Podcast
Rap on Trial
Source:
NPR: Hidden Brain
June 12, 2017
Category:
Psychology
This week on Hidden Brain, we'll meet Tosin and explore his case from all sides. We'll also consider what criminologist Charis Kubrin sees as a troubling rise in prosecutions that use rap lyrics to bolster claims that a defendant is violent.
Isaiah's Description:
The case presented in the podcast reveals that predisposed stereotypes of people play a big role in the courtroom and throughout the justice system. Further, these stereotypes affect the way we perceive their cultural products and behaviors which oftentimes skews our perception of fact and reality.
This is one example of how negative stereotypes affect the processes of policing and trial. These same negative stereotypes are present beyond the justice system and affect how we interact with the black community in everyday life.
Building an understanding of these negative stereotypes empowers us and others to counter them and build strategies to help debunk them, especially for the sake of argument with those who hold them.