Bias and Power Relations in Society

CUC107 Assignment 1
CUC107 Assignement1
Bias is one of the most debatable topics in today’s world. Whether we admit or not,
our thoughts and decisions are biased in one way or another (Kandola, 2013).Kandola
(2013) explains three ways of holding bias: noticing difference, priming, and in-and-out
group. Upon taking IAT (implicit Association Test), I found out that I was not an exception.
The result showed that I have moderate automatic preference for straight people compare
to Gay people. Coming from Nepal, where LGBTIQ are still struggling to get accepted in the
community, my results must have been influenced from what I have seen or heard such as
Gay people are unnatural, sinners, and wrongdoers. As Kandola (2013) has mentioned,
priming is one of the ways which influence human being without them realising that they
have been influenced. Priming must have been a way to influence my thinking
for homosexual community as well. Since my childhood, I had heard stories of how men
who were in love were gossiped and tagged as sinners in the community. My grandmother
would tell me how wrong the people were to not follow society’s
norms. Homosexual people were seen as bad people who are trying to break rules in the
society. Even though now I know those stories were not only incorrect but unacceptable,
having heard those stories during my childhood might have influenced my result.
This bias could create coercive relation of power. Cumming (2009) states that coercive
relation of power is when a dominating person, group or nation uses their power against a
weaker person, group, or nation (P.263). I work as an administrative officer at one of the
biggest hospitals at Canberra. Meeting new patients and checking their demographics on a
daily basis are very much common at my work. However, due to the bias I hold, I might
treat homosexual people differently. An incident where I had to do some paperwork with a
patient who also happened to be a gay. The way he made his gestures while talking was
different than a straight man, he was crying and getting emotional. I tried my best to get out
of that room as early as I could without realising what I was doing. I must have made him
feel unwelcomed and unheard. Such action could bring coercive power relation at my
workplace.
Collaborative relation of power refers to the empowerment generated through interaction
with other, to achieve more (Cumming, 2009). Personally, engaging with more diverse
people at my working place could help to bring collaborative relation of power. Secondly,
being more open and acting with conscious mind when encountered people from diverse
background, ideology can also help to build collaborative power at workplace. For the gay
patient I encountered at my workplace, using collaborating power relations, I should have
made him feel heard and asked nurse to have a look if he needed any assistance.
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Anisha Pokharel (S327949)