Are smart people really less racist or just better at hiding it? By SAFA JINJE

Does a high level of intellect make a person post-racial?

A new study conducted by the University of Michigan would likely beg to differ.

The investigation, which was conducted by researcher Geoffrey Wodtke, analyzed the racial position and prejudice of more than 20,000 white Americans that participated in the General Social Survey. Wodtke’s conclusion was that a high-level of intelligence is not necessarily a marker of a post-racial attitude toward society.

GEOFFREY T. WODTKE

Growing up in Bad Neighborhoods

has a Devastating and Lasting Impact

October 16, 2011

In what should come as no surprise to anyone who works with kids in tough neighborhoods we have this study from Science Daily which shows how growing up in bad neighborhoods has a Devastating Impact on kids.

ScienceDaily (Oct. 5, 2011) — Growing up in a poor neighborhood significantly reduces the chances that a child will graduate from high school, according to a study published in the current (October) issue of theAmerican Sociological Review. And the longer a child lives in that kind of neighborhood, the more harmful the impact.

In these neighborhoods you find poverty, crime, drugs, low educational achievement by parents and a pervasive belief by many that school just isn’t that important.  This is what teachers combat each and every day in these areas.

Rather, educated individuals are just as likely to be as racist as their simple-minded counterparts; they just happen to be better at masking their feelings of superiority with a veil of calculated words that at first glance boasts an enlightened attitude, but has no real resonance in reality.

“High-ability whites are less likely to report prejudiced attitudes and more likely to say they support racial integration in principle,” said Wodtke, who is a doctoral candidate in sociology. “But they are no more likely than lower-ability whites to support open housing laws and are less likely to support school busing and affirmative action programs.”

The study’s most interesting conclusion is this principle-practice paradox that appeared ever-present among the intelligent white respondents. Wodtke says that while many of the intelligent respondents would say that they are in support of creating an environment of inclusivity, they just wouldn’t do anything to level the playing field.

So what does all of this mean for society?

Well for one thing, racism and prejudicial feelings are not simply an indicator of ignorance or a personality flaw that stems from the absence of socialization. Rather, Wodtke says, these inequalities persist as a protective guard rail for the more privileged members society to stay on top.  <>

site: American Sociological Association (ASA) (2013, August 11). Smart enough to know better: Intelligence is not a remedy for racism.

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