The Amazing Color Changing Card Trick

[rjh01]

If you are familiar with a group of people with similar appearance and can easily tell one individual from another then you would be able to pick out a person you met once from a group of strangers (to the limit of your ability).

However if you have never met a certain group (say green coloured people), because they are only a minority group or do not mix in the same circles as you then you are likely to pick out any of that group as the person you met once.

You are likely to be familiar with people of the same groups as you are and groups that make a significant % of the population. This is because you see them every day. You are unlikely to be familiar with other minority groups. You do not see them very often. Hence this applies to minority groups.

That is why a witness of a crime done by a minority group should be asked if they are familiar with the group. If they can say yes I deal with them on a daily basis then they are as good as any eye witness. Otherwise 'do not call me I will call you.'

 

[BillyJoe]

I see what you mean. But I wonder if this effect is greater for someone who is actually prejudiced against the particular minority group. Part of what enables racism is a tendency to see the minority as a group rather than as individuals.

 

[tracer]

Another example I heard is that it is difficult for a person to ID a person of a minority group who does not belong to that minority group.

That's because you all rook arike.

 

[BillyJoe]

...didn't you mean r--k arike?


Actually, whilst at high school, I was one of a group of four friends, one of whom was Chinese. He was typically Chinese, even living in the Chinese restaurant that was his father's business. Yet I always saw him as an individual. To this day I have a natural friendly predisposition towards all Chinese people. In fact, it is almost a sort of reverse racism.

If I ever witness a robbery, he'd better not be a Chinaman!