# Think you're not a racist? (or other -ist) Check this out.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-youre-not-a-racist-or-other-ist-check-this-out/468145
**Category:** Great Debates
**Created:** [October 16, 2008, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-youre-not-a-racist-or-other-ist-check-this-out/468145 "2008-10-16T03:22:58Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2008, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-youre-not-a-racist-or-other-ist-check-this-out/468145/1 "2008-10-16T03:22:58Z")
There seem to be a couple of threads in the Pit at the moment where some folks are arguing that they’re only against illegal immigrants because of the “illegal” bit, not because they’re racist. That reminded me of [Project Implicit](https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/demo/selectatest.html) at Harvard. You might want to poke around and take some of the tests.
Confession: Turns out I don’t appear to be quite as neutral as I like to think I am.
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### Author:  [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2008, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-youre-not-a-racist-or-other-ist-check-this-out/468145/2 "2008-10-16T03:39:09Z")
I’ve taken those tests. I had a slight preference for black faces the last time I took it (I’m white).
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### Author:  [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2008, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-youre-not-a-racist-or-other-ist-check-this-out/468145/3 "2008-10-16T03:46:54Z")
I did it again:
> [@](#):
>
> Your data suggest a strong automatic preference for African American compared to European American.
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### Author:  [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2008, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-youre-not-a-racist-or-other-ist-check-this-out/468145/4 "2008-10-16T03:56:22Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Your data suggest a slight association of White Americans with Weapons compared to Black Americans.
I’m not persuaded that this proves I’m an anti-white racist; but I suspect it may prove that I’m a spaz.
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### Author:  [@Vox\_Imperatoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vox_Imperatoris)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2008, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-youre-not-a-racist-or-other-ist-check-this-out/468145/5 "2008-10-16T04:06:20Z")
I’ve taken that before, and while I admit that it is an interesting item of research and possibly useful for detecting subconscious biases, there’s nothing useful about saying, “You’re a secret racist!” because you hit the button for one race over another. The only thing that actually matters is the way you act and treat people.
Valete,
Vox Imperatoris
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### Author:  [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2008, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-youre-not-a-racist-or-other-ist-check-this-out/468145/6 "2008-10-16T04:06:20Z")
**Your data suggest little to no automatic preference between Barack Obama and John McCain.**
I’m not surprised.
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### Author:  [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2008, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-youre-not-a-racist-or-other-ist-check-this-out/468145/7 "2008-10-16T04:15:33Z")
Apparently I think Obama is more Christian, McCain is more American, and I have a strong preference for Obama over McCain.
Is this thing supposed to make us feel bad for having our minds made up about how we’re going to vote? I can’t understand what the purpose of it is.
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### Author:  [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2008, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-youre-not-a-racist-or-other-ist-check-this-out/468145/8 "2008-10-16T04:21:52Z")
I’m not even sure these tests mean anything. First of all, do they even prove a preference? I mean, some people are just bad at clicking on random things. Plus, even if you DO have a preference for one race, does that even mean you’re racist?
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### Author:  [@RyJae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RyJae)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2008, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-youre-not-a-racist-or-other-ist-check-this-out/468145/9 "2008-10-16T04:26:13Z")
I just spent 10 minutes searching for a counter to that site. It was a year ago or more that mimicked that site on purpose but switched everything. They came to the conclusion that clicking habit was more decisive than the actual pictures. But take that as opinion since I cannot find the stinking cite. I prefer older faces or something was the test that I took most recently.
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### Author:  [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2008, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-youre-not-a-racist-or-other-ist-check-this-out/468145/10 "2008-10-16T04:28:25Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#):
>
> I’m not even sure these tests mean anything. First of all, do they even prove a preference? I mean, some people are just bad at clicking on random things. Plus, even if you DO have a preference for one race, does that even mean you’re racist?
The “Background” section of the site has some additional information that may address your questions.
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### Author:  [@CaerieD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaerieD)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2008, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-youre-not-a-racist-or-other-ist-check-this-out/468145/11 "2008-10-16T04:30:52Z")
I took the sexuality one twice. The first time I preferred straight people and the second time I preferred gay people. And shockingly enough, the orders were reversed between the two tests.
Hmmm, reversed order, reversed results…I wonder if there’s a connection?
It may evaluate certain trends, but it may also just show that people are creatures of habit when it comes to pushing buttons.
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### Author:  [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2008, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-youre-not-a-racist-or-other-ist-check-this-out/468145/12 "2008-10-16T04:37:05Z")
It said I have little to no preference as to either, FWIW
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### Author:  [@rainwalker78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainwalker78)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2008, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-youre-not-a-racist-or-other-ist-check-this-out/468145/13 "2008-10-16T05:34:50Z")
> [@Cisco](#):
>
> **Your data suggest little to no automatic preference between Barack Obama and John McCain.**
>
> I’m not surprised.
Same for me.
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### Author:  [@Just](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2008, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-youre-not-a-racist-or-other-ist-check-this-out/468145/14 "2008-10-16T12:06:20Z")
Your data suggest little to no automatic preference between European American and African American.
Well that’s a relief.
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### Author:  [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2008, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-youre-not-a-racist-or-other-ist-check-this-out/468145/15 "2008-10-16T12:20:30Z")
**Your data suggest a strong automatic preference for Barack Obama compared to John McCain.**
No shit, sherlock.
I knew it was going to come up with that, as I the only time I made errors was when “McCain” and “good” were on the same side. Brain farts ahoy…
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### Author:  [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2008, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-youre-not-a-racist-or-other-ist-check-this-out/468145/16 "2008-10-16T15:09:25Z")
> [@Hunter\_Hawk](#):
>
> The “Background” section of the site has some additional information that may address your questions.
> [@](#):
>
> # Could the result be a function of the order in which I did the two parts? I had to group one category together with pleasant words first. I then found it difficult when I later had to group the other category with pleasant words.
>
> Answer: The order in which tests are administered does make a difference to the overall result in some tests. However, the difference is small and recent changes to the test have sharply reduced the influence of order. Because of this order effect, the orders used for IATs presented on this website are assigned at random. For any data we present, we are careful to be sure that half the test-takers got the A then B order and the other half got the B then A order. With the revised task design, the order has only a minimal influence on task performance. If you want to check whether the order made a difference for you, you can take the test again and complete it if you get assigned to the reverse order. If you do take the test twice in different orders and get different outcomes, the best estimate of your result is intermediate between the two. For more information about the order effect, see this paper (Nosek, Greenwald, & Banaji, in press).
Hmmm. But how would an individual know if the order had affected them? I guess what I’m saying is, it’s not like this is compared to the results of a more explicit test that outright asks about racial preferences to see if there’s any connection. It’s just kind of a random test–how do we know if it even means anything at all?
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### Author:  [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2008, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-youre-not-a-racist-or-other-ist-check-this-out/468145/17 "2008-10-16T15:35:41Z")
> [@Cisco](#):
>
> **Your data suggest little to no automatic preference between Barack Obama and John McCain.**
I got the same thing. And I’m strongly pro-Obama.
Or am I…?
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### Author:  [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2008, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-youre-not-a-racist-or-other-ist-check-this-out/468145/18 "2008-10-16T16:27:12Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Your data suggest a slight automatic preference for Other People compared to Arab Muslims.
I would have told them that if they had asked(in fact I did in their questionnaire). It’s hard to learn much about the way Arab Muslims conduct themselves in their countries without developing a distaste for societies where equality of gender, religious freedom, and many other values I hold to be important are given so little creedance. Every story of an honor killing, every instance of beating someone for not dressing properly, refusing to let women drive or walk down the street without a male escort, etc. So now I’ve got a slight prejudice. I’ll try not to let it affect my interaction with Arab Muslims I know, but I won’t feel too bad about it. In general the societies which they came from have earned the slight emnity I feel for them.
Enjoy,
Steven
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### Author:  [@Hyperelastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hyperelastic)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2008, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-youre-not-a-racist-or-other-ist-check-this-out/468145/19 "2008-10-16T19:03:51Z")
The OP presumes that an indication one way or the other on this test has an association with racism. Have any studies shown a correlation between a certain score on the test and actual racist beliefs or actions? Seems like if I were shown flash cards of a banana cream pie on one side and piece of toast on the other, I’d show a certain reptilian preference for the banana cream pie, yet I still eat toast for breakfast.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [October 16, 2008, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-youre-not-a-racist-or-other-ist-check-this-out/468145/20 "2008-10-16T19:33:03Z")
Interesting. Apparently I have a slight automatic preference for Judaism. I’m an ex-Catholic, current agnostic.
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