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Check your racial bias

SkiveSkive Posts: 15,287 Skive's The Limit
edited June 2023 in Politics & Debate
This interesting and worth doing. Takes about 5 minutes to do.

And just to be absolutely clear, any result that may show you have a bias is nothing to be worried about. Every single one of us has bias to a certain degree. The point of the exercise is to recognise that you may have bias, and then exploring why that is.

I've been checking and exploring it for years. It takes effort, but it is rewarding. Not just racial bias but also gender and confirmation biases, mainly. 

It will be interesting if everyone posts their results here.

I'll go first. I did the black vs. white test. Result is was slightly biased in favour of European Americans. This is probably a result of growing up in the English countryside and having limited contact with Black or Asian minorities.

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html


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Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Fruit loop Deactivated Posts: 2,762 Boards Guru
    This was quite interesting I did the black vs white one too and got a slight automatic preference for Black people over White people! 

  • Past UserPast User Posts: 1,997 Extreme Poster
    I did black - white the test and my results was That I had a slight automatic preference to African American people. 

    I’m white and so is my dads side of the family but my adoptive mam is black. This will probably be why. 
  • StarlightStarlight Posts: 1,448 Wise Owl
    I did black-white too, and got no automatic preference between black people and white people. I guess since I've only lived in areas where the majority are white, but my two absolutely best friends arent white maybe. I'm quite surprised by my result though but also happy.
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  • SienaSiena Posts: 15,681 Skive's The Limit
    Also got no automatic preference between black or white people
    “And when they look at you, they won't see everything you've been through. They won't see the **** that turned to scars that began to fade with time. They won't see the heartbreaking things that shook up and changed your entire world. They won't know how many tears you cried or even what it was you were crying about. They won't see how strong you had to be because you had no other choice. What they will see though is how compassionate you are because you experienced pain. What they will see is how kind you are because you experienced how cruel the world is. What they will see is how good you are because you've seen how bad things or people can be. The difference between you and your experiences are who you choose to be, despite everything that could have turned you cold and unkind.You are the good the world needs and the best of us.” ~ Kirsten Corley
  • JustVJustV Community Manager Posts: 5,579 Part of The Furniture
    Great thread. Love this test. Did it a few years ago but totally forgot the result.

    Did it again just now and got a moderate automatic preference for White people over Black people. Similarly to @Skive, I'm tempted to put that down to a very sheltered upbringing in Cornwall. As well as it being incredibly rare to even see anyone who isn't White, it's also statistically the most racist county in the country I believe. That's an old statistic but wouldn't surprise me if it's still the case.
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  • Millie2787Millie2787 Community Champion Posts: 5,194 Part of The Furniture
    edited June 2020
    Has anyone watched the school that tried to end racism on channel 4 ? 

    They talk about already having an unconscious  racial bias towards white people  and showed that inna class of mix raced only 4 people out of the whole class had no/neutral bias and at the end of the second episode they take the test again so I’m intrigued to see what the results turn out like to see how the course have changed it . It’s quite an interesting watch 
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  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 117 The Mix Convert
    @Millie2787 would love to know the name of the show to see if i can catch it on all4 on demand
  • Millie2787Millie2787 Community Champion Posts: 5,194 Part of The Furniture
    @gia9720 I think it was called The school that tried to end racism
    Sometimes all you need is one person to believe in you , for you to begin to believe in yourself.
  • Laura_tigger82Laura_tigger82 Moderator Posts: 5,307 Part of The Furniture
    edited December 2021
    Hi @Skive

    Thanks for initiating such a great thread. I remember reading about this in Psychology. Everyone will indeed have some sort of bias and that is largely because our views are based on our experiences.

    It is important to keep this in mind. It is only through being conscious of our biases that we can make sure everyone is treated fairly.

    I remember watching that @Millie2787, it was really interesting! Thanks for sharing in case even more people can watch it :)
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  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 156 Helping Hand
    This was very interesting, I gotta say I felt a bit uncomfortable with the associating 'good' and 'bad' words with same buttons as races, I felt like so worried XD
    In the end I was told that I have no preference between Black and White people!!!! I'm pleasantly surprised
  • Laura_tigger82Laura_tigger82 Moderator Posts: 5,307 Part of The Furniture
    Aww, well-done @La_La, and thanks for sharing your results with us! I wonder where your biases are? I am sure we will find them on other tests ;)
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  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 156 Helping Hand
    @Laura_tigger82 That's okay XD
    I guess they definitely exist. I hope I can overcome them one day
  • Laura_tigger82Laura_tigger82 Moderator Posts: 5,307 Part of The Furniture
    We all have them! Myself included. Though I need to do lots of these tests to find out which. And that's okay. We don't necessarily need to remove them but we need to recognise them so we can address them <3
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  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 117 The Mix Convert
    @Millie2787 thanks ill try and check it out
  • Laura_tigger82Laura_tigger82 Moderator Posts: 5,307 Part of The Furniture
    It is great fun @gia9720 :) good luck!
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  • Kate_20Kate_20 Posts: 653 Incredible Poster
    My responses suggested a slight automatic preference for Black people over White people. I have good friends from different ethnic backgrounds so personally I do not have a preference. I do not care about my appearance let alone other people's. I guess the result was because of the order of the questions or I was primed in some ways.
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  • Laura_tigger82Laura_tigger82 Moderator Posts: 5,307 Part of The Furniture
    Hi @Kate_20

    Thanks for sharing your response with us. I have found your response really interesting.

    Indeed. Also, it could be that you are subconsciously biased towards Black people compared to White people. However, on a conscious level, you have no preference and care about all people! That can happen.

    Often our subconscious is informed by experiences, our upbringing, and what we are taught but that does not mean we can't re-learn or address our biases throughout later life on a conscious level :)
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  • lovemimoonlovemimoon Posts: 2,318 Boards Champion
    Ah, completed the black and white test:

    "During the Implicit Association Test (IAT) you just completed:
    Your responses suggested a moderate automatic preference for White people over Black people."

    I'm a black person myself and I think this is probably because my surroundings growing up were white people. It was difficult to find a black community where I grew up and honestly, I still struggle with that to this day.
  • sinead276sinead276 Posts: 1,647 Extreme Poster
    I got slight preference for white over black - I guess this is down to been brought up predominantly around white people.

    Was interesting to see how our subconscious minds are impacted by our surroundings and life experiences and we aren't even fully aware of it
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