Black on Black Racism

1989 Words4 Pages

Abstract The days of picking cotton and the hierarchy of slaves are long gone but the colonial mentality of disunity may still exists among African-Americans. Some of the major conflicts that remain at the core of this disunity, include: black on black crime, beauty and self-esteem, and blacks over-representation in the criminal justice system. Although there are many reasons that support these conflicts, one may wonder if the arrival of the social identity of blacks in America is the root cause for the conflicts. The purpose of this quantitative study is to explore the effects of racial attitudes of blacks on images of themselves with varying skin tones. Supplemental to the study of attitudes and images, the social identity theory will be a source of reference. This study also includes the element of discrimination called intraracism. This term refers to discrimination that exists between members of the same race. Another term referencing this type of discrimination is called colorism. This term refers to the “discrimination in which human beings are given differing social treatment based on skin color (Wikipedia, 2010). Historically, “light skin” refers to those individuals that are half white with fine hair or whose complexion is lighter than a paper bag. Individuals with “dark skin” are without European physical features, have course hair and have skin tones darker than a paper bag. In this study the images of blacks will be determined by three measures: beauty, intelligence, and criminal behavior. Two hundred black men and two hundred women with light and dark skin between the ages of 21 to 45 in the Atlanta area will participate in the study. Each participant will view four pictures of both black ... ... middle of paper ... ... 50 Female 50 Skin Tone (%) Light 50 Dark 50 * Actual research will determine figures Appendix B Likert scales- measurement of independent Variables What year where you born? _____________ Please rate the following pictures by using all three scales: Attractiveness 1. Extremely unattractive 2. Not very attractive 3. Somewhat attractive 4. Very attractive 5. Extremely attractive Intelligence 1. Extremely unintelligent 2. Not very intelligent 3. Somewhat intelligent 4. Very intelligent 5. Extremely intelligent The person in the photo looks Innocent 1. Strongly Agree 2. Agree 3. Undecided 4. Disagree 5. Strongly Disagree .

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