I'm reading through a book on unintentional bias, Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People. Did you know we have an actual blind spot in each eye? I didn't. And that is the premise of the book in a nutshell.
These scientists explore our hidden biases, the ones we swear we don't have. These are the prejudices that give a better evaluation to a John than a Juan, that hire a Robert over a Roberta. Even as we work hard to be unbiased, this science shows it to be almost impossible.
I haven't gotten to the end of the book, so I don't know if they propose a solution to overcome what is too deep to see. Perhaps it is like the blind spot in our eye...we will never be able to stop it from happening. And the irony is that while every human has it, it is different for each culture, for each place in the world.
Much conversation today is the justification of our behavior and the absolute insistence that we are not prejudiced in any way. Perhaps the better phrase is not "intentionally prejudiced" in any way. Because the blind spot is there. We just can't see it...to be cliche...
Living into radical hospitality demands the acknowledgment of the blind spot. That, in turn, requires listening to those who challenge our behaviors.
They probably see what we cannot.
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