Throughout the 1960s, race relations and equality dominated the United States of America. The civil rights movement and their agenda expanded throughout the U.S, accounting for a national demand for racial inequalities to be eliminated from American society. Members fought steadfastly for their cause, forcing their voices to be heard; and while this push culminated in many legislative successes regarding inequality in the United States, it was ultimately unsuccessful in achieving equality for all people.
During the 1960’s and 70’s, the most substantial sub-movement within the civil rights movement was dedicated to the fight for racial equality: it gained the most attention nationwide, the most support (or lack thereof), and hence, the largest …show more content…
Simply, inequality is the embodiment of instinctive psychological bias; a bias determined by our society and culture. The power of this bias outlined by an article in the Washington Post: “To get a sense of just how pervasive and imperceptibly our environment can affect us, one study at Tufts University found that even with a TV show on mute displaying scenes with no explicit discrimination, the nonverbal body language of black and white actors interacting was enough to cause watchers to test higher for implicit bias afterward.” With the presence of such a mindset, it is unequivocally impossible for the practice of equality to be one which is present in the United States from the end of the Civil Rights Movement to the present. Jennifer Richeson, a Yale University social psychologist addresses this concept and its implications regarding change: “Yes, there have been gains in policy like allowing interracial marriage and discrimination laws, but when it comes to our interpersonal biases, it’s simply not true that we just need to wait for the few old racist men left in the South to die off and then we’ll be fine. The rhetoric for racism is still in place. The environment for racism is still there. Unless we change that, we can't lessen racism.” (Washington Post) Change at the most fundamental level of our society, culture, and ideological systems is extraordinarily difficult to achieve, borderline impossible. With this in mind, it is evident the attempts made by the Civil Rights Movement and any attempt after it seeking to accomplish true equality (the practice of complete equality for all people), were made in vain; for implicit bias stands in the way of improvement,
During the 1960’s and 70’s, the most substantial sub-movement within the civil rights movement was dedicated to the fight for racial equality: it gained the most attention nationwide, the most support (or lack thereof), and hence, the largest …show more content…
Simply, inequality is the embodiment of instinctive psychological bias; a bias determined by our society and culture. The power of this bias outlined by an article in the Washington Post: “To get a sense of just how pervasive and imperceptibly our environment can affect us, one study at Tufts University found that even with a TV show on mute displaying scenes with no explicit discrimination, the nonverbal body language of black and white actors interacting was enough to cause watchers to test higher for implicit bias afterward.” With the presence of such a mindset, it is unequivocally impossible for the practice of equality to be one which is present in the United States from the end of the Civil Rights Movement to the present. Jennifer Richeson, a Yale University social psychologist addresses this concept and its implications regarding change: “Yes, there have been gains in policy like allowing interracial marriage and discrimination laws, but when it comes to our interpersonal biases, it’s simply not true that we just need to wait for the few old racist men left in the South to die off and then we’ll be fine. The rhetoric for racism is still in place. The environment for racism is still there. Unless we change that, we can't lessen racism.” (Washington Post) Change at the most fundamental level of our society, culture, and ideological systems is extraordinarily difficult to achieve, borderline impossible. With this in mind, it is evident the attempts made by the Civil Rights Movement and any attempt after it seeking to accomplish true equality (the practice of complete equality for all people), were made in vain; for implicit bias stands in the way of improvement,