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For black CEOs in Silicon Valley, humiliation is a part of doing business

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677 points saeedjabbar | 1 comments | 16 Jun 20 15:19 UTC | HN request time: 0.32s | source
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ahominid ◴[16 Jun 20 22:04 UTC] No.23544844[source]▶
Is it possible that when put in unfamiliar situations, people will by default direct themselves toward others who are most like themselves?

A hypothetical: Reverse all the races in the VC/CEO situation. Who would the black VC assume was the CEO?

Repeat the experiment with whichever combination of race/sex you like.

replies(3): >>23545180 #>>23545921 #>>23548789 #
1. TrackerFF ◴[17 Jun 20 07:29 UTC] No.23548789[source]▶
People base their beliefs on prior probabilities, before any new evidence is provided.

If all you've ever seen are white CEOs, then it's probably very reasonable to assume that the white guy in a meeting also is the CEO.

It's not racist, but just how your brain works on the priors.

I know that people should strive to not be assuming, but in the end, the brain is an exceptional pattern recognizer, and very much works in subconscious ways.

edit: And before anyone starts claiming racism; I'm just saying that this is how humans work. You collect data all the time, and (hopefully) update your beliefs on said new evidence.