The importance of normalising the conversation around ‘Unconscious bias’ and how they are formed is not often emphasised on enough. There is ample research to suggest that we all harbour bias at some level. This has been ingrained in us through interactions, experiences and various primary and secondary factors that influence us in life. These biases are mainly formed when certain messages are repeated over time and an individual or a group is exposed to this. As explained by psychologist Beverly D Tatum, bias is absorbed without an awareness of it and involuntarily, the same way we inhale and breathe in smog. (Fiarman, 2016)
A perfect day to day example that many would be able to relate to is the food we eat. When we walk into our neighbourhood supermarket, we are surrounded by food stimulis that constantly compete for our attention. This could range from advertising on how a product is “fat free” “low carb” or “high protein”! We often form food biases, be it conscious or unconscious which suggests that the food we consume is related to repeated exposure to various marketing messages and not necessarily to any actual evidence on whether it is good or bad for you.
It’s no different when it comes to socio-cultural biases. In community focussed inclusion initiatives, we often highlight the need to mitigate unconscious bias through training. However, I believe that training alone is not enough. The key to changing perceptions through acceptance is normalising unconscious bias so that you create a safe space for people to have a healthy conversation and share their diverse experiences.
You will not always be successful in conveying your beliefs to others and that is okay! However, you will definitely allow for a safe space for people to share their opinions and that is important. The reason diversity and inclusion initiatives are so important is that it exposes people to different perspective and increases collaboration that makes us aware of our biases. Deconstructing this is not a one-time thing, but we need to deliberately pause on many occasions to ensure that our deep-rooted biases do not impact our best intentions. (Fiarman, 2016)
Reference: Fiarman, S.E. (2016) ‘Unconscious Bias: When Good Intentions Aren’t Enough’, Unconscious Bias: When Good Intentions Aren’t Enough, 74, pp. 10–15.