• Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Shop
  • Newsletter
Faithfully Magazine
Wednesday, June 7, 2023
  • About
    • Staff and Advisors
    • Advertise With Us
    • Submissions
  • Q&As
    John Blake photo by John Nowak for CNN

    CNN Reporter Talks Race, Faith and Reconciliation in Powerful Memoir ‘More Than I Imagined’

    Brown Baby Jesus author Dorena Williamson

    Author Celebrates Jesus’ Messy, Multiethnic Family Tree in ‘Brown Baby Jesus’

    KevOnStage and MrsKevOnStage in an interview with Faithfully Magazine.

    Interview: KevOnStage and MrsKevOnStage Talk Sex, Therapy, and Why ‘Marriage Be Hard’ (Video)

    Christina Edmondson and Ekemini Uwan on Truth's Table book

    ‘Truth’s Table’ Authors Talk Early Beginnings, Centering Black Women, and Inspiring One Another

  • Exclusives
    Karen Abercrombie

    After Award-Winning Role in Top-Grossing Christian Movie, Karen Abercrombie Is Leading Change From Within

    black women group

    ‘Righteous and Ratchet’ Black Women of Faith Embraced on Jemele Hill’s ‘Sanctified’ Podcast

    Josh McDowell

    Apologist Josh McDowell Backtracks After Claiming Black Families Don’t Value Education

    Christian author and preacher Dr. Voddie Baucham

    ‘Fault Lines’ Author Voddie Baucham Confused or Making Things Up, Richard Delgado Says in Response to Misquote on ‘Righteous Actions’ of Whites

  • Profiled
    Chris Broussard

    Sports Analyst Chris Broussard Uses Hoops and Christianity to Address Needs of Young Men

    Bishop Noel Jones

    Bishop Noel Jones: Engagement, Life, Family and Ministry (Profiled)

    nadine raphael

    From Prison to the Pulpit: Nadine Raphael on God’s ‘Greater Plan’ for Her Life (Profiled)

    lisa sharon harper

    Lisa Sharon Harper Is Her ‘Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams’ (Profiled)

  • Remember
    Rev. Dr. William Hiram Bentley

    Black Evangelicalism and the Reforming Influence of William H. Bentley

    Marie Bassili Assaad and Mother Irene

    Knitting Together the Community of Love: Lessons From Marie Bassili Assaad and Mother Irene

    Rev. Sutton E. Griggs

    The Complex Legacy of Sutton E. Griggs: From Respected Leader to Race Traitor?

    fannie lou hamer

    Fannie Lou Hamer: Forerunner of Faith-Driven, Pro-Life Democrats (Remember)

  • Opinion & Analysis
    migrants

    When Faith Says to Help Migrants — and the Law Says Don’t

    couple with child

    Missionary System That Brought US Man Accused of Abusing African ‘Orphans’ Was Always Deeply Flawed

    Civil Rights March 1963

    The Women Who Stood With Martin Luther King Jr. and Sustained a Movement for Social Change

    pile of books

    In New Jersey, School Segregation Didn’t End; It Evolved

  • Specials
    • All
    • Growing a Green Church
    clean energy

    Can Money-Making Microgrids Empower Black Churches to Close the Clean Energy Gap?

    laudato trees earthbeat

    Laudato Trees Planting Program Enlists Catholic Properties to Help Increase DC’s Canopy

SUBSCRIBE
  • Login
  • Register
No Result
View All Result
Faithfully Magazine
No Result
View All Result

The Dangerous Belief That White People Are Under Attack

FM Editors by FM Editors
December 20, 2017
Reading Time: 4 mins read
white people
ShareTweetPin It

Clara Wilkins, Wesleyan University

In August, the Justice Department decided to investigate instances of bias against Whites in university admissions. Since then, campuses have been flyered with “It’s okay to be White,” and in November, violence erupted at the University of Connecticut during a speech about discrimination against Whites.

Are White people actually under attack?

After all, in the U.S., Whites have historically been viewed as perpetrators of bias, and racial minorities as the victims.

But perceptions of this relationship have shifted. According to a recent survey, the majority of Whites – 55 percent – now believe that Whites experience racial discrimination.

What’s more, Whites believe bias against their group is increasing, while believing bias against Blacks is declining.

RELATED POSTS

When Faith Says to Help Migrants — and the Law Says Don’t

Missionary System That Brought US Man Accused of Abusing African ‘Orphans’ Was Always Deeply Flawed

The Women Who Stood With Martin Luther King Jr. and Sustained a Movement for Social Change

What’s behind this dramatic change in attitudes?

Research from my lab and others has found that social changes are a big reason.

The threat of social change

There’s comfort in predictability, and people have a psychological tendency to favor the status quo.

For some, a preference for the status quo also means a preference for a social order in which Whites have more status, power and wealth than racial minorities.

This reality – still ingrained in American society – was seemingly interrupted by Barack Obama’s historic presidential win in 2008.

After his election, many started believing racial progress was taking place. There was the sense that more racial minorities were occupying the high-power, high-status positions historically reserved for Whites.

For many, this was a good thing. But for the subset of White Americans who think that they rightfully deserve to have a higher status than racial minorities, it was unsettling: Were they falling behind? Was society becoming stacked against them? Had Whites become victims?

In a series of studies conducted while Obama was president, psychologist Cheryl Kaiser and I were able to show how this phenomenon played out.

We asked participants to either read an article about racial progress or a neutral article. Then we assessed whether they believe Whites experience racial discrimination. We also assessed the extent to which they endorsed the racial hierarchy.

Among White participants who endorsed the racial status hierarchy, those that read about racial progress believed Whites experience more bias than those who read a neutral article.

It’s important to note that this wasn’t the case for all Whites: If participants rejected the racial hierarchy, they didn’t increase the belief that Whites are discriminated against after reading about racial progress.

Essentially, this study indicates that some Whites don’t welcome social progress – they actually respond by seeing themselves as victims of discrimination.

The country’s growing racial diversity is also likely fueling perceptions of anti-White bias. While Whites currently comprise the majority of the U.S. population, recent census projections suggest that within the next several decades, Whites will become a numerical minority.

According to recent research, if Whites are alerted to this trend, they are more likely to fear being discriminated against.

In sum, social change – whether it’s racial progress or increasing demographic diversity – has caused some White Americans to see themselves as victims of racism.

The slippery slope of Whites feeling victimized

My other research with psychologist Joseph Wellman suggests that this phenomenon isn’t benign. It leads some to adopt perspectives that could, ultimately, exacerbate social inequity.

For Whites who are particularly eager to maintain the racial social order, the idea of anti-White bias is particularly alarming. It implies that the entire social system is unstable, and they are eager to restore it.

These people might attempt to “reestablish” the group’s position because they believe it has been damaged.

This could play out in a number of ways.

One way is through support for other White people who claim to be victims of racial discrimination. There’s a tendency to respond negatively to Black people who claim to be victims of discrimination: People see them as complainers who use racism as an excuse for their shortcomings.

White people who support a racial hierarchy, on the other hand, respond relatively favorably to other White people who claim to be victims of anti-White bias – and say they’d be more willing to help those Whites out.

They also might respond by trying to minimize opportunities for other racial groups. For example, when White people think they’re being discriminated against, my collaborators and I found they’re less inclined to support affirmative action policies. They say they’re also more willing to support policies that help White people, like efforts to address discrimination against Whites.

The ConversationIt goes without saying that in a country where racial educational, employment and wealth disparities persist, greater attention to bias against Whites (and less to bias against racial minorities) would only exacerbate social inequality.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.


Clara Wilkins, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Wesleyan University


Share This Post

Share via

Share This Post

  • Digg
  • Tumblr
  • Flipboard
  • SMS
More
  • Report
ShareTweetPin It
Tags: BiasEqualitPrejudiceRaceThe ConversationWhite People
FM Editors

FM Editors

Faithfully Magazine is a fresh, bold and exciting news and culture publication that covers issues, conversations and events impacting Christian communities of color.

Related Posts

clean energy
Growing a Green Church

Can Money-Making Microgrids Empower Black Churches to Close the Clean Energy Gap?

May 31, 2023
laudato trees earthbeat
Growing a Green Church

Laudato Trees Planting Program Enlists Catholic Properties to Help Increase DC’s Canopy

May 25, 2023

Recommended Stories

classroom

Should Kids Be Drawing Slave Auction Posters to Learn US History?

March 11, 2017
Juneteenth celebrations on June 19, 1900

It’s Time to Make Juneteenth a National Holiday

June 19, 2018
Sodom Gomorrah fire

Sodom Was Destroyed by a Meteor, Scientists Say, But Biblical Archaeologists Disagree

September 24, 2021

Popular Stories

  • stream movies laptop

    Free Christian Movies: How and Where to Watch Free Christian Movies Online

    464 shares
    Share 185 Tweet 116
  • Are Jesus and John the Baptist Cousins or Related in Anyway?

    418 shares
    Share 167 Tweet 104
  • Paige Hilken, Wife of North Coast Church Pastor Christopher Hilken, Dies by Suicide

    408 shares
    Share 163 Tweet 102
  • After 20 Years, Bishop Noel Jones Says He’s Finally Ready to Marry Partner Loretta Jones

    365 shares
    Share 146 Tweet 91
  • NYC Megachurch Pastor A.R. Bernard’s Son Dies After Losing Battle With Alcoholism

    286 shares
    Share 114 Tweet 71

Copyright © 2023 Faithfully Media, LLC. This website participates in affiliate programs.

No Result
View All Result
  • About
    • Staff and Advisors
    • Advertise With Us
    • Submissions
  • Q&As
  • Exclusives
  • Profiled
  • Remember
  • Opinion & Analysis
  • Specials

Copyright © 2023 Faithfully Media, LLC. This website participates in affiliate programs.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Share via

Share This Post

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • WhatsApp
  • Copy Link
  • Tumblr
  • Digg
  • Flipboard
  • SMS

Add New Playlist

Add to Collection

  • Public collection title

  • Private collection title

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?
Send this to a friend