Racism
This is the second time I’ve taken the Implicit Association Test about racial equality. [1] And again, I’m one of the 4% with an implicit racism against white people. From the test:
Your data suggest a moderate automatic preference for African American compared to European American
I retook the test a few times. I was trying to game towards neutrality. The results were the same differing only between moderate and slight automatic preference for African Americans compared to European Americans. I guess I’m still racist against white people.
I’m never sure what to make of this. I grew up in suburban white America. I love Friends and Seinfeld. And while I consider myself neutral to race and culture I’m not that surprised I carry some implicit racism. Most people carry these unconscious thoughts. Our claims to neutrality are usually covering up our own bias.
This kind of bias is always troubling, although I can’t help but to wonder why I have a bias against people who look like me. I was happy to see that there were 12% that actually were truly neutral.
Any theories? Please share them! The test is extremely interesting and I would highly recommend taking it
References
1. http://www.understandingprejudice.org/iat/