Preview - How Biased Are You?

How Biased Are You?

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How Biased Are You? (50:00)

Item# 11915
©2001

This program unflinchingly explores the history and practice of racism through its extreme manifestations—slavery, the Holocaust, segregation, bias crimes, racial profiling—and its more subtle demonstrations, such as the pernicious subconscious biases that can exert an influence on everyday behavior. Hidden-camera footage, a demonstration of the provocative Greenwald/Banaji bias-sensitivity test, and interviews with victims of racism, advocates for equality, and others make this an especially important program. A Discovery Channel Production. (47 minutes)

Segments in this Video - (12)

1. Hidden Prejudices (06:14)

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At the International School fourth graders experience prejudices. Hidden cameras reveal blatant prejudices against black-skinned shoppers. Taxi drivers pass up blacks in favor of whites.

2. Legacy of Prejudice (02:25)

Millions of minorities are killed in Hitler's Germany. Acts of bias and hatred litter American history. White colonialists massacre Native Americans. American government sanctions slavery.

3. Black Outrage (03:47)

Today many African Americans experience racial prejudice and are treated as inferior. White supremacists go after minorities. The acquittal of Rodney King's abusers sparks riots in Los Angeles.

4. Testing for Biases (04:36)

A scientific test reveals hidden prejudices and biases. Racial associations are strong enough to overpower the truth. Many test takers are surprised at the revelations of their biases.

5. Explanation of the Test for Bias (04:21)

Test takers express their preferences for race. The validity of the test is questioned, yet the test has passed scientific scrutiny. Very few whites show a preference for blacks.

6. Consequences of Biases (02:11)

A teacher's test reveals a strong preference for whites. Teachers' hidden biases can seep through in their classrooms. Police bias can also be affected by hidden biases.

7. African American Testers (02:34)

African American testers are shocked to discover that many of them show a preference for whites. Testers evaluate their scores. Blacks grow up with media that is dominated by whites.

8. African American Preferences (04:18)

Early experiments reveal a black preference for whites. Fifty years later not much has changed. Those who show a strong preference for African Americans feel reassured at the results.

9. Children and Biases (05:52)

Most people agree that prejudice is learned behavior. Tests reveal that children already have racial biases by age five.

10. Racial Biases in Older Children (02:40)

Children ages seven to nine are shown pictures, one with a black face and one with a white face. The tendency is to ascribe more aggressive behavior to the black faces in the pictures.

11. Widely Shared Biases (03:24)

Children who harbor racial biases when they are young do not necessarily become adult racists. Children pick up subtle biases from the world around them, not necessarily from their parents.

12. Unlearning the Biases (02:45)

Biases must be unlearned. No one is free from bias. Parents should intervene early to help their children learn about human differences. Schools must have anti-bias education programs.