Posted on 11/27/2018 7:09:30 PM PST by DeweyCA
This article on Yale’s website was published almost two weeks ago. The author of the article, Cydney Dupree, is one of two researchers who started out looking at how white presidential candidates talk when they are addressing a mostly black audience compared to when they are speaking to a mostly white audience. Dupree, who is black, and co-researcher Susan Fiske of Princeton found the candidates were less likely to use words that expressed competence and more likely to use words that expressed warmth when talking to a minority audience:
The team found that Democratic candidates used fewer competence-related words in speeches delivered to mostly minority audiences than they did in speeches delivered to mostly white audiences. The difference wasn’t statistically significant in speeches by Republican candidates, though “it was harder to find speeches from Republicans delivered to minority audiences,” Dupree notes. There was no difference in Democrats’ or Republicans’ usage of words related to warmth. “It was really surprising to see that for nearly three decades, Democratic presidential candidates have been engaging in this predicted behavior.”
But that was just the beginning. Next, the researchers started designing a new experiment which would attempt to discover if the same pattern held true for ordinary people, i.e. non-politicians who were simply talking to another individual. Here’s what they came up with:
They designed a series of experiments in which white participants were asked to respond to a hypothetical or presumed-real interaction partner. For half of these participants, their partner was given a stereotypically white name (such as “Emily”); for the other half, their partner was given a stereotypically black name (such as “Lakisha”). Participants were asked to select from a list of words for an email to their partner. For some studies, this email was for a work-related task; for others, this email was simply to introduce themselves. Each word had been previously scored on how warm or competent it appears. The word “sad,” for example, scored low for both warmth and competence. “Melancholy,” on the other hand, scored high for competence and low on warmth.
And what they found is that white liberals were less likely to stress competence when talking with someone they believed was black. Conservative white participants did not show this same “competence downshift” when talking to someone they believed was black.
The researchers found that liberal individuals were less likely to use words that would make them appear highly competent when the person they were addressing was presumed to be black rather than white. No significant differences were seen in the word selection of conservatives based on the presumed race of their partner. “It was kind of an unpleasant surprise to see this subtle but persistent effect,” Dupree says. “Even if it’s ultimately well-intentioned, it could be seen as patronizing.”
Dupree and Fiske suspect that the behavior stems from a liberal person’s desire to connect with other races. One possible reason for the “competence downshift,” as the authors describe it, is that, regardless of race, people tend to downplay their competence when they want to appear likeable and friendly. But it’s also possible that “this is happening because people are using common stereotypes in an effort to get along,” Dupree says.
It could be seen as patronizing? That seems incredibly generous. The outcome the authors have described definitely sounds patronizing, even if you assume it’s well-meaning in intent. But the underlying question is whether people doing this are even aware of it.
In a podcast discussing the research, Dupree said that when white liberals are asked if they are doing this intentionally as a strategy they deny it. So she sees this as an unconscious strategy which could be the result of relying on implicit stereotypes. However, she adds that the work necessary to test that explanation has yet to be done and there are other possible explanations.
The next step in Dupree’s work will be to see whether or not the competence downshift strategy actually works, i.e. do black Americans approached in this way find it endearing or demeaning? She also wants to see if black Americans have any similar strategies when dealing with people who are white. It’ll be interesting to see what she comes up with.
They talk down to anyone they deem less intelligent than themselves. Not just a race thing.
Blacks have them right where they want them. It’s like ‘you owe me’.
The soft bigotry of low expectations.
Liberals are the reason that statement exists in the English lexicon.
One of my best buds in my circle is a Filipino guy. I make HIM go after these leftards verbally when they attack me just to see the looks on their retarded faces..
That’s because white liberals consider blacks to be inferior.
Well, blacks, and Hispanics to a large extent, have always allowed themselves to be treated as lower-class and incapable people, since, over and over and over again, democrats have made them out to be victims, unable to take care of themselves and needing someone to play daddy and mommy to them.
And, those ‘minorities” victims have gotten used to being treated as incapable and almost always vote to continue being dependent and needy and incapable.
“I’s no ways tard.” - Hillary Clowntoon ( Yes you are.)
To Democrats every ethnic group is a minority to be used and beguiled for one purpose: getting power over them. They do it by appealing to strong but primitive emotions: victimhood and anger.
Considering the racist history of the Democratic Party, this totally doesn’t surprise me.
And when addressing a black audience they “hain’t no way tard”, neither.
Hell, barry always turns on the black dialect when he’s talking to negro audiences.
I believe it to be the worst kind of bigotry.
Naww,it’s just ‘rats trying to be “hip”. Half of them can’t even spell condescending and the other half don’t know what it means.
Bump 4 l8r
To a degree blacks in general invite being treated differently by acting “black” and speaking “black”.
Not all, of course, but a very large majority.
How many times do you hear someone speaking and without seeing them you know solely by their manner of speaking they are black?
Isn’t it always a welcome surprise to hear a black speak in a normal, mainstream tone of voice without the black ghetto intonation and word clipping?
Think of Michelle Obama and her manner of speaking.
Flame away if you will, but you know it is true.
Because liberals or leftists really are racist but they love to be smug and project that trait onto others while denying it in themselves.
Leftism is a mental disorder. Leftists should not be allowed to because of this disorder.
JoMa
Just remember to carry a bottle of hot sauce with you when talking to blacks Hitlery.
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