Normalizing implicit bias as universal avoids defensive stalemates in training

Evidence

The reason this distinction is important may seem obvious, but it is useful to spell it out. Establishing that every human is vulnerable to implicit biases—which are a function of how our brain works— allows participants to internalize that holding implicit biases does not mean that the participants are traditional “racists,” and thus a genuine conversation about behavior can occur rather than a stalemate with those who feel unfairly maligned. — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 1359

Categorization

• XREF: Directly bears on the reader’s question of whether rational/moral correction backfires against threat-hardened belief: this is a framing strategy to prevent defensive backlash.
• SEED: Essay angle: the rhetorical engineering of anti-bias interventions — how ‘you’re not a racist’ framing intends to circumvent reactance, and its limits.
• corroborated: 3 independent passages support this claim — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law: A Definitive Look at…, 1359