The Grove Project

Afraid of Seeming Racist?

One of my favorite podcasts, an NPR show called the Bryant Park Project for the Manhattan park its “worldwide headquarters” overlook, just discussed a study from Northwestern University’s Department of Social Psychology, which found white people so nervous about being or seeming racist that “they indicated a preference for avoiding all contact with black people.” This is great irony.

Study Finds Whites Anxious About Race

White anxiety, Richeson says, is an ironic byproduct of increased racial diversity on campuses, in offices and within communities. She says people who’ve had little experience with interracial interactions don’t feel comfortable in new, sometimes daunting situations — and that avoidance and anxiety are the unfortunate results. “This anxiety precludes the encounters that would actually let people explore new interactions,” she says.

The comments that spring from this story are really interesting: Afraid of Seeming Racist?. Frank, topical — Obama the black president, Clerks 2, Dog the Bounty Hunter, The Jim Crow south.