Discrimination and Favoritism

  1. Most discrimination in the U.S. is not caused by intention to harm people different from us, but by ordinary favoritism directed at helping people similar to us, according to a new theoretical review.
  2. “We can produce discrimination without having any intent to discriminate or any dislike for those who end up being disadvantaged by our behavior,” said one researcher.
  3. Most people think of discrimination as a result of hostility towards disadvantaged groups, but this review argues that it is more subtle acts, ones people don’t even recognize as causing disadvantage to anyone, that are likely to be much more significant.

Source: http://www.washington.edu/news/2014/05/19/favoritism-not-hostility-causes-most-discrimination-says-uw-psychology-professor/