Comments on: Jena 6 – Part II

By: Yilargnin Justine Bazie

Yilargnin Justine Bazie — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 13:22:10 +0000

The racism the most dangerous : When White “anti-racists” will come to recognize THEY also can have racist gaze on Black fellows, then their fight with Black fellows against racist behaviour will really be helpful. It’s just about having the humbleness to recognize a behaviour that is incredibly dangerous.

By: GZP

GZP — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 05:45:55 +0000

I found your post to be an intriguing and effective compilation of works and pieces supporting your idea that Jena-6 was a mere sample of the racial inequality within the American criminal justice system. However, I feel there is need for clarification in your statement, “the ‘attitudes’ that we do not perceive in ourselves are often more powerful in shaping our conduct…”. This statement appears to somewhat discredit cognitive thought as a cause for behavior, when in fact the conscious plays a significant, if not equal role in determining behavior. I understand that in your argument, unacknowledged biases can translate into unfair treatment and a partial judicial system, but the events leading up to the Jena protests were blatant examples of hate crimes and intimidation. The F.B.I. investigated the noose incident on the “white tree” but nothing resulted from their investigation. Has there been any research preformed indicating the failure of not just the judiciary, but the F.B.I. and other various governmental institutions from protecting the rights of minorities? True, the problem of racism can manifest itself in unrealized biases and on the surface, as the nooses show, but the judicial system, and other governmental institutions should bear some of the blame for their inaction in this case. I suppose, though, that my last statement compliments your argument, that institutionalized racism stems from each individual’s biases.

By: The Decision Strategist

The Decision Strategist — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 17:13:35 +0000

I took the race IAT, and the results were disturbing. Prior to taking the test I had thought that my friends involved in the anti-racism movement were beating a dead horse. I knew I didn’t care about race and thought most of America didn’t.

Unfortunately, in the tests I exhibited a “mild preference for whites” (or some phrasing like that). The test has caused me to take a much deeper look at unconscious factors that may be shaping how I treat and react to black people.

To be honest, it doesn’t give me much hope. Of the people who aren’t explicitly racist, how many are willing to examine themselves for implicit racism. Of those, how many are willing to do work to change those assumptions?

I think in Blink Malcolm Gladwell talks about a study where reading about positive black leaders for half an hour would significantly improve people’s scores.

Maybe there is a way to fix it, but I doubt it is easy.