Racial Tendencies in America: Subconscious Racism

Racism is defined as prejudice, discrimination, and antagonism directed towards someone of a different race. However, when a definition of subconscious racism is searched for, the majority of articles suggest that people of color are the only victims of subconscious racism. When someone brings up racism most people immediately think white discriminating black, but in reality subconscious racism occurs every day to everyone. It is like the dependent variable in an experiment, which changes based on the independent variable, which in this case would be the individual human being. Subconscious racism does exist in America, but is dependent on the environment, experiences, and the overall morals of a human being; and doesn’t necessarily mean people’s actions are influenced by it.

Racism and subconscious racism are two very different things, and it is often hard for people to clearly define subconscious racism. Racism is a form of discrimination against other people because of their race, or the way they look. Although it is difficult to find a clear cut definition of subconscious racism, it can best be described as assumptions made by an individual about another individual, based on their race, or again, the way they look. While many people claim Caucasian individuals cannot be victims of racism, or subconscious racism, that is just not true. Everybody, of any race, ethnicity, or background, can be the victim of racism or subconscious racism.

If there is one thing racism doesn’t do, it’s discriminate. That goes for subconscious racism as well. Assumptions are made every day about other people based on the way they look, and the truth is we are all guilty of it. So guilty, in fact, that psychologists throughout history have actually conducted experiments to test just how real subconscious racism is. These tests are called Implicit Association Tests, or IAT’s. There are many different versions of these tests that examine the subconscious associations human beings make with many different things. So, naturally, there is a version that assesses subconscious racism.

These tests are structured so that they measure the implicit bias an individual associates with another individual based on their race. During the test, which is taken on a computer, the subject is shown a variety of items that represent either African American individuals or European individuals, as well as pleasant and unpleasant words. Before starting, the subject is informed that one key on the left side of the keyboard is used for African Americans, and one key on the right side of the keyboard is used for Europeans. The subject is then shown a random selection of pictures of African American or European individuals, and must correctly press the associated key. The same type of thing is done, but the keys are associated with either pleasant or unpleasant words, and again a practice round is conducted. Then, the actual experiment begins. They keys are then assigned to both a race and either a pleasant or unpleasant word. The subject must attempt to press the correctly associated key based on what race is shown, and what kind of word is shown. The same test is then conducted, but this time switching which type of word is associated with which race. The result is based on how many incorrect answers the subject gives. The more incorrect answers, the more inherently racial bias the individual presents. The more correct answers given, the individual shows little to no implicit racism.

The study suggests that subconscious racism can be measured based on an association between pleasant and unpleasant words, and either an African American individual or European individual. While many point to this test as proof, others criticize it. The study fails to take into account past experience, and the more time a subject takes to answer, the less likely that the associations are actually subconscious, which skews the results. Another very important thing that this experiment does not test, is whether or not people actually act on this subconscious racism. While yes, people may experience these thoughts/feelings about people who look different, that does not necessarily mean they will treat them any differently. Of course there are racist people exist who will treat others differently based on the way they look, there are also many people who are not racist and do not treat people differently based on the way they look.

So, there really isn’t a straight yes or no answer to people being treated differently based on the color of their skin. Yes, it happens, but not every time. Just because someone has thoughts or feelings about someone does not mean they will necessarily act based on them.

There is no doubt that in some corners of this country, inherent racism still runs rampant; but to say that every single individual is a victim of subconscious racism would be a major reach. There isn’t any reliable evidence that indicates individuals are born with subconscious racism. There is also no hard evidence that suggests people of color are the only victims of subconscious racism. In fact, many researchers would say that whether or not an individual presents racist tendencies depends primarily on an individual’s environment and experiences. Subconscious or not, racism is a disgusting practice that needs to be eradicated, but creating a divide by suggesting that only one race is the perpetrator and another is the victim is not only racist in and of itself, but exacerbates the issue entirely.