) minorities need a paradigm shift. Responsibility falls on leaders, heads-of-household, and every individual to erase race disparities.

Racism exists. Fight it where you can, ignore it where you can't.

-C.J.

 

[JRWhiter]

Not meant to troll:

Why is it that some minorities that have experienced race aversion and racism struggle, while others are flourishing?

Blacks vs. Jews (yes it's also a race, and plenty of anti-Semitism in modern society, while all diaspora Jews in the US come from less than the African Americans).

Chinese immigrants vs. Latino immigrants in the US (the Chinese often come with a similar lack of savings, and there is a much sharper language and cultural barrier to overcome).

My explanation: These races have a cultural focus on integrity, hard work, education, and frugality, which pays rich dividends in time.

I support URM promotion in medicine. URMs do not "take the seats" of worthy Caucasian students. Diversity improves medical school classes. There is a need for more minority representation in medicine. I'm just saying that there needs to be a feeling of personal responsibility, integrity, and empowerment to raise an entire race. Many of (us) minorities need a paradigm shift. Responsibility falls on leaders, heads-of-household, and every individual to erase race disparities.

Racism exists. Fight it where you can, ignore it where you can't.

-C.J.

...

 

[JRWhiter]

Not meant to troll:

Why is it that some minorities that have experienced race aversion and racism struggle, while others are flourishing?

Blacks vs. Jews (yes it's also a race, and plenty of anti-Semitism in modern society, while all diaspora Jews in the US come from less than the African Americans).

Chinese immigrants vs. Latino immigrants in the US (the Chinese often come with a similar lack of savings, and there is a much sharper language and cultural barrier to overcome).

My explanation: These races have a cultural focus on integrity, hard work, education, and frugality, which pays rich dividends in time.

I support URM promotion in medicine. URMs do not "take the seats" of worthy Caucasian students. Diversity improves medical school classes. There is a need for more minority representation in medicine. I'm just saying that there needs to be a feeling of personal responsibility, integrity, and empowerment to raise an entire race. Many of (us) minorities need a paradigm shift. Responsibility falls on leaders, heads-of-household, and every individual to erase race disparities.

Racism exists. Fight it where you can, ignore it where you can't.

-C.J.

...

 

[sylvanthus]

I had a friend who is a pharmacy student who experienced a similar situation in his last year of pharmacy school. Basically, he CONSTANTLY experienced racism from preceptors on various rotations as they would give the white students A's for their work whether it was good or mediocre but he would recieve only a B at the highest given full effort. He claimed racism when he knew he was much smarter and more prepared than his white classmates yet they kept recieving A's and he was getting B's. Why is this going on in 2011? When will white's give up on the demon of racism. Racism is totally demonic

It is not only "whites" who are racist there buddy. I cannot count the number of times I have been treated differently because I am "white". Before you laugh, yes it does happen! God forbid! I thoguht it was just minorities who were discriminated against?! Working in an inner city ER for a number of years drastically changed how I felt about race. Being told I am "racist" every 5 seconds by various minorities when they do not get what they want gets old really fast.

So before you go launching into white people for being racist, you may need to look at other races as well. Furthermore, you may want to see what could be perpetuating any racism. For instance, I didn't care a lick about a person's race before moving to a large city and working in security and an inner city ED. But, after thousands of times of being called racist for stopping someone from stealing or because someone in an ED didn't get what they want (pain meds, wait-time was too long, etc). It starts to gnaw at you and eventually you just avoid certain races when possible because you realize the likely outcome of the interaction. I do not consider that racist, I consider that smart and human nature.

 

[cpants]

The "experiments" run by ABC make for good TV, but do they really prove anything? The fact is that it was a tiny sample, and it was different people encountering the black and white actors, in some cases in completely different situations. However, I don't argue against the premise, because I do think that people have different subconscious impressions based on race. There are reasons for it, historical and societal. Larry Elder has some interesting thoughts on this subject in a recent column he wrote responding to an LA Times piece on the "Black Man's Burden".

http://patriotpost.us/opinion/larry-elder/2011/01/20/black-mans-burden-those-who-make-them-victims/

 

[markelmarcel]

Wow.

What I would like to know is if the people who reacted to the black kid(s) had come upon the same situation with white, would they have still done something?

It's hard to say that they did it only because the perps were black-- but it is definitely alarming, small sample or not.

 

[calbears08]

Being a light-skinned Hispanic, people often can't identify my ethnicity. Nonetheless, I've noticed this behavior on subtle levels. Like when I shave I am treated completely differently from random strangers--elderly people strike up conversation and stuff like that.

 

[mTOR]

Not meant to troll:

Why is it that some minorities that have experienced race aversion and racism struggle, while others are flourishing?

Blacks vs. Jews (yes it's also a race, and plenty of anti-Semitism in modern society, while all diaspora Jews in the US come from less than the African Americans).

Chinese immigrants vs. Latino immigrants in the US (the Chinese often come with a similar lack of savings, and there is a much sharper language and cultural barrier to overcome).

My explanation: These races have a cultural focus on integrity, hard work, education, and frugality, which pays rich dividends in time.

I support URM promotion in medicine. URMs do not "take the seats" of worthy Caucasian students. Diversity improves medical school classes. There is a need for more minority representation in medicine. I'm just saying that there needs to be a feeling of personal responsibility, integrity, and empowerment to raise an entire race. Many of (us) minorities need a paradigm shift. Responsibility falls on leaders, heads-of-household, and every individual to erase race disparities.

Racism exists. Fight it where you can, ignore it where you can't.

-C.J.

Wow, this was out of left field. No one in this thread advanced the argument that aversive racism is the exclusive, or even a major, cause of gross racial disparities in contemporary societal outcomes.

 

[mTOR]

It is not only "whites" who are racist there buddy. I cannot count the number of times I have been treated differently because I am "white". Before you laugh, yes it does happen! God forbid! I thoguht it was just minorities who were discriminated against?! Working in an inner city ER for a number of years drastically changed how I felt about race. Being told I am "racist" every 5 seconds by various minorities when they do not get what they want gets old really fast.

So before you go launching into white people for being racist, you may need to look at other races as well. Furthermore, you may want to see what could be perpetuating any racism. For instance, I didn't care a lick about a person's race before moving to a large city and working in security and an inner city ED. But, after thousands of times of being called racist for stopping someone from stealing or because someone in an ED didn't get what they want (pain meds, wait-time was too long, etc). It starts to gnaw at you and eventually you just avoid certain races when possible because you realize the likely outcome of the interaction. I do not consider that racist, I consider that smart and human nature.

Are you aware you just both denounced and advocated racial stereotyping in a single post?

 

[mTOR]

The "experiments" run by ABC make for good TV, but do they really prove anything? The fact is that it was a tiny sample, and it was different people encountering the black and white actors, in some cases in completely different situations. However, I don't argue against the premise, because I do think that people have different subconscious impressions based on race. There are reasons for it, historical and societal. Larry Elder has some interesting thoughts on this subject in a recent column he wrote responding to an LA Times piece on the "Black Man's Burden".

http://patriotpost.us/opinion/larry-elder/2011/01/20/black-mans-burden-those-who-make-them-victims/

Larry Elder, once again, shows his ignorance knows no bounds. That op-ed does a massive disservice to race relations in America. How does spending half the article justifying racial stereotypes (only to be followed by an about-face rejection of the existence of its corollary, discrimination) help anyone?

 

[n3xa]

It is not only "whites" who are racist there buddy. I cannot count the number of times I have been treated differently because I am "white". Before you laugh, yes it does happen! God forbid! I thoguht it was just minorities who were discriminated against?! Working in an inner city ER for a number of years drastically changed how I felt about race. Being told I am "racist" every 5 seconds by various minorities when they do not get what they want gets old really fast.

So before you go launching into white people for being racist, you may need to look at other races as well. Furthermore, you may want to see what could be perpetuating any racism. For instance, I didn't care a lick about a person's race before moving to a large city and working in security and an inner city ED. But, after thousands of times of being called racist for stopping someone from stealing or because someone in an ED didn't get what they want (pain meds, wait-time was too long, etc). It starts to gnaw at you and eventually you just avoid certain races when possible because you realize the likely outcome of the interaction. I do not consider that racist, I consider that smart and human nature.

While there are always going to be difficult patients, perhaps a different approach is needed?

I'm glad my shadowing experience was the complete opposite. Sure, there were people getting testy about getting pain meds, but my FM resident handled it so well that no one went so far as to call her racist. In fact, the mother of the pregnant lady apologized.

 

[mdfirst]

My thing is, why do people still think its ok to be racist? Its 2011 for peeps sake. Particularly in a professional setting I think its sad that this goes on. This goes to show that levels of education dont equal lack of ignorance

 

[slowlybutshelly]

I am a white person from a an area of the country that experienced ethnic cleansing at the hands of the british government. http://www.acadianamuseum.com/apology.html

There has been much cultural blending in the area of the world where I grew up. I then went in the Peace Corps and served 3 years in East Central Africa in a country where I was the only caucasian (even though I am also french, german,native indian mix). Upon coming back to medical school in the USA, very few people knew I spent time in Africa and speak swahili and native tribal languages. I was treated better by colored people who live in the 3rd poorest country in the world than by colored people earning American dollars in America.

To me, I think it is the COMPETITION. The competition that our capitalistic culture breeds in the western world; that causes people of varying races to mistreat one another.

Where I was overseas, there was no news program during elections about 'what it is like being white in Africa". I came back and found it appalling that we would have news programs in America called 'being black in America".

Something is gravely wrong and I have no idea what the answer is other than responsibility for one's own human behavior.

 

[sylvanthus]

While there are always going to be difficult patients, perhaps a different approach is needed?

I'm glad my shadowing experience was the complete opposite. Sure, there were people getting testy about getting pain meds, but my FM resident handled it so well that no one went so far as to call her racist. In fact, the mother of the pregnant lady apologized.

Do you think your roughly 250 hours of shadowing experience really gives you a genuine feel for what happens in the ED in an inner city? Please tell me you're joking.

 

[sylvanthus]

Are you aware you just both denounced and advocated racial stereotyping in a single post?

Nope, never said I denounced it, just said it is not just "white" people. I want people to be honest. It is not just "whites" who have discriminatory tendencies. Furthermore, I think it is human nature, period, to avoid things that harm you. Regardless of the race involved.

 

[mTOR]

^Agree that racial stereotyping and biases are human nature and that everyone does it. Disagree that it's "smart"

 

[mTOR]

I am a white person from a an area of the country that experienced ethnic cleansing at the hands of the british government. http://www.acadianamuseum.com/apology.html

There has been much cultural blending in the area of the world where I grew up. I then went in the Peace Corps and served 3 years in East Central Africa in a country where I was the only caucasian (even though I am also french, german,native indian mix). Upon coming back to medical school in the USA, very few people knew I spent time in Africa and speak swahili and native tribal languages. I was treated better by colored people who live in the 3rd poorest country in the world than by colored people earning American dollars in America.

To me, I think it is the COMPETITION. The competition that our capitalistic culture breeds in the western world; that causes people of varying races to mistreat one another.

Where I was overseas, there was no news program during elections about 'what it is like being white in Africa". I came back and found it appalling that we would have news programs in America called 'being black in America".

Something is gravely wrong and I have no idea what the answer is other than responsibility for one's own human behavior.

your thoughts on the following, please:

[youtube="_UJlNRODZHA"]Tim Wise on White Privilege[/youtube]

Tim Wise can border on dogmatic at times in his exploration of white privilege, but very few lecturers can articulate the complex historical and sociological perspectives he covers as eloquently and succinctly as him. I posted part of one of his other lectures in my first post, but unfortunately, youtube removed it.

"White in Africa." lol. I actually agree with you that capitalism and competition fuels a lot of current day tribalism, in-vs-out group distinctions and subsequent out-group tensions and hostility. However, in order to fully understand race relations in America, one must view US capitalism and race in a historical context. It is only then, can one truly appreciate how the construct of race (or rather, recognizable biogeography) has been reified via policed endogamy by the dominant group, completely intertwined with access to resources, and further, how this has become spatially defined (with modern day legacies persisting in inner cities).

I found your statement about the African hospitality amusing. Why would you be treated otherwise? I would think that "White = Wealth" in the minds of many in the developing world (hell, all over). With Peace Corps backing your transient "helpful visitor" status of course it was interpreted favorably and likely considered a wealth-sharing opportunity with tourist money, aid and assistance coming in. Rest assured, had you been viewed as a permanent colonizer with a history of trying to subordinate and marginalize the local population that hospitality might not have been there. I'm sure there are areas of South Africa where the welcome wagon is all but missing.

The global economy is defined by a Eurasian hegemony. Historically speaking, if you subscribe to the Jared Diamond school of thought, you know this is largely the result of environmental fortune embedded within the geography of the area, which afforded increasingly efficient subsistence techniques to fuel technological advancement. It's also no secret that with that geography, came the selection pressure for recognizably "White" physical traits. The birth of racism began when this correlation (i.e., "white" and "advanced") ignored the confounder (geography) and instead interpreted the spurious relationship as a causal one. Of course, it continues to be perpetuated today because, as mentioned, capitalism incentivizes such a group bias (no hate on capitalism though, the system incentivizes a lot of good things -- this, however, clearly isn't one of them).

Also, since it keeps getting brought up, I want to note that contemporary disparities in various societal indices -- in crime, academic achievement, etc -- between various racial and ethnic groups cannot be simply attributed to "personal responsibility" or cultural values. Although I do not deny that these are contributing factors. However, a robust theory must account for historical facts, their putative influence, and the mechanisms by which this is exerted. Fortunately, we have social scientists in the world, like former Harvard chair of sociology, Robert J Sampson, who have devoted their lives to shedding light on these complex problems facing America. I suggest anyone who is interested in these topics to peruse his research as it is extraordinarily insightful.

 

[n3xa]

Do you think your roughly 250 hours of shadowing experience really gives you a genuine feel for what happens in the ED in an inner city? Please tell me you're joking.

Absolutely not. I'm quite aware that the world isn't sunshine and puppies and happy patients, but I don't think my question was entirely out of line at all.

 

[O2Doc]

I am a white person from a an area of the country that experienced ethnic cleansing at the hands of the british government. http://www.acadianamuseum.com/apology.html

There has been much cultural blending in the area of the world where I grew up. I then went in the Peace Corps and served 3 years in East Central Africa in a country where I was the only caucasian (even though I am also french, german,native indian mix). Upon coming back to medical school in the USA, very few people knew I spent time in Africa and speak swahili and native tribal languages. I was treated better by colored people who live in the 3rd poorest country in the world than by colored people earning American dollars in America.

To me, I think it is the COMPETITION. The competition that our capitalistic culture breeds in the western world; that causes people of varying races to mistreat one another.

Where I was overseas, there was no news program during elections about 'what it is like being white in Africa". I came back and found it appalling that we would have news programs in America called 'being black in America".

Something is gravely wrong and I have no idea what the answer is other than responsibility for one's own human behavior.

I agree! Especially since African countries have such strong and relatively recent histories of colonizing white countries and importing and keeping large amounts of white slaves!

...oh, wait, what now?

 

[UVA2009]

The quickest, and most predictable, response to the notion of aversive racism is to play tit-for-tat in an effort to minimize the Black experience.

 

[mTOR]

Yeh it's pretty unfortunate that aversive racism is often automatically dismissed as dogma of identity politics or individual paranoia, wholly ignoring that it's an empirically verifiable phenomenon. Such refusal to acknowledge the bias's existence only allows it to thrive 🙁

 

[Dharma]

😴

 

[cpants]

Yeh it's pretty unfortunate that aversive racism is often automatically dismissed as dogma of identity politics or individual paranoia, wholly ignoring that it's an empirically verifiable phenomenon. Such refusal to acknowledge the bias's existence only allows it to thrive 🙁

How is it empirically verifiable?

 

[mTOR]

^😕

http://www.yale.edu/intergroup/PearsonDovidioGaertner.pdf

Although I'm unsure of your intent by that query. I can't tell if you just didn't look at the links in my opening post, or if you're questioning whether the entire discipline of social psychology meets the demarcation criteria for a science at all. Hopefully, it's the former.

 

[HM3]

I've experienced this at several points in my career and everyday life. I respond in two ways:

-If it is someone I do not know, then I become very defensive and confrontational. Usually, they back down or become scared.

-If it was someone I had worked with or a peer in an academical sense, I usually ignore them until I can "justify" my position through empirical means.

I will share a story. While in the US Navy, I encountered very little subtle racism. On one notable occassion, I had a superior well above my paygrade hold a grudge against me(for no apparent reason). It would occur to me later that it was likely due to the fact that I was black. I had separated with my ex-wife at the time and she left the state of CA to GA with my two children.

I went to said superior on advise for legal action and the utilization of the JAG. He then asked why I did not get out and move to GA. "Because it's full of white people? And it's the south?" He objected to my notion of fighting for custody. I then sought out the JAG on my own terms and asked for advice in which he told me to fight for custody. My superior became enraged and accompanied me to the JAG office to speak with the attorney with him present.

The lawyer reiterated my parental rights to my superior and basically put him in his place. (I had told him what my superior had said). Two weeks later I gained custody of my children (and still have them). Three weeks out I was promoted and received recognition from my Command Officer for patient care in the clinic in which I worked (Family practice).

All I received was smiles from that point on. It's not "all good" though. That's the thing. What if I'm in the wrong? I've noticed that getting recognition is hard, and if it is given-it is usually stereotypical.

 

[dohlo]

Although I do relate to many of the stories/examples of aversive racism that has been discussed, I have yet have an experience where I can say "this happened to me, and it negatively affected me in this manner." I went to both public and private schools growing up, giving me experiences on "both sides of the fence" so to speak, in predominantly minority and predominantly white environments, and there is a definite difference there. I have seen varied and subtle examples of aversive racism while living in Boston for the past few years as well. It is actually quite simple to see if you open your eyes in many different aspects within this city.

I guess for me, I have seen enough examples of aversive racism to be aware of it, and know it when I see it, but have yet to experience an example where I felt the real need to point it out, or that I could really benefit from acting upon it.

I am wondering what is the best way to deal with this sort of thing when it presents itself.

I think of it daily as I get dressed for work (research lab, casual/no dress code). I try to keep my identity, as a young black man that listens to hip hop music, grew up wearing baggy pants under my ass, tilted/backward/sideways fitted hats, etc. And although I will keep my belt at a reasonable level, knowing that showing my coworkers my superman boxers is inappropriate for work, my attire tend to be different from others in the lab. I don't know if this perpetuates stereotypes, or whatever, but I think of it as a sort of anti-campaign against negative preconceptions that some of my coworkers may have which fuel aversive racism. For this to have any effect I also understand that it is necessary to perform above and beyond what is expected of me, but it serves as good motivation to be the best I can.

I'm interested in how others deal with the burden of representation and day to day manifestations of aversive racism though.

 

[Trolking]

The black kid in the first video was physically much smaller and appeared younger than the white guy, people are much less likely so be that direct with someone they perceive as a threat. that test was not conducted well. there were also differences in the way they dressed and talked. the media really enjoys pitting races against eachother, they are in the entertainment buisness afterall.

 

[mTOR]

^That is true to a certain extent. I actually made a similar post on a different forum addressing the relative importance of certain mutable cultural cues -- such as mannerisms, style and manner of dress, English sociolect (e.g., Standard vs African American Vernacular) -- in determining how the observer perceives and interprets the behavior of the subject:

There are some things with that dateline experiment I think may have introduced confounding variables.

That is, the second actor was

1. smaller
2. had bigger clothes

Which can both affect first impressions:

smaller = younger (i.e., too young to work for the park assumption), less intimidating (i.e., let's confront him), delinquent youth

baggier clothes with the extra sag = adhering to urban subculture = negative cultural cue f/ mainstream middle class perspective --> must be doing something wrong

It would be interesting to see to what extent the responses would have been mitigated by simply having an black actor that was more similar to the white actor in those characteristics. My guess, however, is that it would only make a modest improvement.

I say modest because the immutable cues that are age, sex, and race are the primary characteristics by which humans categorize other humans. And, as the literature shows, the mere process of categorization (or even the recognition that someone is not within your "in-group") is enough to unconsciously activate biases, expectations, pre-conceptions and prejudices about the person.

This means that, at best, mutable cultural cues (i.e., the black guy being more similar to the white guy in all other aspects) can bring about a cognitive dissonance-borne pause within the observer when interpreting the subject's behavior, but it is unlikely to completely eliminate the activation of the original negative biases.

Because of this, while I acknowledge that minimizing the mutable cultural cues that can trigger negative associations is certainly one approach (despite its underlying "blame the victim"-like rationale), ultimately, increased self-awareness of these largely unconscious and unintentional processes are arguably the most crucial way to mitigate their effects. I think the second video (with 911 being called on sleeping black youth because they were perceived as being a threat) clearly illustrates that even without other cues, the salience of these biases and their possibility of eliciting an unfavorable reaction from a given observer in a given context can be, potentially, quite damaging.

 

[OnlyFearGOD]

I had a friend who is a pharmacy student who experienced a similar situation in his last year of pharmacy school. Basically, he CONSTANTLY experienced racism from preceptors on various rotations as they would give the white students A's for their work whether it was good or mediocre but he would recieve only a B at the highest given full effort. He claimed racism when he knew he was much smarter and more prepared than his white classmates yet they kept recieving A's and he was getting B's. Why is this going on in 2011? When will white's give up on the demon of racism. Racism is totally demonic

I am currently dealing with a similar situation, but this professor is Asian. I emailed him to talk about these B's but he has yet to respond.😡

 

[Sailor Senshi Dermystify]

I am currently dealing with a similar situation, but this professor is Asian. I emailed him to talk about these B's but he has yet to respond.😡

I feel your pain 😡 and hopefully he gets back to you o else.....

This thread thus far 😴

and I am an AA who been through averse racism before

 

[mnoon1]

starting a statement with "not meant to troll" is like texting something mean and then ending it with J/K or lol.

LOL!

I don't often deal with racism but I look white and learned very early to work on my accent so now very few people know I'm hispanic. Yes, lame but hey saves me the headache of constantly having to go above and beyond to prove myself.