Empirical research on how targets rebut ethnic slurs remains sparse and anecdotal

Evidence

Evidence relating to Allport’s notions about interventions, such as rebuttals to the use antilocutions, has also been more anecdotal than empirical (see also Guerin’s, discussion of possible rebuttals, and Stephan & Stephan’s chapter 26 in this volume). This approach was vividly illustrated when, in response to the hate-motivated drive-by murders by White supremacist Benjamin Smith in July of 1999, President Clinton commented that the shooting spree was “a rebuke of American ideals” (Cable Network News, 1999). However, there has been relatively little research examining the way that people (targets or bystanders) rebut the use of antilocutions. Notable exceptions are studies indicating that an important element in the parenting of ethnic-minority children is preparing, and assisting, children to deal with being the targets of ethnophaulisms (e.g., Pankiw & Bienvenue, 1990; Phinney & Chavira, 1995; see also Aboud’s ch. 19 in this volume). Also of note is Leets’s (2002) recent study that showed that adults who were the targets of ethnophaulisms most often employed passive response strategies. — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1277

Categorization

• SHARE: The finding that ethnic-minority parents deliberately prepare children to face ethnophaulisms, yet adult targets mostly respond passively, is a specific nugget for anyone into child development or racial socialization research.