Prejudice alone can drive endorsement of freedom-based justifications for rejecting bias accusations

Evidence

Additionally, we explore whether digressive victimhood claims may be used in bad faith by teasing apart motivations to dismiss the concerns of non-dominant groups (i.e., outgroup prejudice) from actual support for the principle upon which the digressive argument rests (i.e., support for freedom of religion or speech). We predict that belief in this digressive principle will be associated with support for digressive victimhood claims, but that with sufficient outgroup prejudice, a strong belief in this principle is not necessary for the endorsement of digressive victimhood claims. For example, we expect that someone who is highly prejudiced against the non-dominant group may be willing to support the claim that accusations of dominant group bias are wrong because they threaten free speech, even if they themselves do not strongly believe in the principle of free speech. — Felix Danbold, Ivuoma N. Onyeador, and Miguel M. Unzueta, Dominant groups support digressive…, 36

Categorization

• XREF: Connects directly to the reader’s investigation of whether dominant groups adopt subordinate groups’ moral/victimhood language instrumentally — here the mechanism is prejudice that does not require sincere belief in the invoked principle. — connects to: Shared knowledge of prejudice grants social permission to express bias — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 331; Prejudiced people avoid introspection and blame external forces — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 564; Highly prejudiced individuals endorse free speech arguments they do not personally value — Felix Danbold, Ivuoma N. Onyeador, and Miguel M. Unzueta, Dominant groups support digressive…, 109 (+3 more)
• SEED: A usable article angle: ‘insincere principle-signaling’ — when privileged groups deploy subordinate groups’ own values rhetoric (free speech, fairness) as a shield they don’t actually hold, versus when belief is genuine.

Broader Connections

• Highly prejudiced individuals endorse free speech arguments they do not personally value #exemplifies (0.95) — Felix Danbold, Ivuoma N. Onyeador, and Miguel M. Unzueta, Dominant groups support digressive…, 109
• Shared knowledge of prejudice grants social permission to express bias #expands (0.78) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 331
• Prejudiced people avoid introspection and blame external forces #expands (0.76) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 564
• Selective evidence use lets people maintain the illusion of being objective while holding prejudice #expands (0.75) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 2095
• When prejudice hides behind professed conviction, implicit measures expose it #expands (0.73) — Wade C. Rowatt and Lewis M. Franklin, Christian Orthodoxy, Religious…, 80
• People suppress prejudice only when aware their actions may look discriminatory #complicates (0.72) — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 862