Thinkers know better than to be racist. It's generally understood that racists are, well, not thinkers. It's not that racists are necessarily stupid--it's that they are ignorant.
We like to think that racists are choosing to hang on to their bias because they don't know any better. Those of us who are educated--or who think--can overcome any bias through information and intention. Right?
Tell that to our brains.
A recent study done at Dartmouth College presents some interesting ideas about racism and the brain. According to the widely published results of this research, racism can actually cause stupidity. Even professors from esteemed universities like Stanford are quoted as saying such things as "Racism really does make people stupid."
Well, that makes for an interesting sound bite, but it's a bit misleading. Here's what happened: white test subjects with a bias against black faces performed poorly on a cognitive skills test after being interviewed by an African American person. The more biased the subjects were (based on their scores on the Harvard implicit association test), the worse they did.
What's fascinating about this study is that it is the first to show through magnetic resonance imaging that there is a particular area of the brain associated with efforts to say or do the right thing. This "executive control" portion of the brain showed increased activity during both the implicit association test and the interview. Those who had scores indicating a greater bias showed the most activity in their brains in this area as they struggled to refrain from making racist choices or offensive remarks. As this poor little section of the brain was overloaded, subjects were temporarily unable to perform thinking tasks.
So, really, the compelling notion here isn't simply that racism makes you stupid. It's that the presence of someone about whom we feel a bias affects our ability to think. If you live in a fairly homogenous community, your bias--and the "executive control" part of your brain--isn't really tested. However, if on a daily basis you interact with people toward whom you have a racial bias, your thinking becomes impaired, at least temporarily.
What does this mean long term? Are racist individuals in integrated communities "dumbed down" because their overtaxed brains can't cope? Is there a cumulative effect? A whole lot more research needs to be done to learn more about this.
No intelligent person wants to acknowledge that they may have a bias in terms of race. We know in our minds that it is unfair, unwarranted, and detrimental to have a negative view of someone on the basis of race. We also know it's politically incorrect. We like to think we're smart enough to outwit any insidious form of racism that may be lurking in the back of our brains.
Well, our brains don't know that. These tests measure what's going on in our brains, not what we want to have going on. The results can be quite shocking.
The good news is that there's a part of our brains that is trying to behave properly! This study was done with educated, intelligent, fairly progressive white students at Dartmouth College. Though it isn't mentioned in the report, it's likely that these students didn't consider themselves racist. What happens if the same study is conducted with those who readily admit their prejudice?
If we know better, and we want to avoid being racist, how do we go about doing so? We assume that more contact with individuals of other races will help us overcome our prejudices, but that sometimes backfires. Integrated communities are rarely racism-free. Contact doesn't eliminate racism--greater understanding and positive relationships do.
Think about your brain and your own bias regarding race. The first step is to be honest: virtually every single person on the planet has a racial bias of some kind. The next step is to take a test to find out for yourself where you stand.
And then? What next?
We learn racism. We know enough about the brain and how it works to recognize that whatever we learn we can also unlearn.
Absorb everything you can about other ethnicities and cultures. Read, travel, see movies, listen to music, try new foods--do everything possible to develop a voracious curiosity and robust enthusiasm for people of all races. Stimulate your brain in an effort to render that "executive control" area irrelevant.
Train your mind while building relationships with individuals of other races. Outsmart your brain's racism by becoming colorblind.
Thinkers know better than to be racist. The challenge is to free our brains of lingering doubts. Immerse yourself in the richness of the world. It'll make you smarter--and more excellent--in every way.
About The Author
Maya Talisman Frost is a mind masseuse. Her work has inspired thinkers in over 70 countries around the world. She serves up a satisfying blend of clarity, comfort and comic relief in her free weekly ezine, the Friday Mind Massage. To subscribe, visit http://www.massageyourmind.com.
http://www.massageyourmind.com
house refresh service Morton Grove ..No, not that kind.Power and potential are synonymous. Your ultimate... Read More
"Spiritual Intelligence" (SI) is the ability of a person to... Read More
Dear Friends,All human beings have a unique ability right from... Read More
I have a 440-page guide on how to simplify my... Read More
There are times that we encounter fearful thoughts that can... Read More
Few people are aware of the thoughts that pass through... Read More
The Alchemists of old worked over many years, centuries, in... Read More
If you suffer with or have in the past suffered... Read More
Many people who suffer from low self-esteem would give anything... Read More
Our lives are overflowing with negative information from the newspapers,... Read More
We all know them. We all have somebody like them... Read More
Are you a person who loves challenges, or hates them?... Read More
One of things that Charismatic people share is an unshakeable... Read More
Life shouldn't be so complicated. Have you ever wondered why... Read More
Our attitude makes seems to control just about everything about... Read More
As if choreographed and rehearsed the night before, one lays... Read More
I'm a working mother with a preschooler, worrying about Mom... Read More
Yuk!One thing, I really have a problem with is criticism.... Read More
"Putting ourselves down, is an insult to our worth." --Helen... Read More
"We can change our circumstances by a mere change of... Read More
In 1978, Erma Bombeck wrote a book entitled "The Grass... Read More
Does that title make you cringe? It made me cringe... Read More
If I say the word "CHANGE" how do you feel?... Read More
James Allen, who wrote the masterpiece, As a Man Thinketh,... Read More
Life can be downright scary - sometimes more than others.... Read More
cleaning service near Mundelein ..One of our most active senses is sight. What we... Read More
Failure is my favorite subject. For I have spent my... Read More
As I swooshed down the Zoom Flume water slide at... Read More
In frustration it's easy to jump to false conclusions that... Read More
Bernard always had a problem with money.He was always lacking... Read More
All the problems that any individual has in their lives... Read More
Most of us carry on a running internal dialogue at... Read More
Life shouldn't be so complicated. Have you ever wondered why... Read More
There is an old joke about a man who is... Read More
Each of us has a mind by which we convert... Read More
Why do we really need the experiences that we have... Read More
It sounds a little masochistic, but I actually appreciate being... Read More
Self belief is a wonderful thing.I know from my own... Read More
From experience, one of the biggest stumbling blocks for people... Read More
A Model of the dysfunctional, unconscious human psyche. A way... Read More
Most of us love to think that our problems are... Read More
This is a technique that sounds a bit silly when... Read More
I'm lucky.When I was fifteen, I was the sole survivor... Read More
As I walked my dogs recently on what "should" have... Read More
Speaking comes to most people as naturally as breathing. On... Read More
Ever had one of those mothers, or grandmothers, who would... Read More
There are always explanations for why things to you or... Read More
Did you know that the 911 equivalent in the UK... Read More
"Every prayer - every thought, every statement, every feeling -is... Read More
Recently, a lady came to see me and she had... Read More
Positive Attitude Tips |