Unconscious Biases

[sangreporsangre]

My experience here in Toronto is just let kids grow up together in school and the biases will eventually melt away. As much as they can anyway. I know that for my kids they never really thought of the kids around them as "others" until the schools started pumping racial grievance SJW type rhetoric into them all the time. My daughter told me how she never felt different from the other kids until the teacher told her that she is "marginalized" and made her write and draw something to show how systemic racism has held her down. When she said she didn't feel that way and didn't know what to draw, the teacher just told her to draw something like herself pushing a boulder up a hill so that's what she did.

Everything I've read about the "unconcious/implicit bias" training programs that are out there for schools and corporations says that the training doesn't actually work, the science just isn't there. It's just another thing that government departments and corporations are gonna do to cover their asses. It puts money into the right pockets anyway, into the Diversity Industrial Complex.

 

[n...not crazy]

How will society deal with the fact that I like big tits and I don't even know why?

Fuck all this shit. Grow some thicker skin. Accept human flaws and manage them. You know... deal with it.

 

[panamaican]

What studies? I was told, albeit decades ago, that it made it worse

http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/global/ww...Developing_an_inclusive_workplace_handout.pdf

 

[HunterSdVa29]

have you tried making a good first impression?

that seems to do wonders

 

[spamking]

It may be boring but studies show that it works and it's fairly easy to implement.

Yes and no . . . it checks a box indicating it was provided, but that's really about it. Hearts and minds aren't changed in most cases.

 

[irish_thug]

I think his goal is to try and make people less dickish to each other.

Considering the amount of avert racism I've seen out of him before, I highly doubt that.

 

[irish_thug]

Yes and no . . . it checks a box indicating it was provided, but that's really about it. Hearts and minds aren't changed in most cases.

The results are probably drawn from those bullshit course review forms that everyone just checks off "excellent" so they can get the fuck out the door.

 

[dontsnitch]

Quite the jump from discrimination exists, to the problem is unconscious bias, to the solution is bigger government.

 

[spamking]

The results are probably drawn from those bullshit course review forms that everyone just checks off "excellent" so they can get the fuck out the door.

That happens as well. I guess folks could gauge change on an increase/decrease in complaints/reports to their EEO/HR office or something.

I know when I've provided IT security training in conjunction with our privacy officer we can get an immediate uptick in incident reports for a week or two, but then things go back to "normal".

 

[panamaican]

Yes and no . . . it checks a box indicating it was provided, but that's really about it. Hearts and minds aren't changed in most cases.

Research says that hearts and minds are changed. That simply being made aware of unconscious biases leads to people no longer applying those unconscious biases or applying them less often. People might consciously think it doesn't matter but unconsciously they do respond.

 

[spamking]

Research says that hearts and minds are changed. That simply being made aware of unconscious biases leads to people no longer applying those unconscious biases or applying them less often. People might consciously think it doesn't matter but unconsciously they do respond.

I honestly don't buy that it's a significant change.

I guess I should have said I don't see a noticeable difference in any change at the locations I've worked at over the years . . . .

 

[panamaican]

I honestly don't buy that it's a significant change.

I guess I should have said I don't see a noticeable difference in any change at the locations I've worked at over the years . . . .

How would you notice a change in the application of an unconscious bias? That presumes that you first were aware of the application of unconscious bias and then you tracked the opportunities for an individual to apply that bias post training.

Maybe if this was about conscious bias, you might have noticed something but not with unconscious bias.

 

[nostradumbass]

Can i just assume you're all scumbags? The "fundamentally good" are the ones fucking everything up.

 

[Social Distance Warrior]

How would you notice a change in the application of an unconscious bias? That presumes that you first were aware of the application of unconscious bias and then you tracked the opportunities for an individual to apply that bias post training.

Maybe if this was about conscious bias, you might have noticed something but not with unconscious bias.

Yea, I gotta side with @spamking on this one.


I’ve attended several of these seminars. And more often than not, they yield minimal, if any noticeable change. This of course is all anecdotal, but these “trainings” are almost all the same.

1. We talk about white privilege.
   
   
2. We discuss why stereotypes, even “positive” stereotypes are bad.
   
   
3. White folk in these seminars/trainings are terrified to voice their candid opinions.
   
   
4. We explore how we engage in “unconscious bias” on a daily basis.
   
   
5. We learn some methods in how to curb our “unconscious biases”

 

[panamaican]

Yea, I gotta side with @spamking on this one.


I’ve attended several of these seminars. And more often than not, they yield minimal, if any noticeable change. This of course is all anecdotal, but these “trainings” are almost all the same.

1. We talk about white privilege.
   
   
2. We discuss why stereotypes, even “positive” stereotypes are bad.
   
   
3. White folk in these seminars/trainings are terrified to voice their candid opinions.
   
   
4. We explore how we engage in “unconscious bias” on a daily basis.
   
   
5. We learn some methods in how to curb our “unconscious biases”

And you're talking about noticable change in the application of an unconscious bias. You wouldn't notice a change in something that you weren't even aware you were doing in the first place.

The entire point of an unconscious bias is that it is being applied unconsciously, meaning without conscious decision. The point of awareness is that it impacts the unconscious part of your decision making, not the conscious part. If someone was aware of their bias prior to the training then it wouldn't be unconscious bias.

 

[Social Distance Warrior]

And you're talking about noticable change in the application of an unconscious bias. You wouldn't notice a change in something that you weren't even aware you were doing in the first place.

The entire point of an unconscious bias is that it is being applied unconsciously, meaning without conscious decision. The point of awareness is that it impacts the unconscious part of your decision making, not the conscious part. If someone was aware of their bias prior to the training then it wouldn't be unconscious bias.

then how do we gauge the "success" and/or "failures" of these trainings if we are not conscious of them?

(not trying to be a dick, seriously interested in your answer)

 

[spamking]

And you're talking about noticable change in the application of an unconscious bias. You wouldn't notice a change in something that you weren't even aware you were doing in the first place.

The entire point of an unconscious bias is that it is being applied unconsciously, meaning without conscious decision. The point of awareness is that it impacts the unconscious part of your decision making, not the conscious part. If someone was aware of their bias prior to the training then it wouldn't be unconscious bias.

Regardless . . . attending a training intended to change a bias I'm supposed unaware of having isn't going to implement immediate change at all IMO. Simply seeing some evidence that I could fit into a group thinking this way or that way is pretty much all these trainings express in many cases.

We all get those annual ethics, EEO and "inclusive workplace" emails . . . the majority of folks delete them without even reading them.

 

[HunterSdVa29]

The results are probably drawn from those bullshit course review forms that everyone just checks off "excellent" so they can get the fuck out the door.

hey man haha, If we get raises it's based largely off those forms/evals and our annual performance reviews

I've had three people write 'Hunter is the GOAT' on mine, I think Sherdog posters were in my class haha

 

[The Merchant]

Aren't people tired of hearing stories of innocent people are being discriminated against?

How does society fix unconscious biases?

Scientists use the scientific method to get around this, but peer reviewing everything is a long protest and in-groups and shit still form. Humans think they're rational but often aren't and can't discriminate between when they are rational and not.

 

[panamaican]

then how do we gauge the "success" and/or "failures" of these trainings if we are not conscious of them?

(not trying to be a dick, seriously interested in your answer)

As I understand it, we have strong evidence to believe that the training works based on research in this area. So while we can't measure the impact on random working individuals, we do know that concept overall will reduce the presence of the bias in those who received the training. Maybe not 100% in everyone, maybe not at all in some people, but as applied to the group, it works. And that's a very solid benefit for a low risk bit of training.