The Color of Sin by Sherman and Clore discusses the relationship between sin being dirty and dark, and purity being white and clean. It details that white and black are not just analogical assertions but actual perceptions of moral purity and pollution. As the article states, “black is not just the opposite of white, but it is also a potent impurity that can contaminate whiteness.” Conversely, white is known to be an easily tarnished thing that to remain pure must remain unstained. White is therefore known to be a symbol for moral purity. These universal associations were so strangely believed, that they were tested using various methods. Research by Stabler and Johnson 1972, showed that kids typically tended to associate black boxes with negative contents and white boxes with positive objects. This association could be because black is the color of night, uncertainty, and …show more content…
They hypothesized that those who liked cleaning products would show it, so those who make associations of sin with blackness are more concerned about pollution in general. This was tested using 51 students from UVA again from a range of ethnicities. Again a new word list was generated and rated. After the Stroop task, they rated the desirability of 5 cleaning products and 5 non-cleaning products.They found that moral-purity metaphors may be important for regulating moral actions, and by thinking of immoral acts it may lead to avoiding those acts. Also there exists a moral-purity metaphor that likens goodness to actual cleanliness. And, those with the moral Stroop effect liked cleaning so there is in fact a link between immorality-blackness and concern for purity. I liked this article because it truly shed light on what perhaps may have been attributed to the cause for slavery in the world. I thought that it was very interesting and informative and its hypothesis was concretely backed up by data and
The power of stereotypes stored in the brain was a daunting thought. This information enlightened me about the misconceptions we carry from our cultural experiences. Also, it startled me that according to (Banaji and Greenwald, 2013) “those who showed high levels of White Preference on the IAT test were also those who are most likely to show racially discriminatory behavior,” (pg. 47). I reflected on this information, and it concerned me that my judgments were simply based on past cultural experiences. This mindbug was impacting my perception of someone before I even had a chance to know him.
This book gives a well-rounded picture of abolitionism in a way that not many have done before. And I think that if more historians did this, instead of making history very one-sided, it would eliminate some of the controversy of historiography.
In Ronald Takaki’s A Different Mirror, it talks about the color line between blacks and whites. On page 49 it stated, “What struck the English most about Africans was their color. “These people are all black, and are called Negros, without any apparell, saving before their privities.” This relates going back to Article Three in Rethinking the Color Line first thing we notice about someone is their race. People get judged by the way they look, for the English mind the color black for them was bad for example, “deeply stained with dirt, “foul,” “dark or deadly” in purpose, “malignant,” “sinister,” “wicked.” In other words being black is a horrible thing as for the color white it signified purity, innocence, and goodness. Blacks and whites could never coexist in America. “The real
Despite each individual having different circumstances in which they experienced regarding the institution of slavery, both were inspired to take part in the abolitionist movement due to the injustices they witnessed. The result is two very compelling and diverse works that attack the institution of slavery and argue against the reasons the pro-slavery individuals use to justify the slavery
“Physiognomic” is the word Allport used to explain how being black has a negative connotation. Allport adds that the English language relates black in the English language to “sinister connotations” such as “black death” or “black-hearted” (368). In this chase, the color black is associated with bad and white is associated with good or pure. If white signifies purity and morality, then why did whites own slaves? Why weren’t blacks and whites on an equal playing field? It goes back to Allport’s message that, “The very act of classifying forces us to overlook all other features…” communicates to us that the label “black” only allows us to see just that—black (365). Other words can be associated with black people such as: police officer, author, and doctor, but in the back of our minds, black is still a word with a negative
The abolishment of slavery, no matter what country it took place in, was a significant turning point in world history. Due to this it has become the discussion of much scholarly debate. There are three historians to highlight that provide key points to why slavery needed to be abolished and the significance of it. David Brion Davis, C.L.R. James, and Orlando Patterson all share similar and differing viewpoints for why slavery needed to be discontinued. This is important to discuss so we as humans who are building a society do not make the same mistakes again as we continue to learn from our past. Whether they are social, economic, or moral wrongdoings we can take a step in the right direction towards avoiding them by observing and contemplating what has occurred before us. This is why reading these historians’ accounts are so important. The three historians David Brion Davis, C.L.R. James, and Orlando Patterson show why slavery could not be sustained and why it was necessary to rid ourselves of it.
The topic I have chosen. for my research to discuss the history of slavery in Texas. during the years of the Civil War. How the institution was altered because of the Civil War and the process by which emancipation was handed to black -Texans is the focus of my report. I would like to uncover how and why slave labor was used to both protect the state, the Confederacy and the institution that held the future of the American Negro forever.
Although it was very graphic it explained the horrific mistreatment of the slaves that were packed in so tightly they couldn’t even move on their sides and describing it as a slaughterhouse. I found it interesting how in previous history textbooks I had read in high school the conditions of the transportation of slaves had not been explained in such a gruesome way. It was useful in trying to comprehend the unspeakable living conditions in which the slaves had to live
The author presented the information in a very solid way and sectioned it out very well. I understood what he was trying to explain. It was somewhat a long book but very much full of knowledge and history that in spirit is still alive today. We may not have slavery like it was then, but we still deal with racism and prejudice daily.
Sampson’s article “Divergent Pathways of Gentrification: Racial Inequality and the Social Order of Renewal in Chicago Neighborhoods” the most because it was easier for me to relate to. I have seen the process of gentrification in person with frequent trips to the city so I could understand having physically observed the process. However, I also enjoyed Michelle Boyd’s article because it took on a new perspective that I had never given much thought to. When I think of gentrification the first thing that comes to my mind is the gradual removal of minorities either intentionally or
In a sociocultural perspective, the color red would have an effect on others because group norms guide our thought and behavior. If all people wearing red were considered promiscuous because of a societal norm, we will also view red as promiscuous. In a bio-social perspective, the color red would have an effect on people’s perception of others because the thoughts and behaviors have been passed down genetically. Therefore, if our ancestors believed that seeing red was attractive, we may believe the same because we have inherited that thought and behavior. In a behaviorism perspective, the color red would have an effect on people’s perception of others because organisms are designed to seek pleasure and avoid pain. If the color red can give us our biological or psychological needs – such as food or sex – we will tend to seek it; however, if the color red is of something detrimental to our well being – such as signs of danger – we will avoid
Purity and filth have been on opposite sides of the fence ever since a distinction was made between the two. The purity vs filth battle can be seen in many aspects of life, whether that be displayed in race, religion, or even geographically. This brings into question, where is the division between filth and purity, or is there a division at all? This division is called out in Joe Weil’s “Ode to Elizabeth”, Nicolás Guillén’s “What Color?”, and possibly even in William Carlos William’s “This is Just to Say”.
For me personally this article enlightened me in the area of gender difference. I never took the time to think about some of the issues mentioned. For example I never thought about how the brain responds to actual hormones and how the brain responds to events because of these hormones. This was interesting to me enough so that I engaged in outside research briefly to explore the issue.
Saturation can be seen as the intensity or brightness of a colour. It ranges from its pure colour (hue), which would be fully saturated, to grey. (Cotnoir, 2012)
It makes me feel like I had no clue how bad women had it back then. Since they could not own property or even vote like the slaves did. She showed how important social reform really is. It was seemed that they were restricted in so many ways it seems as if they were owned by men. The interchanging role of man and woman is an important trend in Fuller's argument. The way she writes is very educational in her points about what needs to be done and what the main problems are now. Overall this story brings out the forgiving side and how you realize what has happened before and how there is so much equality