New York Times on Blacks and Shootings

[EnochGale]

I was watching the Today Show this morning with Katey Couric and she interviewed two scientists who report that college students in computer game like experiments, shoot blacks incorrectly more than white when NOT carrying a gun.

Even black students did it. I also saw the story in the newspaper.

So what do folks think of this? I think they said it was because of the Diallo situation and sometimes black cops are shot by white cops by accident.

 

[ATTICUS]

Do you remember Jesse Jackson's comment about breathing a sigh of relief when he realized that two white boys, not blacks, were walking up behind him? Social conditioning (predjudice), and real life experiences are two factors that come into play.

 

[Fred S]

Sounds like some crappy science to me, made just for shows like Katie's.

 

[MeekAndMild]

There is evidence available that people cannot read emotional expressions on a dark face as well as on a light face. doesn't matter what is the race, it has to do with the amount of contrast between the skin and the wrinkles and the background et cetera, the amount of light reflected and the ability of the eye to process ambiguous information. A dark person has to make broader facial gestures to register on the eye.

Ability to see contrast decreases with age and with darkness of the environment.

Personally, even in a well lit room I have more difficulty reading milder anger versus fear versus hilarity, which each produce different patterns of muscle movement around the eyes without so much mouth and lip movement.

 

[Armando B]

There is evidence available that people cannot read emotional expressions on a dark face as well as on a light face

Dogs have the same problem....that's why it was so ridiculous when they wanted that police dog fired for being "racist"!
(remember?)

 

[one-shot-one]

appearance

maybe i'm weird but i think i react to the way people are dressed and behave more than by race, i know that will bring on some dissent but it is the truth. if you do not want to be treated like a gang banger or low life then don't dress like one, regardless of race. i'm not saying every one should be in sunday dress every day but if you try to look like the guys selling dope on "Cops" then do not complain if i do not want you around me. i would rather have someone of a different race dressed nice near me than someone of my race dressed (imo) to elicit a negitive reaction.