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Wednesday, May 25, 2011

More Whites Believe 'Reverse Racism' Is Costing Them Jobs

Whether you're in a minority or a majority, it seems that here in America we all feel discriminated against. A recent study conducted at a couple of very prestigious schools found that now whites believe they have replaced blacks as the primary victims of racial discrimination in America. This is mostly exhibited in the workplace, they say, but many believe it can be found in legal, social and educational situations as well.

The study, conducted by researchers at Tufts University's School of Arts and Sciences and Harvard Business School, shows that America has not achieved the "post-racial" society that some predicted in the wake of Barack Obama's election, according to the authors of the study.

At least whites and blacks agree on one thing: Both feel that anti-black racism has decreased over the last 60 years. However, whites believe that anti-white racism has increased and is now a bigger problem than anti-black racism.

"It's a pretty surprising finding when you think of the wide range of disparities that still exist in society, most of which show black Americans with worse outcomes than whites in areas such as income, homeownership, health and employment," said Tufts Associate Professor of Psychology Samuel Sommers, Ph.D. He's co-author with Michael I. Norton of Harvard of the article, "Whites See Racism as a Zero-Sum Game That They Are Now Losing," which appears in the May 2011 issue of the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science.

Researchers were surprised to find that whites believed that racism against whites has increased significantly as racism against blacks has decreased. On average, whites rated anti-white bias as more prevalent in the 2000s than anti-black bias by more than a full point on the 10-point scale. Moreover, some 11 percent of whites gave anti-white bias the maximum rating of 10 compared to only 2 percent of whites who rated anti-black bias a 10. Blacks, however, reported only a modest increase in their perceptions of "reverse racism."

"These data are the first to demonstrate that not only do whites think more progress has been made toward equality than do blacks, but whites also now believe that this progress is linked to a new inequality -- at their expense," note Norton and Sommers. Whites see racial equality as a zero-sum game, in which gains for one group mean losses for the other.
Although these findings might take some by surprise, you can find hints of it in the U.S. legal system. The authors of the survey note that claims of so-called reverse racism, while not new, have been at the core of an increasing number of high-profile Supreme Court cases.

13 comments:

  1. I would add that the feeling is not just one of racism. In its effort to reduce racism and other bias it appears government has asked employers to bias their hiring practices against the white male. Well, not so much against the white male as in favor of any other race or gender.

    I would cite the training I received this past year from my employer regarding its hiring practice. It is required, if at all possible, to have the interview slate of four comprised of at least two female and one minority. If I wasn't already working there I probably couldn't get an interview for my position.

    It is this type of practice that drives a feeling of reverse discrimination.

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  2. Companies are so risk-adverse that they are afraid to simply pick the candidate with the best qualifications and experience. As MrXray says, they've got rules on top of rules to ensure compliance with all of the government regulations.

    It's a sad story.

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  3. Human nature has always been flawed, our founders knew that when they wrote the Declaration and Constitution. Our principles should be upon values like honesty, integrity, trust and so on and not by the color of skin. When we are dictated we have to have so many of this and that, is where the problem begins. Our preamble has been and should continue, "We hold these truths to be self-evident,that all men are created equal..." that means the playing field should be equal...
    After 25 years in Corporate America and now owning my own business...

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  4. Notice however this entire study was PERCEPTION. What people believe not actual numbers. Actual numbers show that white woman benefit most from the affirmative action practices. The problem should show that yes racism is still strong and alive. When a white male doesn't get the "job" they blame everyone but themselves and make the claim that those that got hired were less qualified. Its that racist thinking that is probably the reason why they didn't get the job.

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  5. The term "reverse racism" is racist. Racism is the belief that there are inherent differences in people's traits and capacities which are entirely due to their race, however defined, and which consequently justify those people being treated differently, both socially and legally. So why is the term "reverse" attached - because the user is racist and doesn't see themselves as just another race, but a superior race.

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  6. Well said David! These issues will continue, especially in the workplace, as long as there are programs of any kind that draw distinctions based on ethnicity or gender. Even as a senior executive my corporate 'gurus' dictate to me what actions can or cannot be taken in response to a non-performing employee based on race, age, or gender. However I choose to base it on merit and performance. If corporate wants to let the company be run by governmental compliance under the guise of "fair employment", then they can figure out what do with the non-performers they're keeping on the payroll for fear of a discrimination law suit. It is inevitably the first card played because people cannot stand to be held accountable for their own actions - and our society enables that in my opinion.

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  7. I am so bloody sick and tired of this “BS” argument. It’s interesting that when only whites were accepted at certain universities, and when only blacks lose their jobs, no one gave a damn. Now that more whites are losing jobs at the same pace as blacks, they blame it on “reverse” racism. Give me a freaking break! Now a certain segment of the population knows how it feels to be out of a job. It’s not fair is it? In the past, when the economy was in peril, guess who lose their jobs first? Yes, you guessed it. It was black folks. I didn’t hear any complaints then...

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  8. You guys may be sick of hearing about racism one way or another. African Americans would play the racism card for anything, just as much as Whites or any other culture or race may be doing it now. It goes both ways. Racism is used as an excuse, whether legitimate or not. We are all to blame.

    ReplyDelete
  9. If "anti-racists" really are fighting racism, how come they only Demand this massive immigration and forced integration, for all white countries and only white countries?

    No one is flooding Japan with Non-Japanese and encouraging everyone to "mix".

    No one is flooding Africa with Non-Africans and encouraging everyone to "mix".

    Only citizens of White/European Countries like the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and all the countries in Europe are having this immigration forced on them - no vote has ever been allowed in any white country.

    Of course these Demands go down to the local level.

    No one says a neighborhood/workplace that is 100% black needs more diversity.

    No one says a neighborhood/workplace that is 100% asian needs more diversity.

    No one says a neighborhood/workplace that is 100% oriental needs more diversity.

    They are already 100% diverse.

    All white neighborhoods/workplaces and only white neighborhoods/workplaces always need to be more diverse. White neighborhoods/workplaces only stop needing to be more diverse, when there are no white people left in them.

    This "assimilation" or blending is nothing more than an attempt to wipe out the European peoples. It is Genocide.

    They say they are anti-racist, but what they really are is anti-white. Anti-racist is a code word for anti-White.

    ReplyDelete
  10. @Barry

    Erm no Barry. Here it is:

    We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

    "to ourselves and our Posterity"

    The Founding Fathers, all white men, 1/4 of whom owned slaves.

    Who do you think they were talking about, when they Deliberately included those words and put a capital P on Posterity? :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thomas Jefferson, made it crystal clear:

    "Nothing is more certainly written in the book of fate, than that these people are to be free; nor is it less certain that the two races, equally free, cannot live in the same government. Nature, habit, opinion have drawn indelible lines of distinction between them."

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  12. The anti-white Establishment and it`s supporters are doing their best to eliminate white people via mass immigration and "assimilation" for all white countries and ONLY white countries.

    This is not "celebrating diversity",this is genocide.

    Anti-racist is a code word for anti-white.

    ReplyDelete

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