Many White Americans hold contradictory racial views without experiencing inner conflict
Evidence
True, over a third of White Americans are modern versions of the “Myrdal ambivalents,” endorsing both the principle of equal treatment and symbolic racism. However, this conflict seems not to be troubling to such people, since symbolic racism dominates egalitarianism in determining their preferences about such racial policies as busing and affirmative action. — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 2196
Categorization
Category: Factual Claims
- XREF: Connects to cognitive dissonance literature — holding two contradictory beliefs without discomfort because one belief dominates behaviorally.
Related
- Over a third of White Americans hold contradictory racial attitudes without psychological distress (similarity 0.93)
- Over a third of White Americans simultaneously endorse equality and symbolic racism without distress. (similarity 0.90)
- A large share of Whites hold simultaneously egalitarian and prejudiced beliefs (similarity 0.81)
- Americans internalize contradictory pro- and anti-prejudice norms simultaneously. (similarity 0.81)
- White Americans’ prejudice clashed with their own democratic and Christian values (similarity 0.81)
- Symbolic racism outweighs egalitarian beliefs in shaping White racial policy views (similarity 0.80)
- Evangelical Christianity predicts higher symbolic racism among White Americans (similarity 0.79)
- Symbolic racism may produce little moral uneasiness for those who hold it (similarity 0.79)
- White racial conservatism is driven by anti-Black antagonism, not White identity or favoritism. (similarity 0.78)
- White racial politics today are driven by antagonism toward Blacks, not White identity pride (similarity 0.78)