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Ian Cromwellcrommunist.wordpress.com
October 1st, 2010
What is Race?
What is Racism?
What can we do?
How can skepticism help?
Born here in Vancouver, moved to Vernon
Moved to Ontario at age 10
Undergraduate career at Waterloo, graduate degree at Queen’s
Moved back to Vancouver about 1 year ago
Official launch, February 2010
Race, religion, free speech, humanism
Featured 3 times on Pharyngula
Definition 1: Skin Colour?
◦ Ian’s story
◦ E*****’s story
◦ Azza’s story
Definition 2: Entirely social construction?
◦ Tiger’s story
◦ SLUG’s story
Definition 3: My (working) definition
◦ Race is what happens when how other people see you intersects with how you see yourself
◦ No different from other forms of identity
Ian’s story
Ian’s story A*****’s story
Ian’s story A*****’s story H*****’s story
The attribution of personal traits to an individual, or group of individuals, based on ethnic background.
Merriam-Webster:◦ “a belief that race is the primary determinant of
human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race”
“Whites may have been horrified by the fire hoses and police dogs turned on children,
but they could rest easy knowing that neither they nor anyone they’d ever met would do such a thing. But most racism—indeed, the worst racism—is quaint and banal. There’s nothing sensationalistic about redlining or job discrimination.”
“I’m not trying to be racist but…”
“Race isn’t important to me.”
“I don’t see race.”
“But my best friend is black!”
RACISM IS ENDEMIC TO THE SYSTEM!
Pattern-seeking animals
Race-based inequalities
Option 1: Racism is not a problem anymore
◦ Election of black president, First Nations cabinet ministers, MPs of various backgrounds
◦ Equal voting, housing, employment rights guaranteed by law
◦ Violent racism a thing of the past
Pretending it isn’t there doesn’t make it go away
Not merely isolated incidents◦ Power makeup vs. demographics◦ Education, housing, employment largely
unofficially segregated◦ Racial profiling still alive and well◦ Immigration policy, treatment of First Nations
Grants assent to back-door racism
Option 2: Be colour-blind
◦ Take no notice of, or intentionally ignore racial differences of others
◦ If I treat all people the same, then I cannot be racist
◦ “Race doesn’t matter”
217 UofIllinois students◦ 169 white◦ 48 black
Administered Color-Blindness Racial Attitudes Scale (CoBRAS)
Shown racist imagery taken at parties, asked for comment◦ Responses categorizes as “not bothered”, “not
bothered/ambivalent”, “bothered/ambivalent”, “bothered”
CoBRA mean
White students:-3.23
Black students- 2.77
Colour-blindness only works if:A. Everyone is blindB. There aren’t real racial disparities
“Race doesn’t matter” – to whom?◦ Study of race is like study of religion
Tim Wise: Colour-muteness is more accurate
Ignoring race doesn’t make its effects go away
Option 3: Redraw in-group concepts
◦ Change definition of “us” and “them”
◦ Support programs that substitute race-based definitions for more positive alternatives
22 boys selected, matched for income, age, behaviour, other characteristics
Invited to summer camp in OK Separated into 2 groups
◦ Allowed time for in-group fostering Groups introduced to each other
◦ Immediate segregation and identification of “ours” and “us”
◦ Group names formed in opposition to others
Intense animosity grew between groups as they competed◦ Deteriorating sportsmanship, pranks/raids, name-
calling Strong preference for members of own
group when polled by researchers◦ Those of lowest status expressed strongest
antipathy toward out-group
Mere group contact did not reduce hostility◦ Non-competitive games◦ Eating together◦ Watching movies
Necessary co-operation almost immediately reduced hostility◦ Drinking water problem◦ Selecting a movie◦ Pulling the truck
Self-reported attitude to “out-group” drastically improved after mutual struggle
Not a 100% conclusive result◦ Would attitudes have changed given enough
time?◦ Not completely eliminated
Suggestive that in-group bias diminishes in the presence of mutual collaboration◦ Definition of “white person”◦ Waves of immigration◦ 2010 Winter Olympics
Bring science and evidence to bear◦ Christopher DiCarlo’s “We are all African”
campaign◦ Genetic evidence of equality◦ Examine racial prejudices, effects
Demand rationality in racial discussion◦ Realize that “race” is an ephemeral concept◦ Scientific examination of racial disparity
Humanist goals suit equality
Increase dialogue about race
Reduce stigma about the word ‘racism’
Make claims about race based on evidence, not emotion◦ This needs to happen on both sides
Promote equality, humanism, civil rights