Love Me, Love My Dog 0
Chauncey Devega ruminates on a study that suggest racism runs even into the canine realm. A nugget:
Even presidential pets were viewed through the same lens. Tesler showed 1,000 YouGov respondents a picture of a Portuguese water dog and asked how favorably they felt toward it. Half saw the dog introduced as Bo Obama, and half as Ted Kennedy’s dog, Splash. (Both political dogs are the same breed, but the picture was of Obama’s.) Those with negative feelings toward blacks thought less of Obama’s dog.
I love dogs. Tesler’s finding that white racial resentment extends to Bo, a canine, is a sign of how damaging white racism is to those who afflicted with it. The social science suggests that the activation of white racial animus and hostility is a halo effect which extends to anyone associated with President Obama.
I understand the methodology and argument: But yet, I am still left asking how can you dislike a dog based only on his owner?
Racism runs deep in American history and consciousness (and unconsciousness), far deeper that most white folks are willing to acknowledge, let alone confront. Read the rest.
Aside:
That, in addition to the clear writing and sound scholarship, is one reason I’m so happy to have discovered Mr. Devega’s blog; it gives me a chance to look at me with a different mirror.
