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From: Lou Heite
Date: 12 Oct 2006
Time: 22:35:25 -0500
Remote Name: 24.237.249.158
Hi, Judy, I commend you on recognizing biases, even after the fact. Biases tend to be seen as "normal" in the societies where they hold the most sway. They can be found everywhere, involving almost any subject group that one might want to examine. Moreover, if a person identifies with the norm-setting dominant group in most details, it becomes very difficult for that person to recognize the biases that may be holding him or her back. The best thing to do, and it's hard, is to gently point out the biases you encounter to the persons who are exhibiting them, and suggest that there is a better way. If I may tell a tale on myself, years ago when I was an undergraduate, I met with a professor when I had a terrible cold. I apologised for exposing him to the "Chinese Crud". He smiled, and asked why I had such a prejudice against Chinese people. Taken aback, I protested that I did not have any prejudice against Chinese, or as far as I knew, any other people. He pointed out that I had unfairly blamed the Chinese for my cold, which was ipso facto evidence of a bias that I did not even recognize. That brought me up short. It was a valuable lesson, gently and effectively delivered. Lou