Anything but Race: Avoiding Racial Discourse to Avoid Hurting You or Me
- 1 The University of California, Los Angeles, USA
- 2 The University of California, Los Angeles, USA
- 3 The University of California, Los Angeles, USA
- 4 National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Boston, USA
Abstract
The present research examines how Whites employ strategic colorblindness—the strategic assertion that race should not and/or does not matter—in interracial interactions, and how stereotype threat and concern about non-Whites influence the use of this conversational technique. Because colorblindness can be egalitarian or anti-egalitarian (Knowles, Lowery, Hogan, & Chow, 2009), one must define colorblindness in order to understand how it is employed. Two studies provide evidence that both concerns that racial categorization harms non-Whites and concerns with appearing racist affects the use of strategic color- blindness. Study 1 uses field observations to explore the content of spontaneous colorblind statements and their relationship to stereotype threat. Study 2 manipulates stereotype threat and concerns for non-Whites, revealing that each independently increases Whites’ endorsement of strategic colorblindness relative to control conditions. This research highlights the importance of both studying interracial interactions in field settings and considering how definitions of diversity shape intergroup contexts.
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