Session Alignment

Racism is easy to recognize in its most explicit forms .

Traditional forms of racism in the United States have even in the recent past been expressed directly and openly .

Due in part to the civil rights legislation of the 1960 s , however , the face of racism has changed .

This legislation defined racism not only as morally improper but also as legally wrong .

We can probably also agree that racism has aided in producing a myriad of social ills , sub - standard and segregated schools , open discrimination in employment , high infant mortality rates , and a host of other problems .

Even while overt racism has declined significantly since the 1960 s , some of the motivations that underlie racism still exist .

Racism can offer advantages .

Discriminating against others can boost one ’s self - esteem and promote feelings of control and superiority .

Tangibly , discrimination offers economic advantages to members of the majority group and serves to maintain that group ’s political , social , and corporate power .

Aversive racism is the inherent contradiction that exists when the denial of personal prejudice co - exists with underlying unconscious negative feelings and beliefs .

Unfortunately , the negative feelings and beliefs that underlie aversive racism are rooted in normal , often adaptive , psychological processes .

In contrast to the feelings of open hostility and clear dislike of blacks that characterized old - fashioned racism , the negative feelings that aversive racists experience are typically more diffuse , such as feelings of anxiety and uneasiness .

Because aversive racists consciously endorse egalitarian values and deny negative feelings about blacks , they will not discriminate directly and openly in ways that can be attributed to racism .