Are You a Racist?

[TremulousTetra]

this is meant to be for entertainment. I think if you look through it you will see why you shouldn't be too disturbed by the results. However, it is also quite illuminating upon our attitudes are shaped, the nature of 'free will', and the way the human mind works.

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/demo/

by the way, I was prompted to wards this website by listening to this book.
http://www.gladwell.com/blink/index.html

 

[dennisr]

this is meant to be for entertainment.

"Your data suggest a slight automatic preference for African American compared to European American."

What a load of old toss (I don't like either...)

 

[subversplat]

The stupid thing killed my browser

 

[dennisr]

The stupid thing killed my browser

could be illuminating - depends how you look at it...

 

[TremulousTetra]

If you get a chance have a listen to or read Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell.it isn't a political book, but a very entertaining read about the construction of consciousness, and the strength of the unconscious mind in guiding our actions. It's seriously questions the notion of ' free will'.

if the unconscious mind does not compute information, and have the effect upon the conscious thought process could you explain this for me? I forget the exact figures, but the extremist statistic was something like this. People over 6 foot two in America constitute about 3% of the American population, but 30% of CEO's.

This doesn't do justice to the book, which goes through a whole load of scenarios which demonstrate the actual strength of the unconscious thought process efecting every day decision-making, without conscious knowledge of its actions.

 

[TremulousTetra]

I only put it up for a bit of fun, but let me tell you what the author of blink experienced.

You cannot cheat the test. The test simply measures the amount of time you take to answer the questions. And then puts different sets of questions. It is the difference in the amount of time taken, that indicates the way your unconscious mind is working. Out of 50,000 black Americans, 50% were found to have at least a pro-white mild bias, this included the author whose mother was Jamaican. this was no shock. How could black Americans living in a society where the dominant group shape the culture, and present the dominant group as the best, not effect black American consciousness? However, the bias could be effected.

The author of the test used to take the test every day. And he found one morning he had a pro-black American bias, the first time ever. The guy was a track and field fan, and had been watching the Olympic Games. He then went on to do further tests, which showed if you give people positive black role models before the test, for example reading about Martin Luther King Nelson Mandela etc, you could effect the score.

this shows how the unconscious mind actually behaves much like computer, garbage in garbage out, rather than the value loaded decision-making tool we have always considered it to be.

 

[dash_two]

I thought Blink was a very entertaining read but also contradictory in the many anecdotes detailed. Was left with the impression that Gladwell was saying that 'thin slicing' (sort of like acting on an immediate hunch) is a Good Thing, except on the occasions when it isn't.

 

[8ball]

It's quite interesting.

I apparently have a mild pro-European bias but no dark/light skin preference. I think the first go was less reliable though cos I kept making loads of mistakes at first like 'agony=good', 'hurt=good' etc.

Either that or my subconscious is a bit emo-racist.

The bit about the authors mother rings true, my mum is half-black and a bit racist in that way.

She worries about me and my sister getting racist abuse even though we both look like snow-pixies.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Test asked me my political views.

Options - varying degrees of conservative or liberal.

I am not a conservative or a fucking liberal.

Do not compute.

This is an AMERICAN test with AMERICAN prejudices.

What's it doing in this forum, eh?

 

[TremulousTetra]

I thought Blink was a very entertaining read but also contradictory in the many anecdotes detailed. Was left with the impression that Gladwell was saying that 'thin slicing' (sort of like acting on an immediate hunch) is a Good Thing, except on the occasions when it isn't.

I know exactly what you mean. I haven't quite finished it yet, but he seemed to be just repeating the same thing over and over from different angles, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, as long as you eventually come to the meat and potatoes. Got a feeling he won't.

 

[goldenecitrone]

I looked but there was no Asian-European-American option. She's my favourite.

 

[8ball]

This is an AMERICAN test with AMERICAN prejudices.

Yeah, I thought it was funny that the test was so prejudiced too.