December 2009 Archives

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6565127

How does the hit reality show Flavor of Love play on black America's long war on racial stereotypes? Commentator Mark Anthony Neal is an associate professor in the Department of African and African American Studies at Duke University and author of The New Black Man: Rethinking Black Masculinity.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5055391

Scientists say they've found a gene that seems to partially control skin color. And they say that a small change in the gene could explain why people with European ancestry tend to have different coloring than people of African or Asian descent.

Commentary from NPR's Alicia Montgomery

http://www.npr.org/blogs/tellmemore/2009/12/tiger_woods_and_white_girls.html

In a column titled "Tiger's Validation Complex," Robinson asked "What's with the whole Barbie thing?" He offered a thoughtful argument about what the champion golfer's taste in girlfriends -- old-school Barbie hair, proportions, and (yes) skin color -- might say about his character.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112810112

While many parents try to bring up children who don't discriminate based on race, one researcher found that white parents have a hard time discussing the topic with their kids.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100057939

And that color, the one you have now, says Jablonski, is very probably not the color your ancient ancestors had -- even if you think your family has been the same color for a long, long time.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120691088

A new study suggests that people's political views may affect how they perceive President Obama's skin tone, with liberals tending to "lighten" his skin and conservatives tending to "darken" it.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120340646

For decades, the cosmetics industry in India has made millions selling skin-whitening products to women. Now, it's making more money by convincing Indian men that they should be lighter.

Check out Madhulika Sikka's piece on the value of fair skin in India.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120322659

Among Indians, skin color is an issue. I mean Indians like me -- the kind from the subcontinent of South Asia. I tend to refer to my people as "brown people" because, by and large, that's the color of our skin. But, as we all know, there are many shades of one color.

An amicus brief is a document which is filed in a court by someone who is not directly related to the case under consideration. The American Psychological Association has submitted many briefs to courts when they believe education on psychological issues is important for the case at hand. The APA has submitted briefs on sexual harrassment, sexual orientation, disabilities rights and many other topics. Check out a list of the briefs by topic with links to the briefs themselves.

http://www.apa.org/about/offices/ogc/amicus/index-issues.aspx

http://www.justice.gov/crt/

The Civil Rights Division is committed to upholding the civil and constitutional rights of all Americans, particularly some of the most vulnerable members of our society. The Division enforces federal statutes designed to protect the civil rights of all individuals and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, disability, religion, and national origin. Established in 1957, the Division has grown in size and scope over the decades, and has been instrumental in many of our nation's battles to advance civil rights, from the desegregation of our nation's schools to the prosecution of hate crimes, from ensuring girls and women have equal opportunities in schools and the workplace to guaranteeing that individuals with disabilities can access civil services to which we all have a right.

 

http://www.justice.gov/crt/legalinfo/natlorg-eng.php

Laws prohibiting national origin discrimination make it illegal to discriminate because of a person's birthplace, ancestry, culture or language. This means people cannot be denied equal opportunity because they or their family are from another country, because they have a name or accent associated with a national origin group, because they participate in certain customs associated with a national origin group, or because they are married to or associate with people of a certain national origin.

Great link page to many readings on sexism, racism, prejudice, discrimination, genocide and more.

http://www.understandingprejudice.org/readroom/

In these pages, you'll find hundreds of bibliographic links to books, research journals, magazines, e-zines, newsletters, special reports, articles, essays, and more.

Find out how sexist you are by taking this short quiz.

http://www.understandingprejudice.org/asi/

An ambivalence, or doubled-edged way of thinking, in which women are sometimes treated with contempt and sometimes adored.

http://www.pay-equity.org/index.html

The National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE), founded in 1979, is a coalition of women's and civil rights organizations; labor unions; religious, professional, legal, and educational associations, commissions on women, state and local pay equity coalitions and individuals working to eliminate sex- and race-based wage discrimination and to achieve pay equity.

http://www.janeelliott.com/

Jane Elliott, internationally known teacher, lecturer, diversity trainer, and recipient of the National Mental Health Association Award for Excellence in Education, exposes prejudice and bigotry for what it is, an irrational class system based upon purely arbitrary factors. And if you think this does not apply to you. . . you are in for a rude awakening.

The following activity is from Rusty Juban's Management of Organizations class.

Weight Discrimination: A New Type of Corporate Downsizing?

During the late 1980's and early 1990's most of us were aware that many firms were downsizing"getting leaner and meaner"in order to compete more effectively with their local, national, and global rivals. Today, however, the terms "leaner and meaner" and even "downsizing" are taking on entirely new meanings, as more and more overweight executive-level applicants are experiencing rejection because they don't fit the "trim and slim" mold that some firms prefer. In fact, even the most casual of observers will notice that top managers who are overweight, out of shape, or sluggish, by today's corporate standards, tend to be the exception, not the rule.

For those overweight applicants hoping to someday secure a management position, some experts contend that their chances of being rejected simply because they don't "look the part" are pretty strong. Findings from a study conducted by the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) indicate that only 9% of top male executives are overweight. In addition, overweight people typically are hired for less prestigious positions and generally receive less pay. Although some executive recruiters don't believe that a person's weight plays a part in career advancement, many other experts believe otherwise.

Sharon Voros, president of Voros Communications, a management and career consulting firm in Ft. Worth Texas, has written a provocative two-article series about weight discrimination in the workplace. The articles, which are located at The Wall Street Journal's online career journal Web site, are:

• "Weight Discrimination Runs Rampart In Hiring"
• "How To Overcome Weight Discrimination"

After reading these two articles, please answer the following questions:

1. According to the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA), why do companies have a hard time hiring overweight candidates?
2. One NAAFA study found what type of disparity between overweight employees' pay and their thinner counterparts?
3. Explain the female-oriented standard called "the size-eight straightjacket".
4. According to the articles, under what conditions are overweight employees protected against size-related discrimination?
5. What strategies does the author suggest to help overweight executives secure employment with other firms?

The following activity is modified from Rusty Juban's activity in his Management of Organization's class.

Managing Diversity Today and Tomorrow

The management of diversity is smart for business. The changing trend of more women and minorities actively contributing in organizations results in a need for more awareness of differences and opens the door for increased education on valuing differences.Go to the Johnson & Johnson Careers page. Here you will find an overview of the company's philosophy on the value of a diverse workforce. Scroll down the page and read the "recent article" from DiversityInc.com titled "Strong Corporate Reputation at J & J Boosts Diversity Recruiting Efforts."

Microsoft also has a strong position on managing a diverse labor force. Click on each of the following links on the Microsoft Web page to read about Microsoft's diversity programs: "Accessibility," "Diversity Education," "Supplier Diversity," and "Diversity Program Links."

An ever growing reading list of articles and books on stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination.

SPD Reading List

more:

Major, B., & Shmader, T. (1998). Coping with stigma through psychological disengagement. In J. K. Swim, & C. Strangor (Eds.),  Prejudice: The target's perspective. San Diego: Academic Press

Langer, Bashner, & Chanowitz 1985. Decreasing prejudice by increasing discrimination. http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/psp/49/1/113.pdf

Read especially, Samuel's story

http://cherokeehistory.com/

The following are books that relate to stereotyping, prejudice, or discrimination. These can be used as supplementary readers or book report assignments. 

Feel free to comment with other titles.

Brainwashed: Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority

http://www.amazon.com/Brainwashed-Challenging-Myth-Black-Inferiority/dp/1401925928/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268944530&sr=1-1

The History of White People

http://www.amazon.com/History-White-People-Irvin-Painter/dp/0393049345/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268944451&sr=8-1

Sidewalk

http://www.amazon.com/Sidewalk-Mitchell-Duneier/dp/0374527253/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265317146&sr=8-1

Bright Shiny Morning

http://www.amazon.com/Bright-Shiny-Morning-James-Frey/dp/B002XULY0K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265317194&sr=1-1-spell

Hidden Brain

http://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Brain-Unconscious-Presidents-Control/dp/0385525214/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264521099&sr=8-1

Nigger

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375421726/ref=cm_rdp_product

My Bondage and My Freedom

http://www.amazon.com/My-Bondage-Freedom-Frederick-Douglass/dp/1604244925/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263487078&sr=1-2

Them

http://www.amazon.com/Them-Novel-Nathan-McCall/dp/1416549161/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263412572&sr=8-8

Black Like Me

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Like-Me-Complete-Unabridged/dp/B000J0JHIM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263412611&sr=1-3

White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son

http://www.amazon.com/White-Like-Me-Reflections-Privileged/dp/1933368993/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263412661&sr=1-1

Passing for normal.

http://www.amazon.com/Passing-Normal-Compulsion-Amy-Wilensky/dp/076790186X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263412716&sr=1-1

The following are films related to stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination. They may reflect cultural stereotypes, relate an historical incident or highlight issues specifically related to prejudice and discrimination. Go to the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com) for details about each film. Feel free to add additional titles as comments.

9 to 5 (1980)

American History X (1998)

Avatar (2009)

Born on the 4th of July (1989)

Boys Don't Cry (1999)

Boyz in the Hood (1991)

Crash (2004)

Disclosure (1994)

Do the Right Thing (1989)

GI Jane (1997)

Gran Torino (2008)

Long Walk Home (1990)

Men of Honor (2000)

Mississippi Burning (1993)

Monster's Ball (2001)

People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)

Philadelphia (1993)

Planet of the Apes (1968)

Real Women Have Curves (2002)

Soul Food (1997)

Snow Dogs (2002)

Stand and Deliver (1988)

What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1988)

White Men Can't Jump (1992)

http://faculty.washington.edu/agg/

Greenwald provoked modern attention to the psychological self with his 1980 article, "The Totalitarian Ego". His 1990s methods made unconscious cognition and subliminal perception orderly research topics. His latest method innovation, the Implicit Association Test, enables observation of unconscious attitudes (including one's own) and has revamped theoretical understanding of prejudice.

http://projectimplicit.net/nosek/

The implicit cognition research group integrates basic psychological research, methodological and technological innovation, and public education to advance understanding of implicit cognition - thoughts and feelings that exist outside of conscious awareness or conscious control. Our group includes students and academics in social and cognitive psychology, quantitative methodology, and computer science and collaborates with academics and professionals in business, education, law, public policy, medicine and health.

http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~banaji/

Banaji studies human thinking and feeling as it unfolds in social contexts. Her focus is primarily on mental systems that operate in implicit or unconscious mode. In particular, she is interested in the unconscious nature of assessments of self and other humans that reflect feelings and knowledge (often unintended) about their social group membership (e.g., age, race/ethnicity, gender, class) that underlie the us/them distinction.

Here's the site to take and learn about the Implicit Association Test (IAT)

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/

Here you will have the opportunity to assess your conscious and unconscious preferences for over 90 different topics ranging from pets to political issues, ethnic groups to sports teams, and entertainers to styles of music. At the same time, you will be assisting psychological research on thoughts and feelings.

This site is essentially the behind the scenes site to the Implicit Association Test (IAT), and thus provides more technical (scientific) information about the IAT and implicit cognition in general.

http://www.projectimplicit.net/

Project Implicit is a Virtual Laboratory for the social and behavioral sciences designed to facilitate the research of implicit social cognition: cognitions, feelings, and evaluations that are not necessarily available to conscious awareness, conscious control, conscious intention, or self-reflection.

http://www.understandingprejudice.org/

In these pages you will find more than 2,000 links to prejudice-related resources, as well as searchable databases with hundreds of prejudice researchers and social justice organizations.