Discussion

Reflecting on the debates and research presentation of Vernā Myers in "How to overcome our

biases? Walk boldly toward them," Jerry Kang in "Immaculate Perception?" and Maanvi Singh

in "So You Flunked A Racism Test. Now, What?" I realize the complexity of implicit bias,

prejudice, and discrimination more than ever. All these works combined give an insight into how

intricate and relentless our subconscious biases are and how they modulate our behaviors and

decisions many times at a level of which one is not conscious.

From this discussion, implicit biases are the conscious ideas and preconceptions that guide a

person's perception, actions, and decisions but remain unbeknown to the person.

These prejudices lie deep in the subconscious and arise from a complex interaction of personal

experiences and social conditioning. The critical point to note here is that such subconscious

attitudes might influence our actions toward others, even if we consciously believe in equal and

just treatment. Vernā Myers' approach to confronting these biases is particularly compelling. She

advises that we walk "boldly towards" our prejudices. That is to say, we must first be at a place

where we acknowledge that such preconceived biases do reside within us and be in a position to

come face-to-face with those hard truths (Myers, 2014). Active in putting ourselves in situations

and around worldviews that purposefully challenge us. This proactive stance is essential for

personal growth and overcoming our automatic judgments.

Moreover, Jerry Kang elaborated that knowing how the same implicit biases go further than

individual prejudice affects them within systemic justice, employment, and education issues.

This thus identifies that such recognition has to be felt individually on the way to understanding

the necessary structural changes to be addressed at a societal level (Kang, 2013).

Maanvi Singh explores reactions to failing a racism test that underscore the stages of denial

leading to acceptance of implicit biases: it's at this juncture where one can acknowledge these

biases and move on to understand how they can even be the precursors to discriminatory actions

when one doesn't mean it (Singh, 2015).

This, therefore, brings out the idea that, while one may fail to be actively involved in

discrimination at will because of his prejudices against others, their subconscious biases may

accidentally lead to discriminating behaviors. This results from those attitudes subtly affecting

our perceptions and interactions, often without our consciousness. The relationship between

implicit bias and discrimination is not one of direct consequence but dynamic, in which the

interaction can be modified through personal awareness and deliberate efforts to address and

change the issue. The point is that Myers, Kang, and Singh always found purposes for self-

reflection, education, and purposeful action in tapping and dealing with our subconscious biases.

This would make us act more consciously in consonance with our values of fairness and equality,

reducing the impact of this intensive discrimination. This has been an essential experience for me

to understand and work on any implicit bias, not only for me but also for the betterment of

society towards inclusivity and equity.

 References

Kang, J. (2013, December 11). TEDx — Immaculate perception? – Jerry Kang.

https://jerrykang.net/2013/12/11/tedx-immaculate-perception/

Myers, V. (2014). How to overcome our biases? Walk boldly toward them [Video]. TED Talks.

https://www.ted.com/talks/verna_myers_how_to_overcome_our_biases_walk_boldly_to

ward_them

Singh, M. (2015, August 4). So you flunked a racism test. now what? NPR.

https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/08/04/416827667/so-you-flunked-a-

racism-test-now-what