Understanding Racism

African-Americans are often exposed to racism. In order to provide evidence of racism, we will consider the act of shopping. The method of discovering racism regarding African-Americans will rely on a qualitative methodology rather than a quantitative approach. In other words, their experience should be noted under the lens of exactly how different they are treated as customers when they are out shopping.  This paper will aim to illustrate how prejudice may impact a person by measuring the relationship between prejudice and personal distress in order to characterize the long-term effects it may have on an individual’s psyche.

A quantitative experiment, in this sense, is not effective considering that social experiments are not constructed with empirical evaluations in mind but rather interpreted through behavior. Creswell and Creswell (2009) suggest that “qualitative researchers tend to use open-ended questions so that participants can express their views” (p. 8). Open-ended questions require more than a yes or no answer. Therefore, participants can specifically reveal their thoughts about certain situations and how they might react in the future. In addition, open-ended questions offer valuable insight into the psyche and behavior of others. 

In order to understand racism, one has to experience it. Problematically, white Americans will rarely, if ever, have an experience of systemic racism where they are in some way disadvantaged specifically due to the color of their skin. Subsequently, they have little capacity for empathy for affected individuals because they cannot understand the severity or frustration of the experience. Through the YouTube video, “Shopping While Black Social Experiment Shows Racism Still Exists”, even after the momentous work of Martin Luther King Jr. The method requires further articulation and specificity. The community, time of day, chosen city, and in urban or smaller town setting of the researcher’s choice would all be integral to clarifying the effects presented in the video. It is safe to say that the materials and apparatus used for testing or measuring the commonality and its effects may be varied.

During the video, actors were set up to portray a situation where a shopper was harassed for no apparent reason other than being black, and the researchers studied how customers would react in the situation. According to the video, 100 people experienced the situation, and less than twenty took initiative and stepped in on the victim’s behalf. Coincidentally, the majority of these twenty people were of minority descent as well. After the video, people were asked a series of questions, such as “would you do something next time” or whether or not they believe that it is their “role to step in [during these situations]”. Using open-ended questions allowed the researchers to understand how and why particular people behave in a certain way. 

Because we all come from diverse backgrounds, we tend to view the world with our own perspective. Creswell and Creswell (2009) emphasize that “social constructivists believe that individuals seek understanding of the world in which they live and work” (p. 8). Based on the researchers’ results, it seems as though understanding racism is less of a priority for white Americans because their skin color generally exempts them from nearly every prejudice that the video portrayed. Their understanding of the world they live in is entirely different than that of a black person who receives markedly different treatment. Dovidio, Gaertner, Kawakami, and Hodson (2002) proposes that white Americans “traditionally held a disproportionate amount of political, social, and economic power” (p. 90), so, because of this alleged power, “racism among whites is subtle … [and] these racial biases are often unintentional and unconscious” (Dovidio et al., 2002, p. 89). This suggests that, as a result of white privilege, white Americans do not realize when they are exhibiting signs of racism because they lack the experience. On the other hand, African-Americans recognize racism because they constantly experience it. 

Despite many instances of racisms, and thereby many victims, researchers wonder if they have a support system. Based on a qualitative study, Lowe, Okubo, and Reilly (2012) suggest that “racism not only engenders responses that are similar to classical symptoms of trauma, but that individuals are quite resourceful and keen about what they need for support” (p.194). If prejudice is so mentally taxing on a person, measuring the relationship between prejudice and personal distress may allow for the characterization of long-term effects that it may have on a person’s psyche. In addition, “The adverse effects racism have been linked to depression, PTSD, low self-esteem, and a variety of other negative health outcomes” (Lowe et al., 2012, p. 190). It is important to note that these effects do not necessarily stem from any individual incident but possibly from an accumulation of prejudices and infractions. Thus, the danger of contemporary racism lies in its subtlety. These support groups can take the form of conversation amongst other victims, who, in the inquiry made by Lowe et al. (2012), emphasized the participants’ welcoming of “active listening, conveying empathy and understanding, advocating for their rights, intervening on their behalf and validating their experience” (p. 194-5). Validation offers comfort because we realize that we are not alone in our experiences. In this way, support groups are valuable means of communicating and identifying with others.

Shopping is a social experience, making it a prime setting for live experimentation. However, it is important to differentiate between a “contrived situation” in a natural setting and a natural occurrence in such a setting.  Creswell and Creswell (2009) stress the imperativeness of pure observation. While the video provides a glimpse into this situation, the fact that the experiment is conducted with actors and not everyday people performing simple activities in a social setting is a contrivance in and of itself. In other words, the actors will not necessarily respond to a particular reaction naturally. 

Observing ordinary individuals who have no script necessitates further clarification of the method used. As aforementioned, there are a variety of variables that influence the potential method. The series of questions asked in the video can be retooled into a survey, which can then be utilized as a means of determining qualitative outcome measures. With this, the researcher, can follow-up with the store’s managers or genuine shoppers for an indication or description of how they perceived the experience and their feelings regarding it. A survey is appropriate for taking qualitative measurements because at its heart it is an empirical study that can quantify results in numbers without sacrificing any of the individual experience. An example of this would be the same open-ended questions as offered in the video and interpreting the ‘yes-no’ dichotomy as a percentage or gauge of customer comfort on a scale of 1 to 5.

Whether an individual is aware of it or not, their behavior can demonstrate individual patterns and consistency. Creswell and Creswell (2009) stress that researches have “face-to-face interaction” over a gradual time period, and in this way information may be gathered up close “by actually talking directly to people and seeing them behave and act within their context” (p. 175). In other words, the subtleties of the method are influenced by the environment in which it occurs. The researcher’s choice of location is directly influential on the results of the study because of the large variety of changes that are possible.

Racism appears to be systemic. In regards to a recent survey, Dovidio et al. (2002) reveal that “in the general public, nearly half of Black Americans (47%) reported on a recent survey that they were treated unfairly in their own community in at least one of five common situations” (p. 90). The key to understanding the inception of racism and realizing the background of its existence will result in the ability to support victims of it or to inform others of its dangers. The result of this survey would suggest that victims experience prejudiced behavior by others in many more situations than shopping. A common situation for the purposes of this study is shopping, at work, going to restaurants or other places of entertainment, dealing with the police, and using public transportation. With the exception of one, dealing with the police, at least one of these common situations happens daily. It is not surprising that “overall, blacks perceive racial discrimination to be more pervasive and damaging” and “a dominant force in their lives” (Dovidio et al., 2002, p. 89) than white Americans who, again, rarely are the targets of discrimination. On the other hand, “67% of whites felt that blacks were treated as well as whites, whereas 72% of blacks reported that blacks were treated worse” (Dovidio et al., 2002, p. 89). Therefore, while racism can be a universal experience, it is only understood by those who experienced it. 

The realization of racism can be maintained and potentially overcome by a series of actions. Laudel (2006) suggests that despite innovative interdisciplinary expertise “no one but those conducting the work are competent in all aspects of” any particular “combination” (p. 57). This suggests that those conducting the experiment are unintentionally guiding the result because they have decided the content of each used combination. However, in order for action, one must comprehend the situation. Perhaps future researchers can conduct an experiment which involves a reversal of racism. 

Ultimately, a qualitative approach identified the reactions of business proprietors and other shoppers when an African-American entered a place of business as a matter of observance. The observation allowed the researchers to clarify the behaviors that are presented by the other shoppers involved. Conducting an experiment similar to the one that was shown in the YouTube video appears to be a natural choice because it allows a closer look at the subtle attitudes that result in discriminatory behavior. Above all, it will allow us to observe the prejudicial behaviors that manifest when they are otherwise ‘dormant’ in those who do not realize they exhibit them. 

References

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (3rd ed.) Los Angeles, CA: Sage.

Laudel, G. (2006). Conclave in the Tower of Babel: How peers review interdisciplinary research proposals. Research Evaluation, 15(1), 57-68.

Lowe, S., Okubo, Y., & Reilly, M. F. (2012). A qualitative inquiry into racism, trauma, and coping: Implications for supporting victims of racism. Professional Psychology: Research And Practice, 43(3), 190-198. doi:10.1037/a0026501

Dovidio, J. F., Gaertner, S. E., Kawakami, K., & Hodson, G. (2002). Why can't we just get along? Interpersonal biases and interracial distrust. Cultural Diversity And Ethnic Minority Psychology, 8(2), 88-102. doi:10.1037/1099-9809.8.2.88