You’re a Person of Color?
I like to begin with first and foremost, so... first and foremost, all people, not just people/person(s) of color (POC), can benefit from reading this. It is because whether we do or do not identify as a POC, we are all people - human beings with common and unique faults, strengths, and weaknesses.
What do you do about the bias against you that you experience as a POC? So far, we’ve seen many movements and many efforts to raise awareness, demand justice, and all of that. But that’s not what I’m getting at.
What I am asking is what are you doing about you?
Before I continue, I have a few thoughts to share. First, there are always two sides of every experience that seems racially biased: those experiencing the bias and those demonstrating it. Each side of such experiences has components that exist and components that do not exist, in isolation with the other. Such experiences are dynamic largely because of how we are wired to look at the world and how we are wired socially.
Because race issues (mostly black and white) are all over the mass media, TV, news, entertainment, politics, and social media, likely very few days end without Americans being exposed to such issues. It should go without saying that Americans think about race too much of the time.
Second, let me just say that I’m struggling to deliver a message that is directly based on the most relevant science. I am not referring to politics, cultural bias, or white privilege. This science is real science and it involves you, me, and everyone. This is important to mention because I studied this science at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels, and applied it in the diversity industry for a decade - 3 years of which as a leader. Therefore, this science is in my wheelhouse. But presenting it effectively isn't. So bear with me as I try to explain what is inexplicable to most people. If I can do well in sharing this message so you understand, then you are on your way toward understanding what I mean by my first thought above, and ultimately further self-empowerment.
My last forethought is this is not some forcing of white supremacist language on you. One doesn’t do that just because one is white. Isn't saying such a racial comment? What I write here does not in any way invalidate or diminish your experiences of racial bias or racism. Nor does it prevent the need for all those movements and efforts I referred to above. This is where you ask yourself, what else could you do for you outside of your involvement in such movements and efforts? Read on, as you might find an answer.
There is a reason why I began this post declaring this is for everyone. You see, race is purely a social construct. In short, there is no genetic basis for race, and no scientific evidence one race is superior to another. In fact, migration genetics have shown that my genes are just as likely to be closer to the genes of a POC, as another white person. But there is more to the story all of us need to know - especially POC who suffer from bias and stereotypes.
So, what do you really have control of? Sure, you have the power to go to a protest and protest. That might make you feel good, and adds to raising awareness, but how do you change your own narrative – how do you change your life? The thing that you do have the ability to control, is your response to all of that. This is not to say no one is culpable or that racial bias or racism doesn't exist. Thing is, protesting, complaining, and bandwagoning may feel good, but how much can it change your life?
What am I talking about? I'm talking about the social science of the human brain. Did you notice I didn’t say the black brain (or POC brain) - or white brain? The social side of human beings has a harsh history going back to the Stone Age. Though we are no longer in the Stone Age, the Stone Age is still within us. But we can break up those proverbial stones.
Here’s the skinny. We are wired toward meeting the subtle and usually "subconscious" expectations held of us by others, whether those expectations are genuinely conveyed or they're merely perceived. And nothing is as powerful at influencing you as the expectations of you held in the public mind. So, if the typical black stereotype is on people’s minds in a context measuring intelligence or cognitive skills, white people will do better than average and black people will do poorer than average. If no stereotypes or race are on people’s minds, blacks and whites will perform alike. This is just one tip of the proverbial iceberg, also known as Stereotype Threat (video also below).
It is important to note that the explanation given in the video above how stereotype threat works, is obsolete. It usually hits beneath conscious awareness, and it isn't just about expectations felt from negative stereotypes.
You'll see a different perspective of the human social brain in the video below, the idea of what is called the self-fulfilling prophesy. It reveals the same meeting of expectations but it's a positive stereotype that only the instructor is aware of.
In short, we are wired to meet expectations regardless, and rarely are the involved parties aware of the phenomenon. Below is a video about a study with results that have been repeated in numerous experiments since the late 1960s.
What is significant about the experiment conducted in the above video, is that simply telling only the instructor and in private who would be the best in the class made those students actually become the best in the class. Their names were simply drawn from the hat. And the instructor did not tell them. Those students were not told they were any different. It was simply the instructor's expectation that was different. Ponder that for a bit, let it sink in.
One thing absolutely critical to understand is every white person in the world can kneel down in solidarity and you will still find yourself experiencing racial bias and perhaps even racism. Only you can change your life, and others facing obstacles whether from some 'ism' or something else, have found ways to rise above those obstacles. So you can too. The potential within you is likely far more than any other mere human on the planet has ever realized. The point is just because others say you can't or you think you can't, doesn't mean it is true. Some things are of course immutable, like my physical inability to run a marathon without stopping (I'm partially disabled).
We can perceive a stereotype or bias that may or may not be present. But one that didn't exist but perceived, can become real if you expect the bias in those you perceive to be. They can respond to your expectation preconsciously. Then, like the experiments in the videos above, they may demonstrate the bias you expected. In other words, you can perceive bias and unknowingly cause others to be biased. This is important because the message here is achieving control over your responses, and the power doing so has to change your life.
I hope this helps illuminate that we all can face situations where others expect good things or bad things or just things, whether the expectation is conscious or subconscious. And our nature to meet those expectations will influence what we do. We can learn to recognize it and choose to not meet the expectations we don't want to meet.
Finally, the scientific evidence shows that most racial bias is weak, meaning it is easily overcome. If you find a way to override your response to meeting stereotypical expectations of you due to your demographic group membership, you will change your context and even cause the bias of others to change as well.
The moral of this story is, know thyself. Understand common human social nature and how it manifests in you. Learn about it, and try to come up with ways to respond to stereotypes and bias productively while unifying rather than dividing. Racial division may always be here while it remains a political platform. The good news is you have the power to take control of you and your life. Screw what others believe. Believe in yourself and realize your potential.
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