I've actually wondered about this with regards to myself, simply because of the fact that one of my hangouts used to be in a rather high-crime area. Every now and then somebody will come in and their clothing, their hair, and their posture all suggests someone who's homeless or nearly so. And my first reaction is a quick rundown of potential dangers- including whether they might be there to rob the store. That's never happened, they just ask for change for a $5, or something along those lines. But it always goes through my head, and I always wonder, "If this person was white, would I react the same way?"
On the one hand, I get to feel better about myself because I know that it's not skin color (not only skin color, at least); when people come in from, say, the braiding place next door, I don't do it- even though they're just as black. So I can at least take comfort in that I don't automatically assume every black person's a potential robber.
On the other hand, I think about the repercussions of my reaction. I'm sure there's physical components to it- I watch these people walk in, I pause in what I'm doing, and there's likely some visible tension as I consider what could happen. And I think how that must make them feel, that someone immediately reacts that way.
And beyond that, there's the whole aspect of assuming that someone who fits the niche of being that poor is also someone who could do those things. Is that fair? Or am I being overly judgmental? At what point does it go from being reasonably cautious to being biased? When am I just looking at potential consequences, the same as I do with the rest of my life, and when am I taking it all too far?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ninetydegrees
no subject
on 2010-03-01 10:00 pm (UTC)On the one hand, I get to feel better about myself because I know that it's not skin color (not only skin color, at least); when people come in from, say, the braiding place next door, I don't do it- even though they're just as black. So I can at least take comfort in that I don't automatically assume every black person's a potential robber.
On the other hand, I think about the repercussions of my reaction. I'm sure there's physical components to it- I watch these people walk in, I pause in what I'm doing, and there's likely some visible tension as I consider what could happen. And I think how that must make them feel, that someone immediately reacts that way.
And beyond that, there's the whole aspect of assuming that someone who fits the niche of being that poor is also someone who could do those things. Is that fair? Or am I being overly judgmental? At what point does it go from being reasonably cautious to being biased? When am I just looking at potential consequences, the same as I do with the rest of my life, and when am I taking it all too far?
I haven't figured any of that out yet.