Racism is rampant. All sides, in the barrage of social media regarding the shootings of civilians and officers, have demonstrated these racist tendencies: us-them talk herd thinking confirmation bias These further no one’s cause and foster the opposite, as any social scientist will tell you. Talking in terms of “us versus them” alienates. It objectifies and dehumanizes. It distances people …
racism
The Contingency of Identity
Claude Steele, in his book Whistling Vivaldi (2010), brilliantly narrates his 30+ year journey as a social psychologist researching identity and stereotype threat. He explains “identity contingencies” as the situational conditions because of one’s social identity and their effects on, particularly, educational access and academic performance. Here are two excerpts: “Identity contingencies—the …