Implicit bias is the bias you didn’t know you have. It’s:
- the engineer you thought didn’t have social skills
- the woman you thought was a designer
- the man of color walking toward you at dusk who you deem a threat
- the kid who looked so young you treated them like they didn’t understand what was going on around them
It’s this stereotyping that humans used to judge danger in far less certain times. It was, and can still be, a useful tool to assess situations quickly. In times where there is no danger, thought, implicit bias can cause trouble for you and those around you.
We all have biases like this. No matter how hard you try, they will always be in your head. The only way to fight is to understand your own biases and assumptions and work to counteract them.