Great post. It seems to me that the subtleties of implicit bias are so hard to catch. We all need to listen better for the subtleties of bias and make healthier adjustments. Last year, Dr. Kilgo published a study about the representation of protests in Texas newspapers. She found that when the papers covered protests centered on racial issues, such as discrimination against Indigenous and Black people, they did so in ways that suggested the protestors’ grievances were illegitimate. I see getting angry at protesters is akin to getting angry at a hungry infant for crying because it is hungry. The baby cries because it has a concern that needs addressing. Anger will not fix that.Mentioning that a Black man was unarmed suggests that the default is an armed Black man.
“The norms that are established, are generally established by white, relatively affluent people,” Kilgo said. “And so the hesitancy that you see in criticizing police or codifying what racism is, it’s coming from their discomfort.”