Racism in the Electronic Age: Role of Online Forums in Expressing Racial Attitudes About American Indians

This study investigated racial attitudes about American Indians that are electronically expressed in newspaper online forums by examining the University of North Dakota's Fighting Sioux nickname and logo used for their athletic teams. Using a modified Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) metho...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cultural diversity & ethnic minority psychology 2010-07, Vol.16 (3), p.362-371
Main Authors: Steinfeldt, Jesse A, Foltz, Brad D, Kaladow, Jennifer K, Carlson, Tracy N, Pagano, Louis A, Benton, Emily, Steinfeldt, M. Clint
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
American Indians
Athletes
Attitude
Communication
Female
Human
Humans
Indians, North American - psychology
Internet
Interpersonal Control
Male
North Dakota
Power
Prejudice
Privilege
Qualitative Research
Racial and Ethnic Attitudes
Racial Privilege
Racism
Sports
Sports (Attitudes Toward)
Universities
Well Being
White People
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Summary:This study investigated racial attitudes about American Indians that are electronically expressed in newspaper online forums by examining the University of North Dakota's Fighting Sioux nickname and logo used for their athletic teams. Using a modified Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) methodology to analyze over 1,000 online forum comments, the research team generated themes, domains, and core ideas from the data. The core ideas included (a) surprise , (b) power and privilege , (c) trivialization , and (d) denigration . The findings indicated that a critical mass of online forum comments represented ignorance about American Indian culture and even disdain toward American Indians by providing misinformation, perpetuating stereotypes, and expressing overtly racist attitudes toward American Indians. Results of this study were explained through the lens of White power and privilege, as well as through the framework of two-faced racism ( Picca & Feagin, 2007 ). Results provide support to previous findings that indicate the presence of Native-themed mascots, nicknames, or logos can negatively impact the psychological well-being of American Indians.
ISSN:1099-9809
1939-0106
DOI:10.1037/a0018692