Project Implicit

1.How did you react to your results? Were you surprised? Angry or hurt? Pleased? Discuss what you felt and why you think you felt what you did.

I was a bit surprised with my results for the African vs. European demonstration. There is an inherent "racism" of language that was visible in this test; anything dark or black is generally seen as bad and anything white is generally seen as good or pure, especially in literature. The test said that I moderately favored Europeans, which as a white male may simply be an intrinsic characteristic. I don't think I'm a racist, so that thought scares me, but the results do not make me feel angry or hurt.

2.Do you believe that your test results say something about you that you should pay attention to? Why or why not?

Honestly, I don't think the results are an accurate representation of myself. Beyond the innate favoritism of light over dark, at least in the white American society in which I was raised, I am not a racist. I also felt the test was tedious and I'm not sure if my performance was as precise as I would have hoped.

3.Do you think that these tests are valid? When you first saw your results, did you question or accept the tests' validity?

I'm not sure if the tests are valid, because while you are submitting your answers on a computer there are so many other variables that can affect your response. Just the pattern of keystrokes caused errors or time delays. Also, when I took the gender test, I purposefully tried to be a male chauvinist but my result was that I have no favoritism for either sex. So either the tests are invalid or I truly am subconsciously racist.

4.Give examples of the cultural messages that many support attitudes linking a dominant group in your nation or culture with "good" or "superior" attributes and a subordinate group with "bad" or "inferior" ones. Are these attitudes generalizations that can be called stereotypes? How can generalizations be distinguished from stereotypes?

I feel that generalizations and stereotypes are synonymous, as they both imply the homogenizing of unique people. Each human should be treated as an individual, not widely categorized. However, in society it is inevitable that people are compartmentalized. In the locality of Cape Cod, the white rich people are seen as dominant and superior, but not necessarily good; they are perceived more as stingy. Brazilians on Cape Cod are viewed as inferior, due to their prominence in lower-class Cape life (comparisons are made to poor rabbits). The Cape has such a wide array of socioeconomic situations that it is difficult to characterize a general view of each one, and it is especially unfair for a middle-class white boy like me to be doing so.

5. If some of our consciously held beliefs, attitudes, and values are undermined by what Gladwell calls rapid cognition (others call this intuitive thinking or even gut feelings), what do you suggest we can do to combat jumping to (false) conclusions?

We can do nothing. The subconscious, or our inherent and natural human nature, is deep-rooted and can't simply be eradicated. Our beliefs and attitudes help us define who we are.