Symbolic Racism (modern-symbolic racism, symbolic prejudice) is a theorized set of beliefs in which the subject covertly or unconsciously views an entire race as symbolized by an abstract group with certain negative attributes (e.g., that set of black people who are always trying to be lazy) rather than as a collection of specific individuals (e.g., the full set of people with black skin), and in so doing dehumanizes the entire group as a whole, without being racist in a classical sense towards the individuals within that group.
The theory of symbolic racism proposes that, in response to public abhorrence of overt racism, prejudice has gone underground, finding its expression in more subtle forms, which may sometimes manifest through socialization and therefore transpire without elements of conscious awareness. According to the symbolic racism model, bigots of the current era will cloak their racist sentiments under the guise of statements or actions supposedly in defence of noble and important values.
Read more about Symbolic Racism: History, Evidence, Examples, Criticism, White Symbolic Racism in America, See Also
Famous quotes containing the words symbolic and/or racism:
“Play permits the child to resolve in symbolic form unsolved problems of the past and to cope directly or symbolically with present concerns. It is also his most significant tool for preparing himself for the future and its tasks.”
—Bruno Bettelheim (20th century)
“Few white citizens are acquainted with blacks other than those projected by the media and the so—called educational system, which is nothing more than a system of rewards and punishments based upon one’s ability to pledge loyalty oaths to Anglo culture. The media and the “educational system” are the prime sources of racism in the United States.”
—Ishmael Reed (b. 1938)