To address racism, let’s start with some introspection

A video containing racist comments that went viral recently uncovered how some in Singapore truly feel about each other, based solely on race. 

Social media comments on the video revolve around bigotry, recollections from some people of how they were called names before, what Mr Lee Kuan Yew said about race and so on.

The negative reactions are understandable because race is something people are asked to identify with, yet it is never to be discussed because it is a sensitive topic.

Instead of focusing on how we differ, we should look at our common denominator: Being human.

HOW OUR BRAINS ARE WIRED

When we see a fellow human being in front of us, our brains are wired to help us make snap decisions about that person. 

So we form opinions, consciously or not, about others within seconds, and a lot of this information is based on what we can quickly deduce — gender, height, weight, race, age and nonverbal behaviours.

Research shows we can make judgments about others within 100 milliseconds, and as we spend more time with that person, our judgments can get more negative and we become more confident that our judgement is right.

Thereafter, the confirmation bias continues to fuel our beliefs and these ideas of racism quickly become a default way of thinking and being.

Many of us fall prey to our biases that hold us back from making deeper connections with ourselves and the people around us. Worst of all, we do not realise this. 

We are quick to deny we are biased, but we all have biases, especially implicit biases — attitudes that unconsciously and automatically influence our thoughts, actions and behaviours.

Imagine if you see a 12-year-old Singaporean.

If I describe him as a Chinese boy wearing a well-pressed school uniform, you would probably assume he is smart and likely to be the top student in his school.

But if I describe him as Malay boy wearing sports attire, you would likely guess that maybe he is not doing so well in school and probably plays football on the school team.

The commonality is that they are both 12-year-old Singaporeans. 

Yet with a simple description of their attire and race, we made a quick judgement. This is our implicit bias at work.

Implicit bias can result in intergroup preferences such as favouring one’s own group or the group that is valued by the mainstream. 

Most critically, implicit bias influences the way we behave, think and feel about others.

Even if we are not favouring our own group, mainstream culture seems to guide us into making assumptions — Chinese = study; Malay = play football.

THERE IS HOPE

Despite this, implicit biases, whether positive or negative, are malleable and the good news is that we can reshape our beliefs with new associations.

One study found that exposure to admired individuals of the prejudiced group can reduce this bias. 

So if we hear stories of Malay students doing well in school, or of the Chinese stars in our national football team, these can change our thinking.

Recent perspectives on implicit biases found that although our individual implicit biases may fluctuate greatly over time, it is actually the environment we are in that shapes these implicit biases.

So instead of joining in the debate, why not smash the stereotypes by taking a quiet moment to reflect on ourselves and the environments we are in?

SMASHING STEREOTYPES: START WITH YOURSELF

How can we be more aware of our implicit biases and ensure they are not influencing our thoughts, actions and behaviours?

Take a step back and challenge your own beliefs about others who are different from you, not just people from different races.  

For this to happen, you must first know who you really are and not fall back on the race or major identifier that we belong to (“is it because I’m Chinese?”).

Challenge yourself to describe who you are, devoid of labels. 

This exercise seems simple, but if you notice, many people commonly describe themselves using labels, such as “married with two kids” or their occupation, rather than describing who they are as a person.

Uncover your own daily patterns and habits, and reflect on how your experiences may have moulded your views, like how a negative perception of interracial marriages may have come about.

My non-Chinese father married my Chinese mother and although he was teased by my maternal grandparents who were not very supportive of their marriage initially, my father won them over.

My grandfather is not alive to attest to this, but I believe that back in the day, he thought that his daughter’s chances of leading a good life would be better if she was with someone of the same race because of the value of hard work that was associated with the early Chinese immigrants who came to Singapore.

My father showed these attributes were beyond race and quit his musician career to pursue his degrees.

Having a better understanding of yourself and your own family history will help you to gain greater perspective to see others for who they truly are and smash the stereotypes that you have been wrongly holding on to, while still staying true to your culture and heritage.

SMASHING STEREOTYPES: CHANGING THE ENVIRONMENT

In the social groups we belong to, let’s be proactive in getting rid of stereotypes to change the environment.

If you hear a derogatory term used to describe a particular race at home, start a conversation instead of laughing it off as a joke. 

Explain to your children why it is not right to make fun of others because of their race.

If you feel you are being marginalised or given an unfair advantage because of race, speak up and start a conversation or take action (like my father did) to challenge the status quo. 

Spread the right values so that you can avoid perpetuating stereotypes and even passing implicit biases to the next generation.

Unlike many others, I had to challenge racial ideals from a young age. 

I am of mixed heritage and I am classified as, “Others, please specify” on official documents here in Singapore.

Ever since I was young, I never identified with any race or culture. 

I could never (and still do not understand) why I need to tick “Others” on official documents and what it has to do with anything.

Most importantly, I have learnt to leave that racial classification solely on official documents — it is the only place it belongs. 

Just because we have to tick boxes to identify with racial groups, it doesn’t mean we need to stay within these boxes.

Being of mixed heritage does not give me a “hall pass” for racial biases — it actually makes me more aware of different cultures and reminds me about how much more I have to learn about others.

The best thing we can do is to start conversations about race, take actions that go against stereotypes and learn from each other. 

Change the environment and challenge our own implicit biases.

Focus on the similarities, not the differences.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dr Emily Ortega is the head of psychology programme at the Singapore University of Social Sciences.