Bias is a prejudice in favour of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another usually in a way that's considered to be unfair. Biases may be held by an individual, group, or institution and can have negative or positive consequences. There are types of biases 1. Conscious bias (also known as explicit bias) and 2. Unconscious bias (also known as implicit bias).
It is important to note that biases, conscious or unconscious, are not limited to ethnicity and race. Though racial bias and discrimination are well documented, biases may exist toward any social group. One's age, gender, gender identity physical abilities, religion, sexual orientation, weight, and many other characteristics are subject to bias.
Unconscious biases, or implicit biases, are attitudes that are held subconsciously and affect the way individuals feel and think about others around them.
It is a term that describes the associations we hold, outside our conscious awareness and control. Unconscious bias affects everyone. can have a significant influence on our attitudes and behaviours, especially towards other people.
Unconscious bias is triggered by our brain automatically making quick judgments and assessments. They are influenced by our background, personal experiences, societal stereotypes and cultural context. It is not just about gender, ethnicity or other visible diversity characteristics - height, body weight, names, one’s age, gender identity, visible or invisible physical abilities I and many other things can also trigger unconscious bias.
Subconscious attitudes aren’t necessarily as well-formed as coherent thoughts, but they can be very ingrained. Many people have unconscious biases that have been with them since childhood, which they absorb by observing their social, familial and institutional environments. Unconscious biases can colour the emotional and rational responses of individuals in everyday situations and affect their behaviour.
Unconscious biases are social stereotypes about certain groups of people that individuals form outside their own conscious awareness. Everyone holds unconscious beliefs about various social and identity groups, and these biases stem from one's tendency to organize social worlds by categorizing. training addresses how our minds have been conditioned to act when we counter people who we perceive as different from us.
Our brains have learned to be afraid, suspicious and judgmental of differences because of our personal experiences and messages, both explicit and subliminal, from our parents, media and society. This conditioning may lead us to reject or misinterpret how others speak or act.
Diversity: This is when people from all different backgrounds come together. It includes people of different races, genders, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, visible and invisible disabilities, class, or status.
Equity: The understanding that providing equal treatment or resources doesn’t necessarily deliver equally matching results is the foundation of equity. While many people share the same goals and dreams, the path isn’t always the same, and one might experience more hardship and obstacles than another.
Inclusion: Celebrating diversity requires thoughtful inclusion. Everyone must be recognized and appreciated for their talents, be provided with opportunities to get involved, and have their perspectives valued and heard.
Belonging: A sense of belonging ties diversity, equity, and inclusion together. Each group member is respected, valued, and cherished while being their authentic selves. Belonging is a feeling of a shared community.
9 Types of Unconscious Bias
Unconscious bias comes in many different forms. Here are nine types to be aware of.
1. Affinity bias
We often gravitate towards people who are like us, whether it be based on appearance, background, or beliefs. This is known as affinity bias. While it’s rooted in finding belonging and seeking comfort, when we have an affinity for those who are like us, we unintentionally shut out those who are different.
2. Appearance bias
It can be easy to make snap judgments based upon the appearance of an individual. Some examples of appearance-based biases include:
Beauty bias: People perceived as attractive or beautiful are more likely to be treated positively.
Weight bias: Weight bias occurs when a negative judgment is influenced by a person’s weight.
Height bias: Taller people are more likely to be perceived as authoritative and leader-like, whereas shorter individuals— particularly men— are more likely to encounter negative height bias,
3. Confirmation bias
We all have existing beliefs and values. Confirmation bias is the tendency to seek out and interpret new information in a way that confirms what you already believe. Not only can confirmation bias be harmful to others,
4. Attribution bias
Attribution bias correlates people’s actions to unrelated (or even untrue) characteristics. This bias causes us to make inferences about the causes of events or behaviours without necessarily considering all of the facts
5. Gender bias
Unconscious gender bias is unintentional associations based on a person’s gender, often stemming from traditions, values, social norms, or culture.
6. Age bias
Age bias occurs when we make judgments about individuals solely based on their age. For instance, being young is often associated with lacking experience or judgment. On the other hand, being older is equated with being outdated or behind-the-times.
7. Authority bias
Authority bias is the tendency to place more weight on the opinion or idea of an authority figure. Similarly, authority bias can lead people to treat people in positions of authority or power more favourably than those who don’t hold high-level positions.
8. The halo effect
The halo effect is the tendency to use an overall positive impression of a person to influence other judgments of their character. Oftentimes, the halo effect begins as a first impression or when we learn a tidbit of information about a person. For example, if we perceive someone as being nice when we meet them, we may also think of them as intelligent, social, and generous— even if we have no information to base those judgments on.
9. The horn effect
The horn effect is closely related to the halo effect. But instead of making a positive initial judgment, the horn effect starts with a negative judgement. This, in turn, causes us to assess other traits of the person negatively
James Baldwin described us well: 'Each of us, helplessly and forever, contains the other -- male in female, female in male, white in black and black in white. We are part of each other.' "
“We long to belong, and belonging and caring anchors our sense of place in the universe.”
Patricia Churchland (Philosopher)
“Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance.”
Verna Myers (Vice President of Inclusion Strategy at Netflix)
“You have a responsibility to make inclusion a daily thought, so we can get rid of the word ‘inclusion.’ Theodore Melfi (American Producer)
“To me, beauty is inclusion– every size, every color– that’s the world I live in.”
Prabal Gurung (Fashion Designer)
“Inclusion is not a matter of political correctness. It is the key to growth.”
Jesse Jackson (Activist)
Sacred Text
Consider the family of humankind one.
Jainism Jinasena, Dipurana
All ye under heaven! Regard heaven as your father, earth as your mother and all things as your brothers and sisters,
Shinto Oracle of Atsua
O mankind, we created you from a single pair of male and female and made you into nations and tribes, that you might know each other. (Not that you might despise each other)Verily the most honoured among you in the sight of God is he who is the most righteous.
Quaran 49:13
If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
Romans 12:1
Story
Theresia Degener was born into this world without arms, she has learned to do everything with her feet. Needless to say, in carrying out her daily routine, she sometimes draws people’s attention.
“I have a visible and exotic disability. It makes me look different and that’s a plus,” she says, revealing her sense of humour.
Degener is an energetic person whose condition led her to become an advocate for the rights of the disabled.
A Professor of Law and Disability Studies in Germany, she is also a member of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The Committee monitors the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which came into force in 2008 and commits States to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms of persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity.
Degener contributed to the preparation of the background material used in the drafting of the Convention and was part of the negotiation process leading to its adoption.
She recounts her experience growing up, the youngest of six children, in a small village in Germany.
“My father was the doctor of the village,” she says. “When it was time for me to go to school, the authorities informed him that, according to the laws, I had to go to a special school.”
'Take me to prison,' her father told the authorities, 'but my daughter will go to regular school.' “He even threatened not to treat the Mayor’s children when they got sick if the authorities did not reconsider!” Degener said, smiling.
Degener was admitted to regular school. “I have always attended regular schools,” she says. “If it were not for my parents and the opportunity I had to go to a regular school, I would not have become a lawyer.”
Inspired by her personal experience, she focuses today on the rights of disabled children to obtain a proper and inclusive education.
Inclusive education is based on the principle that all children learn together, wherever possible, regardless of difference, states a UN report on the right to education of persons with disabilities.
By taking into account the diversity among learners, inclusive education seeks to combat discriminatory attitude and create welcoming communities. In this way, says the report, educational systems should no longer view persons with disabilities as problems to be fixed; instead, they should respond positively to pupil diversity and approach individual differences as opportunities to enrich learning for all.
Special schools are often based on the belief that persons with disabilities are uneducable or are a burden on the mainstream educational system. The practice of separating students with disabilities can lead to greater marginalization from society, a situation that persons with disability face generally, thus entrenching discrimination.
“Special education is less qualified than mainstream education,” says Degener. “Exclusion from the education system is a serious violation of human rights.”
Ultimately, inclusive education can lead to better learning outcomes for all children, not just children with disabilities, according to UNICEF. It promotes tolerance and enables social cohesion as it fosters inclusive social culture and promotes equal participation in society.
The Little Mermaid will star black actor and singer Halle Bailey as Ariel. And, with an inevitability that could crush your bones to dust, a segment of the internet has reacted poorly to this.
This week it emerged that the film’s trailer had received a million and a half dislikes from outraged film fans spluttering with rage that the character is no longer a sexy aquatic caucasian redhead.
Poem: Wish for Acceptance by Carolyn Devonshire
My greatest wish is for humanity
Treating each other with civility
Regardless of each one’s ethnicity
All men should be treated with dignity
For when I hear of discrimination
It generates the greatest repulsion
And so as not to create confusion
Every religion deserves inclusion
Judging books by their covers can only bring
More hate, intolerance as hope takes wing
If we could learn to be more accepting
Bells of world peace would surely be chiming
So join me now in prayer for acceptance
And an end to widespread intolerance
Beyond war there will be a transcendence
Through God’s plan we’ll live in benevolence
Science of Mind Reading
Rumination
“I belong to no religion. My religion is love. Every heart is my temple.”
Black History Month
FEDERICK JONES
"Frederick McKinley Jones was the inventor of a practical refrigeration system for trucks and railroad cars. Frederick Jones patented more than sixty inventions in all, but it is his invention of the automatic refrigeration system for long-haul trucks in 1935 that he is most famous for. A naturally gifted mechanic, ones was self-taught, which helped him to invent a portable air-conditioning unit for trucks in 1938. This unit could be used to preserve perishable foods during transport, and the patents Jones were awarded for the product led to the formation of the Thermo King Corporation. His inventions were increasingly vital during WWII, when they were used to transport blood and medicine to battlefields and hospitals.
Benediction
Mother Father God
May we be open and aware to bless the world’s people with welcoming and wholehearted acceptance.
May we honour and recognise their uniqueness and behold your sacred worth expressing in and through them as children of God.
May we want for them what we want for ourselves, a world of safety, freedom and respect.
May we always believe and trust that we are one with each other as we are all one with you in Spirit.
Song: For King and Country, Relate