© 2024 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY · WNPR
WPKT · WRLI-FM · WEDW-FM · Public Files Contact
ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Cancer Answers is hosted by Dr. Anees Chagpar, Associate Professor of Surgical Oncology and Director of The Breast Center at Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven Hospital, and Dr. Francine Foss, Professor of Medical Oncology. The show features a guest cancer specialist who will share the most recent advances in cancer therapy and respond to listeners questions. Myths, facts and advances in cancer diagnosis and treatment are discussed, with a different focus eachweek. Nationally acclaimed specialists in various types of cancer research, diagnosis, and treatment discuss common misconceptions about the disease and respond to questions from the community.Listeners can submit questions to be answered on the program at canceranswers@yale.edu or by leaving a message at (888) 234-4YCC. As a resource, archived programs from 2006 through the present are available in both audio and written versions on the Yale Cancer Center website.

Study: White Liberals Rely On Old Stereotypes When Interacting With Black People

PBS Newshour
/
Creative Commons

A new study from Yale University concludes that white liberals actually make themselves appear less competent when interacting with African Americans.

In the first part of  Self-Presentations in Interracial Settings: The Competence Downshift by White Liberals, researchers analyzed 25 years of speeches delivered by white presidential candidates to predominantly black audiences and predominantly white audiences. The study found that liberal candidates tended to use words that downplayed their language competence.

“For example, using the word ‘good’ instead of the word ‘exquisite.’ If you use the word ‘good’ instead of the word ‘exquisite’ you are going to appear less competent,” explained Cydney Dupree, assistant professor of organizational behavior at Yale School of Management and lead author of the study.

A perfect example of what the study calls “competence downshift” is this transcript of a speech former President Bill Clinton gave to the NAACP in 2015.

One of their representatives, I really respected it because he sort of manned up and told the truth. He said "you gotta understand," he said "we're doing this not because we are racist, we're doing this 'cause those folks don't vote for us. If they voted for us, we would make it easier for them to vote." I mean, you gotta like it when a guy's sticking it to ya if he looks you in the eye and tells you the truth.

The study concluded that in all of the speeches analyzed white liberal candidates engaged in very predictable behavior.

“It was statistically significant,” said Dupree, “across these studies this seems to be a subtle but persistent effect.”

The study also directed white subjects who identified as liberal to write emails or other correspondences to what the subject believed was either a white or black person. Much like the liberal politicians, the tendency for the white liberals in the study was to use words that downplayed their competence when communicating with a black person.

So why are liberals engaging in this competence downshift? Dupree thinks it's a sympathetic, but ultimately misguided effort to engage with African Americans.

“It appears that white liberals, who tend to be more motivated to get along with racial minorities, and who want to try to forge that connection, unfortunately seem to be relying on stereotypes to do so. And these stereotypes still tend to depict racial minorities as being less competent than whites,” said Dupree.

Dupree says the next step in her research is to figure out how black people perceive this downshift, and whether they change their competence level when interacting with white people.

The study is slated to be published soon in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Ray Hardman is Connecticut Public’s Arts and Culture Reporter. He is the host of CPTV’s Emmy-nominated original series Where Art Thou? Listeners to Connecticut Public Radio may know Ray as the local voice of Morning Edition, and later of All Things Considered.

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—Connecticut to live, work, and play.

Related Content