Introduction
A bigot is someone who is intolerant of values and beliefs that they do not share. They show disdain for others in predictable ways. We all know the script. Some politician, actor, or religious leader says something that sounds like it crosses the race relations line. That sets off a tweet storm and days of news media coverage. A media pundit will label the culprit’s comment as insensitive and racist (or some other ism). That is typically followed by another pundit with an opposing view saying that no one can read another’s heart and mind to be called a racist so flippantly.
I am here to tell you that is far from the truth. You see, I am a cognitive cultural psychologist. Psychology is the study of human behavior. We are all psychologists in a way. We read others’ minds by observing how they behave. It turns out that humans are very good at reading people, especially those they come into contact with on a regular basis. It can be in the media or face to face. We start developing the expertise to recognize prejudice shortly after birth. We can read people’s minds because they wear their attitudes and opinions on their sleeves in full view.
Don’t Get Caught Up in the Hype
Racism is not something people take lightly. It is against American cherished social values. That is why psychologists do not fully trust prejudice test results. People know that they are being tested for prejudice. So, they typically give socially desirable responses to look less prejudice than they actually are. That is also why people who are accused of being a racist try to side step the claim by professing that they are not.
A group of white males in a pickup truck carrying a huge Confederate flag wants us to believe that they are merely promoting American pride and celebrating their heritage. When we see them looking for African Americans and Jewish people to taunt as they wave the flag, it doesn’t take much to realize that promoting pride in the flag is simply a way to deflect from their deep-seated racial animus. We simply do buy what they are saying because it is inconsistent with their actions.
Don’t Allow the Pundits to Deflect
When a celebrity or someone that is respected denies being prejudiced or racist after doing something that others find appalling, the bystanders take sides. Whichever side they take, everyone knows that the behavior is indefensible. That’s what makes it provocative and attention worthy.
When asked if they think the culprit’s behavior was outside of social norms, defenders duck and dodge the question to avoid acknowledging that the behavior is harmful. Their typical response goes something like this, “I have known this person for many years. He’s a fine person. Yes, he may have said some things awkwardly that offended others, but he is not a racist. You just need to get to know him like I do.”
Everyone knows that the person shouldn’t have said those things about black people, watermelon, and tap dancing, but supporters spin the issue by bringing up the “you can’t read minds” argument.
If It Looks and Walks Like a Duck
If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is a safe bet that you have encountered a duck. The next time someone says that you cannot read another person’s mind, tell them that what they do and say is a reflection of what they think. You don’t need to do brain surgery to see prejudice, bigotry, and racism. It is worn on the culprit’s sleeve.
About the author
Billy Vaughn, Ph.D. CDP CDE is an award-winning cultural diversity and inclusion psychologist. He is the senior managing partner for Diversity Training University International (dtui.com), Editor in chief of Diversity Officer Magazine (diversityofficermagazine.com), and Executive Director for the Diversity Executive Leadership Academy (diversityexecutiveacademy.com). You can a learn more about him at https://dtui.com/billy-bio/.
[…] to let them off the hook no matter what our gut feelings tell us? I have written elsewhere that we can read people’s minds when it comes to deciding whether or not they are prejudice. People wear racism on their sleeves. If it looks like a duck and acts like a duck, there’s a […]