Abstract
About this title: Can you tell the color of someone's skin from the tone of their voice?
It's an old story that people make judgments, even discriminate against others, based upon how they look. But there is some intriguing new research to suggest that most of us can and do make a determination about someone's race based solely upon the sound of their voice. According to the experts, discrimination is possible even if the people involved can't see each other. We all make judgments based on voices over the telephone. One of those judgments is race. Stanford linguistics professor John Baugh says that even though we're loath to admit it, most Americans can and do determine race over the telephone and most of the time we get it right. While the term may be new, “linguistic profiling” and the controversy surrounding it is not – what can be racist is how individuals act upon that information.
This 20/20 Downtown segment shows how linguistic profiling can become a form of racism when you then deny someone a job, an apartment or anything else based on what race you think they are. That’s not just wrong, it’s illegal.
About the series: The ABCs of Discrimination is a series of hard-hitting ABC News exposés that explore all types of discrimination – on the street, at home, in the workplace, on the phone, in the courtroom – and are excellent discussion starters.
It's an old story that people make judgments, even discriminate against others, based upon how they look. But there is some intriguing new research to suggest that most of us can and do make a determination about someone's race based solely upon the sound of their voice. According to the experts, discrimination is possible even if the people involved can't see each other. We all make judgments based on voices over the telephone. One of those judgments is race. Stanford linguistics professor John Baugh says that even though we're loath to admit it, most Americans can and do determine race over the telephone and most of the time we get it right. While the term may be new, “linguistic profiling” and the controversy surrounding it is not – what can be racist is how individuals act upon that information.
This 20/20 Downtown segment shows how linguistic profiling can become a form of racism when you then deny someone a job, an apartment or anything else based on what race you think they are. That’s not just wrong, it’s illegal.
About the series: The ABCs of Discrimination is a series of hard-hitting ABC News exposés that explore all types of discrimination – on the street, at home, in the workplace, on the phone, in the courtroom – and are excellent discussion starters.
Collection
Subject
Discrimination -- United States, Discrimination in employment -- United States, Prejudices -- United States, Race discrimination -- United States, Racism -- United States, Sex discrimination against women -- United States, Age discrimination in employment -- United States, Physical-appearance-based bias -- United States, Prejudice -- United States, Social Discrimination -- United States, Age discrimination in employment, Discrimination, Race discrimination
Series
The ABCs of Discrimination
Duration
00:10:39 (HH:MM:SS)
Language:
English
Target or Intended Audience
higher education, college
Copyright Holder
| Name | Trainer's Toolchest |
| Role | publisher |
| Telephone | 877-288-6657 |
| Address | 403 Gardenia Lane Buffalo Grove, IL 60089 |
| [email protected] |
Copyright Date
2009-01-01
Rights Declaration:
This video is protected by copyright. You are free to view it but not download or remix it. Please contact the licensing institution for further information about how you may use this video.
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Metadata