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| Down Under |
| Study finds Aussies more likely to target Muslims in shootout |
| 2008-07-16 |
| AUSSIES who find themselves under threat are more likely to shoot at Muslims, especially if they're in a good mood, a study claims. Researchers at the University of New South Wales have found that Australians perceive Muslim-style headgear as a threat, even if they don't realise they hold any prejudice. The study, published in The Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, involved 66 uni students playing a computer game in which different male and female figures appeared on a balcony. Some figures were wearing Muslim-style turbans or hijabs while others were bareheaded. Participants were asked to shoot at the targets carrying guns and spare those who were unarmed. Researchers found that those with Muslim-style headgear were more likely to be shot, even if they were carrying non-threatening items such as a They also found that while "angry" participants shot at everybody, "happy" people targeted Muslims. "It's what we predicted," said Dr Tom Denson, one of the researchers. "People in happy moods tend to rely on stereotyping more. It's like, I'm feeling good, there's no need to question things. "Muslims tend to be portrayed negatively in the media so the findings make sense, even in an otherwise tolerant western society like Australia." Dr Denson insisted the study was not about aggressive behaviour, but about automatic processes that people go through when faced with quick decisions. "These people don't really have control over their actions," he said. "They're pressing buttons really fast and forced to make split-second decisions. One thing that can help you make a split-second decision is a stereotype." Dr Denson said similar studies had been conducted in the United States, where African-Americans were more readily targeted, but that this study was the first to look at the effect a participant's mood could have on the result. To manipulate mood, students received negative, positive or neutral feedback from what they believed to be fellow students. Their happiness, anger or lack of either was then assessed by a rating scale. The study also showed that men were more likely to be targeted, a finding "consistent with other reserach findings that males are commonly seen as more threatening or dangerous". The bias to shoot was strongest for Muslim, non-Caucasian male target figures and weakest for non-Muslim, Cacausian female targets. Dr Denson did concede the addition of headgear may simply have made targets more visible and could have had a "compounding effect" on the findings. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #17 So sorry, "Bugs". |
| Posted by: Angemp Ghibelline7503 2008-07-16 23:11 |
| #16 The headline and initial paragraph are so biased I didn't read further, but it fricking screams for a control group. Did they run a similar test in, say, Qatar, to see if they'd be gunning down the proverbial Swedish grandmothers? For that matter, how do you distinguish "happy" and "angry" Aussies, let alone Qataris? As bugs would say, what a bunch of maroons. |
| Posted by: Angemp Ghibelline7503 2008-07-16 23:10 |
| #15 I'd use the criteria that the TSA uses while screening airline passengers thru the security checkpoints. I'd only shoot those with shoelaces, boxcutters, rolled up magazines, water bottles, shampoo, the turbaned or not, anything resembling an explosive, corkscrews for opening wine, religious books, anything else that could be used as a weapon. I'd be discreet and judicious while playing this video game. Another study that can be widely generalized to college students playing a computer video game in New South Wales, Australia. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2008-07-16 20:15 |
| #14 "66 university students"??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-07-16 19:56 |
| #13 Wow. People dressed like bandits get picked out in shooting situations. Illuminating. Do cell phones count as weapons doctor? "It's what we predicted," said Dr Tom Denson, one of the researchers. "Muslims tend to be portrayed negatively in the media so the findings make sense, even in an otherwise tolerant western society like Australia." Isn't that, like, your opinion man. I've seen better objectivity from cat food. This reads like bias-driven research because I could come up with different conclusions based on this article. Wonder how many wild west cowboy-bandit pictures were included...klansmen...people in ski masks... |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2008-07-16 15:54 |
| #12 Ah, the essence of Gun Control. Now we're getting down to it. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-07-16 15:47 |
| #11 Workin on it. Again I am confused. Does 'it' refer to 'trigger control' or 'getting more ammo'? |
| Posted by: gorb 2008-07-16 15:28 |
| #10 I shoot all the males first, then look over the females before shooting some of them. I use judgement and cold logic to make my choices. But I do find it difficult to stop before running out of ammo. Workin on it. |
| Posted by: wxjames 2008-07-16 14:15 |
| #9 Gorb__ perhaps you're confused by the English language oddity of turning nouns into verbs? as in... "The dog treed the cat" or "The randy mailman democrated the housewife" |
| Posted by: Flick Untervehr3664 2008-07-16 13:56 |
| #8 I bet if they were shown someone in gang clothes (Whatever that looks like in Australia) they'd get similar ratings. Same with someone in a skimask and other criminal paraphernalia. This just mean that the the Jihadists have moved the rest of their religion into the category of "keep an eye on them in case." I would suggest that any Muslims in Australia that are bothered by this (especially the Afghan and Iraqi refugees) should go to their home countries where Muslims are plentiful, and then help fix that home country. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2008-07-16 12:33 |
| #7 Aussies, we luv ya. Any turban is a certain target for me. Goin to adjust elevation for a 3 " drop at 300 yds....right twixt the bushy brows. Explosszion ! |
| Posted by: Woozle Elmeter 2700 2008-07-16 12:05 |
| #6 They should run this test where I live. We haven't played cowboys and muslims yet. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-07-16 11:56 |
| #5 "Muslims tend to be portrayed |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-07-16 08:30 |
| #4 The study also showed that men were more likely to be targeted, a finding "consistent with other reserach findings that males are commonly seen as more threatening or dangerous". More reasonable experience and common sense. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-07-16 07:28 |
| #3 Researchers at the University of New South Wales have found that Australians perceive Muslim-style headgear as a threat, even if they don't realise they hold any prejudice. That's not prejudice, it's experience and common sense. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-07-16 07:26 |
| #2 Sounds like they acted rationally. gorb, it's past tense. The present tense would be, "happy" people target Muslims. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2008-07-16 05:15 |
| #1 They also found that while "angry" participants shot at everybody, "happy" people targeted Muslims. I'm no good at identifying verb tenses and parts of speech. Would the word targeted be some kind of past tense in this case or some kind of present progressive verb? |
| Posted by: gorb 2008-07-16 04:21 |