THINKER'S ALMANAC - June 11

How can unconscious bias be deadly?

Subject:  Unconscious Bias - Hurricane Study

Event:  Nicholas Kristof penned a column entitled, “She Gets No Respect,” 2014

It is easier for a man to burn down his own house than to get rid of his prejudices. -Roger Bacon

Why would a hurricane named Alexandra be deadlier than an identical hurricane named Alexander?

This is the question that syndicated columnist Nicholas Kristof asked at the beginning of an editorial published in The New York Times on this day in 2014.

The answer to the question comes from a study by researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Arizona State University.  What the researchers found studying the data on over sixty hurricanes was that female-named hurricanes resulted in twice as many casualties as male-named hurricanes.  In addition to looking at actual casualties in hurricanes, the researchers also asked people to hypothetically predict how intense and risky a female-named hurricane might be versus a male-named hurricane.  Consistently people -- including women -- predicted that a male hurricane would be more violent than a female hurricane.

                                                            Image by WikiImages from Pixabay

What this study illustrates is that our prejudices and biases related to gender or race are not always overt; instead, these biases are frequently unconscious, even, as Kristof says, “among well-meaning, enlightened people who embrace equality.”  

Other studies asked professors to evaluate mythical candidate applications for a laboratory position at a university.  The only difference between the otherwise identical applications was that some had male names and some had female names.  The male names were not only rated higher, but they were also recommended for a significantly higher salary (1).

In a 2014 interview, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg shared her concerns about unconscious bias as well as a method by which it might be eliminated:

I think unconscious bias is one of the hardest things to get at. My favorite example is the symphony orchestra. When I was growing up, there were no women in orchestras. Auditioners thought they could tell the difference between a woman playing and a man. Some intelligent person devised a simple solution: Drop a curtain between the auditioners and the people trying out. And, lo and behold, women began to get jobs in symphony orchestras. (2)

Like Ginsberg, Nicholas Kristof believes that the hidden nature of unconscious bias makes it difficult to detect; nevertheless, he believes it must still be confronted:

This deep bias is as elusive as it is pernicious, but a start is to confront and discuss it.  Perhaps hurricanes, by catching us out, can help us face our own chauvinism.

Recall, Retrieve, Recite, Ruminate, Reflect, Reason:  How do the names of hurricanes relate to unconscious bias?

Challenge:   Similar by Not Synonymous

“Bias” and “prejudice” are two words that are frequently used interchangeably; however, they are different.  Do some research on the definitions of these two words and write a paragraph where you compare their meanings, making a distinction between how the words are different.

Sources:

1-Kristof, Nicholas.  “She Gets No Respect.”  The New York Times 11 June 2014.

2-Weisberg, Jessica. “Remembering Ruth Bader Ginsburg In Her Own Words.”  Elle magazine September 2020.