[dropcap]O[/dropcap]k. Maybe there is…
Consider how people respond when a white dude, a black dude, then a pretty blond all act as if they are committing a crime. The same crime. In the same location. At the same time of day.
That is what the ABC show, What Would You Do?, set to find out. Do people have different race based presuppositions in similar scenarios?
Even without the controls of a sociology experiment, the results are pretty astounding and frustrating. We still deal with racial perceptions. We might go as far to say that some perceptions about race are so ingrained as to be absolute blind spots.
Notice even the African-American women who are interviewed have a positive bias toward the white “thief.” Image may not be everything, but in cases of racial perception, it is more than enough.
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