Implicit Bias & Storytelling
A father and son get in a car crash and are rushed to hospital.
The father dies. The boy is taken into the operating theatre and the surgeon says,
“I can’t operate on this boy, because he’s my son.”
How is this possible?*
What is Implicit Bias?
Implicit bias refers to the unconscious associations our minds make which cause us to have preconceived opinions about someone based on stereotypes narratives that society perpetuates. When these stereotype narratives influence our decision making, thoughts, and attitudes, unconsciously, this is implicit bias in operation.
Credit: Science Insider.
Harvard's Implicit Association Test (Project Implicit) was designed to give a score for how much an individual is being swayed by their implicit biases, however, it is an imperfect and variable measure.
Implicit Bias Training is similarly inconsistent - awareness is not in itself an intervention.
Current training measures which focus solely on raising awareness have had uncertain and sometimes troubling outcomes. However, implicit bias is real and deliberate measures taken to directly tackle the systemic nature of implicit bias are proving effective.
This methodology and toolkit are designed to actively undermine bias at each stage of a production.
What is Storytelling?
A story is an account of fictional or historical people and events. Storytelling then refers to the act of sharing this story with others. The sharing process might be orally, through the written word, through visual or pictorial images, or through performance. Regardless of medium, storytelling has a powerful influence over us.
The Storytelling Animal
Esteemed historian Yuval Noah Harari proposes that storytelling, and our uniquely human affinity with fiction, have been foundational to our evolution. Harari argues that humans currently live in a world primarily constructed through, and governed by, shared stories.
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Storytelling has such a powerful influence over us that it has been shown to shape our 'attitudes, beliefs and behaviours'. The way our brains respond to story (written story in particular) is also discussed in the BBC's How Stories Shape Our Minds clip (below).
Why does Implicit Bias matter in Storytelling?
'People think that stories are shaped by people. In fact, it's the other way around.'
Eloquently expressed by Sir Terry Pratchett, and confirmed by science (in a way), stories do appear to have the power to influence the way we experience ourselves and the world around us.
Credit: BBC Ideas.
Implicit bias in storytelling is significant for two key reason: symbolic annihilation, and stereotype threat.
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But first, are our stories really that biased?
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The Gena Davis Institute for Gender in the Media says: Yes!
Their studies consistently reveal significant gender disparities, including:
- There is a 2:1 gender imbalance in named, speaking roles (2018).
- Male STEM characters outweigh female (62.9% : 37.1%) (2017).
- In films, comments made by characters that refer to appearance are directed at women five times more often than at men (2014).
- Women accounted for just 16% of characters in leadership roles (2019).
- Female leaders are four times more likely to appear nude than male leaders (2019).
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The Theatre Casting Toolkit, launched in 2019, also provides a substantial online resource library with links around gender, race, disability and other intersections for consideration in relation to representation.
Graphic Credit: Directors UK’s report Cut Out of the Picture: A study into the gender and inequality amongst directors within the UK film industry, published in 2016.
Stereotype Threat
Credit: Matt Mignogna.
If you are part of a negatively stereotyped group, that stereotype - whether you consciously believe it or not - influences the way you think and behave.
This is particularly true when you are in a situation where you risk confirming the stereotype about the category you fall into.
Symbolic Annihilation
Indirectly, stories shape our reality.
We look to the media we consume to help us understand and make sense of the world. Our minds absorb shortcut associations we find in the media to help us navigate the world more efficiently.
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However, our stories contain and perpetuate bias.
They represent a limited, unbalanced version of reality that is predominantly: Caucasian, cisgender, male-dominated, heteronormative, neurotypical and ableist.
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Anyone who doesn't conform to these identity boxes is side-lined in the narrative.
When a social group is not represented, or under-represented in the media, this is called 'symbolic annihilation'.
Additionally, these underrepresented groups, when depicted, are often portrayed as the dominant group sees them. This leads to stereotype narratives being perpetuated.
Credit: Maddie Wheeler.
*PS. The surgeon was the boy's mother, of course.