White men can't jump -- and can't be objective

[steven johnson]

Wise Latinas, like wise white justices, have inherent biases.

...Chief Justice Roberts, who once said that a judge's job is to "call balls and strikes," like a baseball umpire. The implication is that, Roberts is unbiased since most people believe that umpires are impartial

So two separate teams of economists recently studied baseball umpires. And they learned something pretty startling: An umpire is more likely to call "strike" than "ball" when he's of the same race or ethnicity as the pitcher. And as a result, your team is more likely to win if the umpire is the same race as the pitcher.

And by comparing these umpires' calls with the pitch location data recorded by computers, researchers confirmed that it's the umpire making mistakes, favoring his own group. Similar research analyzing basketball referees also found that fewer fouls are called against white players when the refs are also white.

These three independent studies all find evidence of biased decision-making in a highly scrutinized arena with clear right and wrong answers. If our biases trip us up even when making simple decisions -- like calling ball or strike, foul or charge -- then I really worry about how they may affect the more complex judgments made by any Supreme Court justice.

Whether he admits it or not, a wise white man brings a different perspective to the bench, just as much as a wise Latina woman. Biases exists. Problems arise when we are unaware of them. If we acknowledge our bias, we can to work to override it. But by ignoring the reality, we will continue to tilt our calls towards those who look like us.


Inherent bias must be acknowledged

[izzie]

1. I guess if the bias comes out of a white head it is better.

Odd people think that way. I must have grown up to opened minded for 'those other white people'. I sort of had the thought in my mind that people(all people) could rule them self. A thought that my own 'white' ancestors were willing to make a darn good try to make work. Just where are people, like these people who questioned this women, coming from? Under a rock? This is not 1700's it is 2000 plus. We are not a nation of Northern Europeans. By the way they even had blood from other places mixed into their history. The Roman army was in Europe and England for what? 500 years and that army came from the known world. Africa, Middle East so they were hardly all 'white' men and like men I am sure they inter-breed with the people they ruled. I am so sick of hearing about the 'pure' white race that is hardly pure about anything.

[ccharles000]

2. I can be objective but I don't think I can jump that high.

:hi: