Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do PDF
Preview Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do
VIKING An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC penguinrandomhouse.com Copyright © 2019 by Jennifer L. Eberhardt Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader. Illustration credits appear on this page. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Eberhardt, Jennifer L. (Jennifer Lynn), author. Title: Biased : uncovering the hidden prejudice that shapes what we see, think, and do / Jennifer L. Eberhardt. PhD. Description: New York : Viking, [2019] | Includes index. Identifiers: LCCN 2018051011 | ISBN 9780735224933 (hardcover) | ISBN 9780735224940 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Prejudices. | Discrimination. | Racism. Classification: LCC BF575.P9 E34 2019 | DDC 303.3/85—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018051011 Names of certain individuals have been changed to protect their privacy. While the author has made every effort to provide accurate internet addresses and other contact information at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors or for changes that occur after publication. Further, the publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third- party websites or their content. Version_2 For my love, Rick, who inspires me to do more and to move further than I ever thought I could CONTENTS TITLE PAGE COPYRIGHT DEDICATION EPIGRAPH Introduction Part I What Meets the Eye CHAPTER 1: Seeing Each Other CHAPTER 2: Nurturing Bias Part II Where We Find Ourselves CHAPTER 3: A Bad Dude CHAPTER 4: Male Black CHAPTER 5: How Free People Think CHAPTER 6: The Scary Monster Part III The Way Out CHAPTER 7: The Comfort of Home CHAPTER 8: Hard Lessons CHAPTER 9: Higher Learning CHAPTER 10: The Bottom Line Conclusion ACKNOWLEDGMENTS SOURCES ILLUSTRATION CREDITS INDEX ABOUT THE AUTHOR A journey is called that because you cannot know what you will . . . do with what you find, or what you find will do to you. —James Baldwin Introduction I walked in through a sea of navy-blue uniforms. The auditorium was filled to capacity, with 132 sworn members of the Oakland Police Department sitting motionless with perfect posture: erect, arms crossed. As I walked down the aisle to take the stage, I could not see their faces, but I already knew what they were thinking. The road to this particular presentation was a long one. The police force was still recovering from a major scandal that had left a legacy of distrust in the community. I was just wrapping up a two-year report that was about to be released to the public—one of the final steps required by the federal oversight team brought in to investigate extensive civil rights violations by members of this department—and I didn’t want the police to be blindsided by our findings. Many in the community were calling for an end to racial profiling. They wanted fair treatment. They were demanding justice. Many in the police department felt they were delivering that justice every day—sometimes at great sacrifice. I wanted to help the officers to understand the insidious ways in which implicit bias could act on human decision making, despite the officers’ noble intentions and deliberate efforts. Reporters were pressuring me to discuss our findings before the report was released, but I couldn’t; there was too much at stake. I first wanted the department to be prepared and to be willing to work with our team as they crafted solutions to any problems the report would reveal. I was tired—exhausted, really—from working on the report around the clock for months, to the neglect of my teaching, my husband, and our three sons. As I marched up the aisle, I could feel a chill in the room. I made it to the stage. Although not exactly as modern or as high-tech as the classrooms at Stanford where I normally taught, the auditorium—with its wood- paneled walls and rows of cushioned red metal chairs— seemed familiar enough. I looked out at the faces in the crowd, searching for a connection. I found every face expressionless, their eyes distant. Each officer wore a crisp, clean uniform over a bulletproof vest. At the waist was a duty belt holding the essential tools of their trade: handcuffs, Taser, OC pepper spray, and Glock 17 9 mm firearm. The officers looked ready for duty, but no one seemed ready to engage with me. For the first time in my career, I was facing a hostile crowd. There was no booing or yelling. There were no verbal complaints of any kind—just a steely silence that was more eloquent than any words. I tried to make a few jokes. Nothing landed. I led them through an interactive “shoot–don’t shoot” simulation, which was always a crowd-pleaser. The exercise fell flat. I showed a few movie clips that in other places triggered bursts of laughter. Still nothing. Finally, I caught the eye of LeRonne Armstrong, a captain whom I’d worked with before on trainings designed to improve police-community relations. I knew he understood the importance of delivering this message to law enforcement. I was relieved to see his face, until I realized that his expression was one of concern for me. He was looking around the crowd with the same worry I was trying not to let show onstage. I saw him shifting uncomfortably in his seat. How, I wondered, can I possibly deliver this training ten more times to units across the department when I’m not really sure whether I can make it through this first session?
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