How well-intentioned white male physicists maintain ignorance of inequity and justify inaction.
Melissa Dancy
Apriel K. Hodari
OUTLINE
“There's something else I was going to say... oh yeah, anger. It makes me angry to think about race and gender in physics because I think there's so much wrong and there's so little I can do about it. Honestly that's not a small part of why I don't plan on continuing in physics after grad school, is that I don't think I can have enough of an impact that I can be not just continuously furious with the culture that I'm stuck in.” - Ryan, white male physics graduate student
“They are the holders of power and yet they frequently position themselves as powerless to address inequity.”
…when asked what advice he would give a potential student of a minoritized faculty member Brian stated he would tell them,
“My department tends to be fairly male-dominated. … who you're going to be interacting with is mostly white men,... I would say race and gender isn't something that's part of the equation in people's interactions. I think that the people that I work with, they don't discriminate on the basis of race or gender. … I have had conversations like that with students. Like, just be aware, you will be accepted, you will be welcomed, you will be valued. No one will think for a second that you are less than in any way.”
WHICH THEME DOES THIS FIT
Locating causes of inequity in large societal systems over which they have little influence
Denying inequity is physically near them
Justifying inaction
1
2
3
WHICH THEME DOES THIS FIT
Locating causes of inequity in large societal systems over which they have little influence
Denying inequity is physically near them
Justifying inaction
1
2
3
“I'm not a very confrontational person, especially in social situations, so though it might sadden me, even if I noticed it and was like oh, that sucks, I don't know that I would necessarily do anything.” - Graduate student Leon
“I hope that I would have the moral courage to either say something or do something, but I'm not sure that I would. I tend to be fairly non-confrontational.” - Faculty Larry
“I don't want the situation to exist, but if I'm the one who solves it I'm going to have to have this discussion that's going to force me to talk about things I'm not necessarily comfortable about.” - Faculty Brian
WHICH THEME DOES THIS FIT
Locating causes of inequity in large societal systems over which they have little influence
Denying inequity is physically near them
Justifying inaction
1
2
3
WHICH THEME DOES THIS FIT
Locating causes of inequity in large societal systems over which they have little influence
Denying inequity is physically near them
Justifying inaction
1
2
3
There was a pervasive belief in the inferiority of schools that students who are not white attend. For example, faculty Mark in explaining why whites are overrepresented in physics stated
“I think the US educational system also can disfavor minority populations in substantial ways in terms of resources and what educational opportunities are available to students. It can bias towards and in some sense boost the white majority in that there could be just better opportunities for them where they live and in their communities and so forth. So I think that has something to do with it, because physics is one of those things that takes a lot of background, and that background has to go back years. You can't just start in college of course.”
WHICH THEME DOES THIS FIT
Locating causes of inequity in large societal systems over which they have little influence
Denying inequity is physically near them
Justifying inaction
1
2
3
WHICH THEME DOES THIS FIT
Locating causes of inequity in large societal systems over which they have little influence
Denying inequity is physically near them
Justifying inaction
1
2
3
“I can definitely see especially an older generation of PIs thinking that women for whatever reason are less competent at doing whatever job it is, and that probably stems from a long career of just institutionalization.” - Graduate student Leon ��“I think a lot probably in interactions among maybe older white male professors. They take a lot of heat, but I think there are some that don't take women as seriously as they should, that don't take minorities as seriously as they should.” - Graduate student Vince
“By maintaining an ideology of sexism and racism as things of the
past to be cured shortly through retirement, these men can justify to themselves not taking action to challenge and address structures of inequity.”
WHICH THEME DOES THIS FIT
Locating causes of inequity in large societal systems over which they have little influence
Denying inequity is physically near them
Justifying inaction
1
2
3
WHICH THEME DOES THIS FIT
Locating causes of inequity in large societal systems over which they have little influence
Denying inequity is physically near them
Justifying inaction
1
2
3
“There is sexism and racism, and we will never get rid of it, but I don't think it's intentional … you will always have a bias. You will always be biased by your experience and most likely your identity in one way or another.” - Graduate Student Zandar
“You're asking me what we should change here? The change is make people not biased, but that's sort of an impossible thing to do.” - Graduate Student Dan
“I think it's nearly impossible for me to remove that bias….It's something that I struggle with, and I think that we as a department always struggle with any time we do a hire.” - Faculty Chris
WHICH THEME DOES THIS FIT
Locating causes of inequity in large societal systems over which they have little influence
Denying inequity is physically near them
Justifying inaction
1
2
3
WHICH THEME DOES THIS FIT
Locating causes of inequity in large societal systems over which they have little influence
Denying inequity is physically near them
Justifying inaction
1
2
3
For example, Joe, a graduate student, in considering the impacts of race and gender in physics stated, “That's probably one of the advantages of physics is you get to work for smart people, so normally {race and gender is} not an issue.” When presented with data demonstrating race and sex-based discrimination in the STEM workplace, he attributed it to non-physicists, “Well, if you're going to be working in an industry you're going to eventually wind up working with people who are not STEM. ….So you do get some of that boy's club.” He likewise explained away any impacts in physics classes by attributing racism to non-majors taking physics classes, “Fortunately in physics nowadays they've basically quarantined physicists into major classes. I can see {racist behavior happen} if you get non-majors thrown in there.”
WHICH THEME DOES THIS FIT
Locating causes of inequity in large societal systems over which they have little influence
Denying inequity is physically near them
Justifying inaction
1
2
3
WHICH THEME DOES THIS FIT
Locating causes of inequity in large societal systems over which they have little influence
Denying inequity is physically near them
Justifying inaction
1
2
3
The framing of inequity as something that is located physically out of reach is quite problematic as it positions both the causes and solutions of sexism and racism in physics as outside the sphere of influence of these men. If they cannot acknowledge that inequity is something that exists in proximity to them, they can not even begin to use their privileged influence to dismantle it. This distancing move is also a mechanism by which these men maintain their overall ignorance. If it isn’t near them, there is nothing to be known.
Summary: Denying inequity is physically near them
- Blaming the K12 system for discouraging women and providing inadequate education to students of color�- Attributing the lack of racial diversity to the incorrect idea that most people of color live in poverty�- Arguing that sexism and racism are mostly of the past and change will occur over time without further action, especially when the current group of old white men retire.�- Attributing disparity to unequal expectations of parenting for mothers and fathers or the different choices made by women and men regarding parenting.
Summary: Locating causes of inequity in large societal systems
- Inaction is justified when sexism and racism are not noticed, even when it is clearly happening in front of them. They do not have a responsibility to acknowledge it.�- Acting would create negative consequences worse than the racism and sexism itself. Inaction is justified when acting would be uncomfortable for the individual or for the person exhibiting the racist or sexist behavior.�- Inaction is justified when one doesn’t know what to do. White men can not understand racism and sexism, they must depend on others to tell them what to do, or to take action for them. Also, sometimes there is nothing that can be done.
Summary: Justifying inaction
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