With the nation in the throes of a heated debate over whether the treatment of Adam Goodes is or isn’t racist, and the recent Reclaim Australia rallies rapidly dissolving into violence, Australians are once again being forced to asked themselves – are we the fair go nation we claim to be? Apparently not, argue many commentators. In fact, they go as far to say that Australia’s problem with racism is so endemic and culturally ingrained, we can’t even see that it’s a problem. If that’s the case, then, we have a very big cause for concern, and one that needs to be addressed ASAP.
Racism, defined as the existence of prejudice directed against a person of a different race, is, just like all beliefs, an idea that is learnt by rational, functional adults. So, if Australia really has a problem with racism, surely we can simply ‘unlearn’ our racist beliefs? Unfortunately, the answer may not be that simple.
Brain-Based Bias
As some commentators have suggested, Australia’s problem with racism is not a conscious one – it is an unconscious one. That is, most Australians would not openly admit to, or even believe, that they are racist, yet nonetheless, their brain may still hold certain unconscious beliefs that we would consciously call racism.
This brain-based or unconscious bias develops as a result of information overload on our brains. Essentially, the brain is constantly trying to digest the 11,000 odd pieces of information that hit it every second, and in the process of doing so, it picks and chooses certain new or interesting information to process, and relies on ‘stereotypes’ or other unconscious beliefs to process the rest.
Overcoming Brain-Based Bias
Racism, along with sexism and homophobia, are hence ‘unconscious’ biases for most people, and as a result, are very difficult to unlearn. However, there are a number of strategies you can use to begin to break down biases, and reduce their negative impact.
Strategy 1: Awaken awareness
Although ‘awareness’ and ‘unconscious’ may seem oxymoronic, the first step to overcoming any kind of bias is to at least be open to admitting it exists. Awareness reveals our blinds spots and acts as a motivator for individuals to understand their biases, and do something about them.
Strategy 2: Look After Yourself
Everyone knows that stressing can have an adverse effect on your learning, but few know that it can also have an adverse effect on your ability to unlearn information. Research shows that highly stressed people are far more likely to rely on their unconscious biases to make decisions. The same goes for people that are mentally or physically exhausted, and those who don’t get enough sleep.
Strategy 3: Interact with the subject of your bias
One of the most important ways to break unconscious biases is through interaction with the group of people whom are the subjects of your bias. This principal, which was demonstrated recently through the television show First Contact, posits that physical exposure to, and actual interaction with, the subjects of bias helps to humanise them through the process of ‘individuation,’ where people who previously held biases start to see the subject of their bias as unique individuals, as opposed to a belonging to a stereotype.
Strategy 4: Make People Accountable
When individuals are made to be accountable for their biases, they are far less likely to overtly act on them. This idea of accountability is, in fact, at the very centre of the Goodes controversy. The girl that was originally singled out by Goodes was made far more accountable for her actions than the myriads of individuals who have since booed him, and as a result, will be far less likely to act on those biases again. Whilst the entire situation can hardly be described as an exercise in bias reduction, accountability can undoubtedly act as a powerful deterrent for any kind of bias.
Whilst the jury is out on whether Australians are or aren’t racist, if the truth turns out to be the latter, at least there are a number of tried and true techniques that can kick start the difficult journey of unlearning.