http://www.physorg.com/news113073081.html =========================== What are your thoughts?"/> Why are white males fearless?

Why are white males fearless?

5 answers , last was 16 years ago

This study says :
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A U.S. study suggests the relative fearlessness of some white males is due to their cultural identity, and its influence on their appraisal of risks.
Yale Law School Professor Dan Kahan, who led the research, said it's been well documented that white men are less fearful of a broad array of risks than are women and minority group members. But the reasons for the phenomenon have not been clear.

Kahan and his colleagues studied risk perceptions regarding environmental issues, gun ownership, and abortion. They found the cultural identities of white men influenced their perceptions of an activity's risks.

"Individuals will subconsciously adapt their factual beliefs to their values," said Kahan. "If an activity is important to their cultural identities, they will infer it isn't dangerous; if that activity contravenes their cultural values, they will find it dangerous."

The study appears in the November issue of the Journal of Empirical Legal Studies.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International
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What are your thoughts?

Asked by Unknown Brain in Science at 9:35pm on April 20th, 2008
Unknown Brain 1518
Answered at 2:38pm on July 29th, 2008
MYTH in the garb of a research finding... nothing else
Amitesh Agarwal 1236
Answered at 1:08pm on June 9th, 2008
This study seems to be flawed! It doesn't mention the geography of study. Have the "fearless white men" even subjected to the same parameters of study in an unfamiliar scenario say in Middle East or Africa or in hostile areas and measured for their courage there? It reminds me of an old adage "In his alley even a frail dog behaves as a lion." Indeed the real test of courage takes place in unfamiliar surroundings dealing with scenarios which you haven't really faced before or trained for.
Unknown Brain 1283
Answered at 10:43pm on May 1st, 2008
isn't it racist to assume that white me don't have to fear racism, being called whores, poverty, pregnancy, or finding a hot date?
Tyler Barton 2343
Answered at 11:10pm on April 20th, 2008
I dont really understand the whole "environmental issues, gun ownership, and abortion" thing... what is this inferring, that white guys arent 'WORRIED' about global warming, their children being shot by their own gun, or... or abortions? like what, when pertaining to those particular "risk perceptions," should a person be fearful of? Is it implying that they dont fear the aspects of these things or they dont fear political or legal enforcement implications in such areas? And what aspects of those three particular items can be tied to the idea of someones "cultural identity" or "cultural values"?

I know that in the aspects or situations of my own fearlessness or fearless attitude it is because of the confidence i have in that scenario. Whether or not my confidence is blind it has nothing to do with my culture, but with what I feel I know... ie. I might get in a fight with a bigger stronger person, i may get my ass kicked, but if i feel confident (even if it turns out incorrectly so) that I will be fine I wont be worried or fearful enough to be discouraged from fighting.
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