People spontaneously justify inequality without questioning the social system’s legitimacy

Evidence

In addition, there is a tendency for people, both media representatives and their audiences, to spontaneously explain and justify social and economic inequality in such a way that the legitimacy of the existing social system is seldom – if ever – called into question (e.g., Jost, Banaji, & Nosek, 2004). — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1391

In addition, there is a tendency for people, both media representatives and their audiences, to spontaneously explain and justify social and economic inequality in such a way that the legitimacy of the existing social system is seldom – if ever – called into question (e.g., Jost, Banaji, & Nosek, 2004). — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 1391

Categorization

• DEFINE: Anticipates and distills the system-justification theory stated named later in the chapter.
• XREF: This is the system-justification theory that Jost and Banaji later formalized, matching the next paragraph’s discussion. — connects to: Neoliberals treat inequality as a necessary motor of progress, not a flaw — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 173; Competition’s logic makes inequality normative wherever it spreads. — Wendy Brown, Undoing the Demos: Neoliberalism’s…, 114; Disaster solidarity does not erase existing inequality and often reproduces it. — John Drury, The role of social identity processes…, 45 (+1 more)
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1391; John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice: Fifty Years…, 1391