I think “stereotype” as a word has too negative a connotation, so I’ll use “assumption” instead
What I’ve been working on is trying to banish negative, non-useful assumptions about black people, and instead only consider positive assumptions that make the world a better place
For example, I’ve learned that, categorically, negative assumptions are ones that increase my perception of the agency black people have in their own lives. An example would be affirmative action and diversity focused hiring practices for the past more than a decade. Considering these I’ve realized is just jealousy, another form of white fragility
What I need to remember was what followed the “educate yourself, BIGOT” statement I read on Reddit years ago. It linked a college study that found examples where people didn’t hire fake candidates with African sounding names. Now I don’t remember how old this study was or the sample size, but a good or “positive” assumption based on college studies like these is that a black person is going to have a harder time getting a job than an equally skilled white person. And the only reason I don’t know of more studies like this is that I’m dumb and uneducated
Another example of a bad assumption is who I think is at fault for the state of a black person’s life. If I see a poor struggling black person, my original bad, unproductive assumption is that it is mostly due to the choices of their parent. Sorry, parents. That’s another assumption that needs to die. I instead tell myself “no, Unsung, assume that they had two loving parents that did their best and if not, the reason that didn’t happen is because their parents had a really hard life, because their parents did, and this all originates back to Jim Crow laws, housing discrimination, and slavery”
So as a guide to becoming less racist: good assumptions decrease the perception of black agency and point the fault at our country’s past. Bad assumptions increase black people’s agency and point the fault of shortcomings at our country’s present
|