Overheard slurs spread prejudice to passive bystanders, not only targets

Evidence

In addition, simply overhearing ethnophaulisms can influence people to devalue the targets of these antilocutions (Greenberg & Pyszczynski, 1985; Simon & Greenberg, 1996). This pernicious influence of overheard hate speech on bystanders led Greenberg and Pyszczynski (1985, p. 70) to conclude that ethnophaulisms “are not merely symptoms of prejudice but carriers of the disease as well.” — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1285

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the broader literature on how ambient exposure (not directed hostility) changes attitudes — parallels Lo-fi soundscape effects on perception in Schafer’s work.
• SEED: Article angle: hate speech as an air-borne contagion — the bystander-exposure effect makes slurs functionally similar to secondhand smoke rather than a crime against a single victim.