SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGISTS USE the term “infrahumanization” to describe the subtle belief that some people are slightly less human than others. This belief is particularly insidious because it goes beyond the scope of individual prejudice and affects how we see entire people groups.
We see this “less human” bias shown in the news cycles focused on the trauma in Gaza. While many of us are dismayed by news reports, we might also subconsciously believe that Palestinians grieve the loss of children and loved ones a little less than we do.
Here in the United States, some medical professionals falsely believe that Black women have a higher pain tolerance. This bias can lead to devastating medical neglect, as Black women die giving birth at a rate two to three times higher than that of white women.
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