Researchers have been following the trajectory of white racial attitudes since the end of the
Jim Crow era. The majority of white attitudes have shifted away from overt racism and segregation towards views supporting egalitarianism. However, the general consensus among researchers is that the overall increase in attitudes supporting equality does not correlate to an increase in white support for racially targeted policies, mainly concerning affirmative action
(Federico and Sidanius, 2001).
Different theories have been suggested to explain the disconnect between whites’ approval of equal opportunity, but disapproval for the enforcement of equal opportunity. This difference is also labeled the “principle-implementation gap” (Bobo, 1997; Schuman, …show more content…
The two major themes that they find among the discourse supported ideas of meritocracy and modernism. They surveyed the respondents regarding the fairness of affirmative action for blacks in the hiring process. The responses most often include defenses for equal opportunity and claims of racial discrimination. The majority agree that race should not be a deciding factor in the hiring process and that it should only be based on merit. Modernism plays a role in the recurring idea that racism and discrimination have passed. They should no longer be considered at an institutional level. The respondents define past and present as separate entities that are independent of each other. They do not clarify where the past ends and the present begins, but they emphasize that present conditions are entirely different than past conditions.
The study also notes that the responses that discredit race as a deciding factor often marginalize all other subjective factors that prevail in the hiring process. When asked who an employer should hire when faced with a white and black applicant of the same merit, responses included common phrases like the “company should pick who they like best” or “whoever
Jim Crow era. The majority of white attitudes have shifted away from overt racism and segregation towards views supporting egalitarianism. However, the general consensus among researchers is that the overall increase in attitudes supporting equality does not correlate to an increase in white support for racially targeted policies, mainly concerning affirmative action
(Federico and Sidanius, 2001).
Different theories have been suggested to explain the disconnect between whites’ approval of equal opportunity, but disapproval for the enforcement of equal opportunity. This difference is also labeled the “principle-implementation gap” (Bobo, 1997; Schuman, …show more content…
The two major themes that they find among the discourse supported ideas of meritocracy and modernism. They surveyed the respondents regarding the fairness of affirmative action for blacks in the hiring process. The responses most often include defenses for equal opportunity and claims of racial discrimination. The majority agree that race should not be a deciding factor in the hiring process and that it should only be based on merit. Modernism plays a role in the recurring idea that racism and discrimination have passed. They should no longer be considered at an institutional level. The respondents define past and present as separate entities that are independent of each other. They do not clarify where the past ends and the present begins, but they emphasize that present conditions are entirely different than past conditions.
The study also notes that the responses that discredit race as a deciding factor often marginalize all other subjective factors that prevail in the hiring process. When asked who an employer should hire when faced with a white and black applicant of the same merit, responses included common phrases like the “company should pick who they like best” or “whoever