Do Black people face obstacles in America?
“In general, people like to think that the system they live in is fair,” reflects
Jackie Chen, a social psychology professor at the University of Utah. System justification
— the human tendency to accept or defend the status quo, even if it’s damaging — is
at work.
However, Chen says, “Democrats — liberals — are more open to the idea of systemic unfairness. Republicans also care deeply about fairness but see it more like interpersonal fairness. I think if you asked the question, ‘Is it unfair to deny someone a job based on their race?’ you would have less of a partisan divide,” she said.