We all have implicit biases. So what can we do about it? | Dushaw Hockett | TEDxMidAtlanticSalon

Dushaw Hockett argues that the current ways we think, talk, and act on issues of racial bias and other differences are woefully inadequate. He suggests building on robust scientific evidence from the past decade to move towards a better understanding of race and difference by focusing on implicit bias.

A bias is a preference for or prejudice against a person or group. Implicit biases have three main characteristics: they operate at a subconscious level, often run contrary to our conscious beliefs and values, and are triggered by rapid, automatic mental associations we make between people, ideas, and objects with attitudes and stereotypes.

Implicit biases operate subconsciously, meaning we are unaware of them and cannot access them through introspection. The science indicates that we cannot accurately assess our own implicit biases by simply pondering them.

Implicit biases often go against our conscious, stated beliefs. For example, a school administrator committed to nurturing young people might unconsciously contribute to high suspension rates, or a police officer dedicated to protecting and serving might unconsciously engage in discriminatory stops based on color.

Implicit biases are triggered by rapid, automatic mental associations between people, ideas, objects, and the attitudes or stereotypes we hold. Hockett demonstrates this with an exercise where words like 'government', 'corporate', 'suburbs', and 'subsidized housing' elicit immediate mental associations, which can then color perceptions of individuals associated with those terms.

Hockett outlines three crucial reasons for focusing on implicit bias: it provides a more expansive diagnosis of challenges related to difference, it is both predictive and preventive, and it helps reduce the shame associated with discussing and addressing bias.

Implicit bias offers a broader understanding of the harm caused by racial bias, beyond just explicit forms. Most current tools address explicit bias, leading to a mismatch. An implicit bias approach expands our diagnostic and treatment tools, leading to more effective solutions.

Implicit bias is predictive because tests like the Implicit Association Test can forecast discriminatory behavior. It's preventive because emerging strategies suggest that with internal motivation and practice, individuals can reduce their vulnerability to act on biases, shifting from an emergency-room response to a proactive prevention approach.

An implicit bias approach reduces the shame often associated with discussions about bias. By distinguishing between guilt ('I made a mistake') and shame ('I am a mistake'), it reframes the central question from 'Are you racist or sexist?' to 'How do we align our actions with our consciously held egalitarian beliefs?', facilitating internal and societal change.

Hockett concludes by quoting Urie Bronfenbrenner, stating that everyone needs at least one person who is 'irrationally crazy about them.' He extends this to the idea that for external change to be possible, individuals must undertake internal self-change work to foster such supportive relationships.