Biased : uncovering the hidden prejudice that shapes what we see, think, and do

by Jennifer L. Eberhardt

Laserdisc, 2019

Status

Available

Publication

New York : Viking, [2019]

Description

You don't have to be racist to be biased. Unconscious bias can be at work without our realizing it, and even when we genuinely wish to treat all people equally, ingrained stereotypes can infect our visual perception, attention, memory, and behavior. This has an impact on education, employment, housing, and criminal justice. In Biased, with a perspective that is at once scientific, investigative, and informed by personal experience, Jennifer Eberhardt offers us insights into the dilemma and a path forward. Eberhardt works extensively as a consultant to law enforcement and as a psychologist at the forefront of this new field. Her research takes place in courtrooms and boardrooms, in prisons, on the street, and in classrooms and coffee shops. She shows us the subtle--and sometimes dramatic--daily repercussions of implicit bias in how teachers grade students, or managers deal with customers. It has an enormous impact on the conduct of criminal justice, from the rapid decisions police officers have to make to sentencing practices in court. Eberhardt's work and her book are both influenced by her own life, and the personal stories she shares emphasize the need for change. She has helped companies that include Airbnb and Nextdoor address bias in their business practices and has led anti-bias initiatives for police departments across the country. Here, she offers practical suggestions for reform and new practices that are useful for organizations as well as individuals. Unblinking about the tragic consequences of prejudice, Eberhardt addresses how racial bias is not the fault of nor restricted to a few "bad apples" but is present at all levels of society in media, education, and business. The good news is that we are not hopelessly doomed by our innate prejudices. In Biased, Eberhardt reminds us that racial bias is a human problem--one all people can play a role in solving.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member Beamis12
A book for anyone who wants to know how biased are formed, how they manifest and even how our brains process them. There are examples, even from the authors own life, and studies that show how biases are used in everyday life. Statistics to back up the authors assertions, and experiments that prove
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the validity of the statistics. How to counter these biases, by education, training in empathy for professionals like the police, where they are daily confronted with situations that could prove deadly.

I was raised in Chicago and was well aware of much that was written within. There were places we were told to stay far away from for our own safety. Never really explained but the message was clear regardless. The author also takes us to the Charlottesville incident, so awful, so much hatred. How education is lacking in discussing past history. So many school children do not know about the Holocaust, don't know what Auschwitz was. Slavery glossed over. One can never forget what one never knew. To me this is a shameful admission.

"Our experiences in the world seep into our brain over time, and without our awareness they conspire to reshape the workings of our mind."

"The mistake we keep making-the mistake we all keep making-is in thinking our work is done. That whatever heroic effort we've made will keep moving us forward. That whatever progress we've seen will keep us from sliding back to burn and hiding Today scrolls."

&In truth, bias has been hiding it's time in an implicit world-in a place where we need not acknowledge it to ourselves or to others, even as it touches our soul and drives our behavior."
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LibraryThing member Elizabeth80
Started slowly but ended with some well-defined conclusions.
LibraryThing member steve02476
Good book about bias, mostly about racial bias. Author is good at seeing things from various perspectives, she also inserted a lot of personal anecdotes that showed a lot of how complex situations can be.

Language

Barcode

11164
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