I spent a short amount of time (9 days, 3,000+ words) researching consumer issues related to the recent killings of black Americans at the hands of law enforcement. It was my way of redirecting some of the hurt and anger I was feeling into something constructive. Since then, I’ve stopped pursuing that idea and I don’t think I will pick it—or ideas like it—up again.
There are many elements that comprise earnest scientific pursuit. Two of the most important are bias and feedback. Both of these are problematic as it pertains to my study of race-related consumer issues.
It is best to check your biases and lenses at the door. Carrying and ignoring a bias can lead to frustration, misinterpretation, and ultimately, waste your time. Bias is such an enemy to science that research methods are constantly improving in an attempt to account for, control, or remove it from scientific inquiry.
One of my greatest biases is related to blackness. My life’s journey would have been completely different had I been born a different skin color. My blackness has colored each and every life event. Some could say that every failure and every success has been because of or in spite of my blackness. I’m not writing today to debate that.
Feedback is critical to scientific progression. Criticism from various audiences helps our work tremendously. Without it, the research that we publish would not be as refined nor as impactful as it could be. I am still learning to appreciate the value of feedback from colleagues because it can be difficult to face criticism when you have invested so much into your work.
However, the recent murders of two black citizens and 5 police officers confirmed that studying race related consumer issues would be too difficult for me. I would struggle to remove my emotional bias and inherent personal conflict from the scientific inquiry. I would also struggle to deal with criticism about the work because of my emotional attachment to it.
Granted, I have biases and emotional attachment to my current projects, but my biases and attachment to research related to race issues would be much stronger. Yes, I am sensitive to criticism now, but I am also able to face that sensitivity and appreciate the feedback that I receive. Yet, as long as black bodies continue to be killed without punishment, I doubt that I would be so appreciative of feedback that challenges any element of my race-related research.
Just look at how ABC News responds to the President of the United States’ live reaction to recent events.
Look at how the media works! pic.twitter.com/cCBgFd1U9o
— Courtney Lee (@CLJohnson_) July 8, 2016
I will do something, though. Part of what I am already doing manifests itself in my subscription business, Dapper Black Box. I believe that collective economics is an excellent tool to improve the well-being of black Americans. Admittedly, it is not an immediate solution nor is it specific to the issue of police brutality. Help me find a useful way to redirect my frustration and energy for something that can improve this serious problem.