outline

Denisha Canady

Jim Crow

Professor Young

April 10, 2017

Paper Outline

Introduction- With the help of the Government and the media, cognitive bias is constantly encouraged in American society.  The media has a habit of criminalizing minority groups while praising or sympathizing with white people.  Whenever a crime is reported on a news channel, the description of the suspect given by the news anchor can always help viewers determine the race of that person.  Because of this universal mind set, it is easier and more common for minorities to be subjected to police brutality.  Most cops already have zero respect for minorities because of the supremacy they have over them. (Side note- both white and black cops have demonstrated police brutality to minorities, so I could not use the term “white supremacy”.)  On top of that, cops are brain washed to believe that minorities are criminals, which causes them to act more aggressively towards them.  

Thesis Statement- Cognitive bias and police brutality are connected to one another because cognitive bias causes people to perceive different groups of people in, for the most part, negative ways.  This connects to police brutality because they also have a cognitive bias towards different groups of people, which influences their actions towards these people, whether it be good or bad.

Main Point 1- what is cognitive bias?

a)      Defining Cognitive bias and what it results from.

      Give example of cognitive bias from article

b)      Explain how cognitive bias effects white people

      Compare how the media uses sympathy for whites

      Give example from article

c)      Explain how minorities are negatively affected by cognitive bias and how the way they are perceived contributes to police brutality.

Main Point 2- What is police brutality?

a)      Define the term police brutality

      Explain how police have power over the people, but tend to only use their power against minorities

      Explain the history of Police brutality and where it originated from

b)      Define black codes

      Briefly explain

Main Point 3- Media’s influence

a)      Explain how the media brain washes the public to view minorities as criminals.

      List and elaborate on the terms that are used to describe minorities in the news

      Explain how a picture is never provided for a white suspect on news channels, but a mug shoe is always provided for a minority suspect. (the purpose of that tactic is to criminalize black and Latino faces)

Main Point 4- Governments influence

a)      Fully elaborate on how black codes contributed to police brutality

b)      Describe how the racist government in the past has shaped the government today, which effects the way minorities are treated to this day

Conclusion- The American Society is shaped by cognitive bias with the help of the media and the government.  They both criminalize minority groups while praising or sympathizing with white people.  In result, because minorities are criminalized, they are more likely to experience police brutality.