Old-fashioned racism is no longer an effective political force in America

Evidence

Although the evidence of the gradual disappearance of old-fashioned racism is rarely disputed, a debate ensued about whether or not racial prejudice was disappearing with it. Many social psychologists concluded that it had not disappeared but had changed its form. Various new forms were proposed, having much in common although variously labeled as “symbolic racism,” “racial resentment,” “modern racism,” “laissez-faire racism,” or “subtle prejudice.” Their conceptualizations shared three common elements: (a) general replacement of old-fashioned racism with acceptance of formal racial equality, and (b) continuing negative affect toward Blacks (whether animosity, uneasiness, or distancing), mixed in some way with (c) nonracial values, such as traditional morality, individualism, and the Protestant Ethic. … Considerable research showed these “new racisms” predicted opposition to racial policies and to Black political candidates. As a result, they were interpreted as having taken over the political role once played by old-fashioned racism (for reviews, see Hutchings & Valentino, 2004; Krysan, 2000; Sears & Henry, in press). — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 2167 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Our second major goal was to test the hypothesis that symbolic racism is a considerably stronger political force in contemporary America than are other, more traditional indicators of racial prejudice. This case, too, we believe has been made quite strongly in our data. In bivariate correlations or in regression analyses, symbolic racism dominates while stereotypes and old-fashioned racism have little residual effect. Nor does prowhite loyalty play a significant role in opposition to racial policies. Other researchers’ reports in the published literature of weak effects of racial attitudes have arisen, we believe, because they have been looking in the wrong place for them. This is not to say that antiblack affect and traditional racial stereotypes (or even pockets of old-fashioned racism) no longer exist. But they no longer have the political strength that symbolic racism has. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 3742 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Egalitarians also successfully appealed to Whites’ consensual opposition to old-fashioned racism after David Duke’s membership in the KKK was publicized during his statewide campaigns in Louisiana in the 1990s, and in 2000, after Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott’s public nostalgia for Strom Thurmond’s 1948 segregationist campaign was revealed. Interestingly enough, Duke’s and Lott’s fellow Republicans seemed the most nervous, as if being associated with old-fashioned racism is the political kiss of death today. However, such appeals to the Creed also have sometimes failed, as with a recent Alabama miscegenation referendum and the Confederate flag controversies in South Carolina, Georgia, and Mississippi. — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 2190 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Dog-whistle theory may be outdated because overt racial prejudice is now socially acceptable. — Rachel Wetts and Robb Willer, Who Is Called by the Dog Whistle?…, 26; Symbolic racism now dominates older forms of racial prejudice in American politics — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 3742; Contemporary American racism no longer operates through explicit or legal means. (+9 more)

Broader Connections

• Old-fashioned racism gave way to subtler forms that still shape political outcomes #corroborates (0.94) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 2167
• Symbolic racism now dominates older forms of racial prejudice in American politics #corroborates (0.92) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 3742
• Old-fashioned racism exposure damages Republican politicians but not always egalitarian appeals #complicates (0.78) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 2190
• Genteel racism made modern conservatism’s racist undertones politically viable #complicates (0.76) — Eddie S. Glaude Jr., Begin Again, 490