Sandra Gangle League of Women Voters Implicit Bias Sandra Gangle League of Women Voters

21st Century American Family

Is Any Person Bias-Free? Why do we feel more comfortable around some people than around others? Conscious factors Sub-conscious factors Emotions: Fear of anything unknown, different Need for peer acceptance Why do we sometimes behave inconsistently with our stated beliefs?

How Can We Avoid Making Unfair Judgments About People? Family and environment may have shaped our values and opinions: Don’t be afraid to ask questions, to challenge what has been learned Stereotypes or assumptions may affect our first impressions upon meeting new people How can we gather accurate information to prove or disprove those stereotypes or assumptions? How can we oppose bullying, prejudicial comments made by others?

Building Empathy How do we make an acquaintance into a friend?   Building Empathy How do we make an acquaintance into a friend? Can we walk in the other person’s shoes? Can we recognize, feel, the other person’s pain? Ask, “What can I do to make it better?”

Peer Pressure “Going along with the crowd”; “Everybody does it”: Right or wrong defense to discriminatory actions? Becoming a leader: Doing the right thing Our words (spoken and written) and our actions of today form our character reputation for the future.