THE METHOD

“…There are scientists studying…how we might be able to help brains become less racist or even prevent racism from occurring in the first place.”  Weichselbaum/HudsonBanks

SAY SOMETHING created The Method — an evidence-based training method and guide rooted in  neuroscience — for speaking out against everyday injustice and for eradicating it from systems and institutions.

(based on a lecture by Dr. Larry Sherman, Professor of Neuroscience at the Oregon Health & Science University lecture)

THE METHOD

“People who are racist think they have got more support in society than they do. If you don’t say anything they’ll continue to think that. If you do, they start to reassess.” Prof Yin Paradies from Deakin University.

“One person challenging a racist comment in a calm and measured way in a train, a bus, at a party, at work can have a profound influence on all those who witness it.” Adele Horin, Sydney Morning Herald

Say Something is dedicated to consigning injustice to history and creating a just world for all human beings. Like Martin Luther King, Jr, we believe that, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

It is, therefore, important to speak out in the face of injustice. If you witness an act of harassment, intimidation, racism, etc., Say Something.

Saying Something lets the offender know that his/her behavior and beliefs are not supported by the decent majority. It puts him/her on notice and hopefully discourages the person from repeating the behavior in the future.

Saying Something lets the target know that he/she has support. It also lets him/her know that he/she did nothing wrong and goes a long way in helping him/her process the shock and trauma.

Saying Something lets others know that they have the power to stand up to racists and bullies in order to affect change.

Here are the steps you can follow in the face of injustice:

ASSESS THE SITUATION:

Start by assessing the situation for safety. The last thing you want to do is escalate the situation and put yourself and the target in danger.

IF NOT SAFE:

Offer the target support and separate him/her from the offender — If possible, do the following:

I.   DO NOT ESCALATE

II.   ENLIST SOMEONE TO ASSIST

III.   CALL THE POLICE

IV.    DOCUMENT

 V.    REPORT

IF SAFE:

Offer the target support and separate him/her/they from the offender — If possible, do the following:

See if this is a Transforming Minds moment (teachable moment). If it is, choose the approach that you are going to take to creatively disrupt the act of injustice and transform the mind of the offender. Please stay calm.

I. CREATIVELY DISRUPT

The first step is to creatively disrupt the unjust act – put a stop to the behavior.

You do this by deliberately and creatively disrupting the thought pattern (pattern interrupt) of the offender.

The brain defaults to creating thoughts as a natural survival mechanism even though the offender is not at risk or danger.

You want to disrupt the thought pattern of the offender. Be mindful not to escalate the situation.

These are different ways to Creatively Disrupt:

  •   QUESTION
  •   HUMOR/SARCASM
  •   EMPATHY
  •   SHAME
  •   COMPLIMENT

II. TRANSFORM MINDS

The second step is to transform the mind of the offender by engaging in brain stimulation. The goal is to generate neutral or positive emotions by introducing a new thought or perspective.

These are different ways to Transform Minds:

  •   INTRODUCE FAMILIARITY
  •   EMPHASIZE SAMENESS

INTRODUCE FAMILIARITY
Say Something about the person, such as his/her/their name, place of employment, family information, or hobby.

EMPHASIZE SAMENESS (If you do not know anything about the person)
Say something positive about the person
Emphasize sameness (like being part of the same team)

III. ENLIST SOMEONE TO HELP

IV. DOCUMENT

V. REPORT

HOW DOES IT WORK? Neurological Basis for Racial or Group Prejudice

IMPLICIT BIAS

Newborn infants demonstrated no spontaneous preference for faces from either own – or other – ethnic groups. Three month old infants demonstrated a significant preference for faces from their own ethnic group.  (David J. Kelly, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom) By age four, bBoth “white” children and children of “color” have a “white” bias. 

We perceive people who are not like us as the “out group” and people in the “out group” perceive themselves as being excluded form the “in group.” There is nothing that upsets the brain more than feeling left out of something. 

THE FEAR RESPONSE

We perceive people who are not like us as the “out group” — and we FEAR people who we do not identify as being part of the “in group.” Fear is a huge driver toward prejudicial behavior. Fear is defined as an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous and likely to cause pain or a threat. Fear is an adaptive response. The reaction stems from a very primitive part of the brain. It made sense in our ancient past, but it does not make sense in a multi-national, multi-cultural society.

THE FEAR RESPONSE CAN BE REVERSED

The good news is that fear conditioning can be reversed

What is the Neural Basis for Automatic Prejudice? A response to someone new that is unfamiliar looking.

Studies show that people recognize “race,” gender, and age in milliseconds. When “white” people were shown unfamiliar “white” faces, there was distinct activation of the fusiform gyrus. (Alexandra Golby) The brain has to figure out what we are looking at. The fusiform gyrus is the part of the brain involved facial recognition. 

When “white’ subjects were shown “black” faces, there was little or no activation of the fusiform gyrus. This is referred to as the “cross ‘race’ effect.” The first area that demonstrated increased activity was the amygdala, an area of the brain that deals with emotional responses, including fear. (Elizabeth Phelps, Susan T, Fiske)

The amygdala is controlled by the frontal cortex. So, we can overcome the response using different strategies – so we don’t respond violently to someone just because they look different than us. 

INTRODUCE FAMILIARITY

Showing “white” people famous “black” faces did not elicit activation of the fusiform gyrus and showed no increased activity in the amygdala. (Alexandra Golby)

Showing “white” people an unfamiliar face with prior information about the person – like name, place of employment, family information, or hobby – for as short as 20 to 30 seconds – changed the response.

In sum, a little familiarity with the subject makes you look at the person as someone who is not a threat.

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