Social Experiment

[steppinthrax]

I decided one day to do this little experiment on how people are actually treated in society. Essentially I did this.

I found a couple of rooms for rent advertisements in the local newspaper.

I had my black friend call the advertisement to see if the room was available. The person said no it is not available.

I had my Arabic friend call the SAME EXACT advertisement to see if the room was available. The person replied back that it was available and the rent was actually 1,800 instead of the 1,200 that was advertised. Stated it was a mistake.

I had a young white woman contact the advertisement and he said yes the room was available and when asked about the rent he stated it was 1,200 (the advertised).

Finally I called and acted like an educated white business man that needs a place to stay and I noticed the person was very nice the courteous and he of course said the room was available.

I of course spaced this out during the day so that it doesn?t look obvious and they did it from their own phones so that the person doesn?t know.

Let?s just consider the rare (lol) possibility that the room was available one min and not the other because of whatever possible reason. Well in that case I tried this on 20 rooms for rent using the same method of experimentation and out of those 7 of those rooms did what was described earlier (back and forth statements).

Also we tried to limit ourselves to just private small landlords. Like if I had a room for rent type of thing instead of major housing developments.

 

[Aisengard]

This sounds familiar, and familiar like I read it before. If this is someone else's writing, don't plagiarize.

 

[steppinthrax]

Originally posted by: Aisengard
This sounds familiar, and familiar like I read it before. If this is someone else's writing, don't plagiarize.

No, This is an experiement that I did over the course of 4 days. I wanted to know if the housing opportunity is actually equal. I'm just curious on what are people's view on this?

 

[Genx87]

Originally posted by: steppinthrax

Originally posted by: Aisengard
This sounds familiar, and familiar like I read it before. If this is someone else's writing, don't plagiarize.

No, This is an experiement that I did over the course of 4 days. I wanted to know if the housing opportunity is actually equal. I'm just curious on what are people's view on this?

I call shens

 

[Aisengard]

No, it's not your work because it's already been done long ago, with the exact same method and the exact same results. Now, if you want to discuss the outcome of THAT study then by all means make a post on it, and link to the work so others can read it. But don't take credit for it, that's called plagiarism and I think the rules state that plagiarism is specifically prohibited on this forum.

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

I think John Stossel did this on 20/20

 

[Genx87]

Originally posted by: Whoozyerdaddy
I think John Stossel did this on 20/20

This is the best interview ever by John Stossel imo.

Stossel

 

[palehorse]

Originally posted by: Genx87

Originally posted by: Whoozyerdaddy
I think John Stossel did this on 20/20

This is the best interview ever by John Stossel imo.

Stossel

LOL! that's great!

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

Originally posted by: Genx87

Originally posted by: Whoozyerdaddy
I think John Stossel did this on 20/20

This is the best interview ever by John Stossel imo.

Stossel

ahahahahahaha... that never gets old

 

[brandonb]

I'll make a stab at this question.

My thoughts on it are as followed:

People who rent out their rooms or houses need to find someone they are comfortable with. Its not a crime. If its a room, then obviously the renter is probably living there as well. They are gonna want to pick someone they'd want to be around alot. If the person was white, and a black person called, they might not feel comfortable with a black person. Its not a crime. Same with other types. If it was a young lady, well, you know, the horny guy will of course be open to it.

All it proves to me, is that regardless of how much society tries to teach us diversity is strength and we should love one another... There is a fundamental instinct in each of us that we are more comfortable with people like us vs people that are not like us. Be it race, religion, morals, ethics, etc. With renting you want who you are comfortable with. It doesn't suprise me that things like this happen.

 

[steppinthrax]

When was this done? I had no clue this was already done. But anyway I did it last week. I guess no one wants to talk about it??

 

[steppinthrax]

Originally posted by: Aisengard
No, it's not your work because it's already been done long ago, with the exact same method and the exact same results. Now, if you want to discuss the outcome of THAT study then by all means make a post on it, and link to the work so others can read it. But don't take credit for it, that's called plagiarism and I think the rules state that plagiarism is specifically prohibited on this forum.

I guess if you want to make accusations on no evidence that is OK. But first I didn't know this was previously done. And if it was so. If someone does the same study again it doesn?t mean that I'm plagiarizing. As a matter of fact that is something called research and social science. I guess you were one of those people that disagree with this experiment.

 

[steppinthrax]

Originally posted by: brandonb
I'll make a stab at this question.

My thoughts on it are as followed:

People who rent out their rooms or houses need to find someone they are comfortable with. Its not a crime. If its a room, then obviously the renter is probably living there as well. They are gonna want to pick someone they'd want to be around alot. If the person was white, and a black person called, they might not feel comfortable with a black person. Its not a crime. Same with other types. If it was a young lady, well, you know, the horny guy will of course be open to it.

All it proves to me, is that regardless of how much society tries to teach us diversity is strength and we should love one another... There is a fundamental instinct in each of us that we are more comfortable with people like us vs people that are not like us. Be it race, religion, morals, ethics, etc. With renting you want who you are comfortable with. It doesn't suprise me that things like this happen.

It dosen't matter the matter of the fact is that this goes against the Fair Housing Act of 1968. You can't refuse anyone regardless of race/sex etc....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Housing_Act

 

[brandonb]

Originally posted by: steppinthrax

It dosen't matter the matter of the fact is that this goes against the Fair Housing Act of 1968. You can't refuse anyone regardless of race/sex etc....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Housing_Act

Thats fine and dandy... However, if I'm renting out a place, and I don't want someone in my house renting with or without me, then they aren't gonna be there, its as simple as that. And yes, I can refuse them. Its my house, my living arrangements, I make the call. I'm not going to let some law force me into having someone in my house that I don't feel comfortable with. If there was an issue, like I'm being sued (I'd never rent but its besides the point) I could make up any story I wanted to get around it... It could be as simple as saying he/she looked at my kids funny, so thats why I didn't rent to them.

I'm sorry your black friend got discriminated against and your other non white race friends, but unfortunately if they want to improve that, they need to pick up the ball and do something on their part to change the perception. That or find a non white to rent from.

 

[shrumpage]

Originally posted by: steppinthrax

Originally posted by: brandonb
I'll make a stab at this question.

My thoughts on it are as followed:

People who rent out their rooms or houses need to find someone they are comfortable with. Its not a crime. If its a room, then obviously the renter is probably living there as well. They are gonna want to pick someone they'd want to be around alot. If the person was white, and a black person called, they might not feel comfortable with a black person. Its not a crime. Same with other types. If it was a young lady, well, you know, the horny guy will of course be open to it.

All it proves to me, is that regardless of how much society tries to teach us diversity is strength and we should love one another... There is a fundamental instinct in each of us that we are more comfortable with people like us vs people that are not like us. Be it race, religion, morals, ethics, etc. With renting you want who you are comfortable with. It doesn't suprise me that things like this happen.

It dosen't matter the matter of the fact is that this goes against the Fair Housing Act of 1968. You can't refuse anyone regardless of race/sex etc....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Housing_Act

I had to do some research in to this type a stuff a few years ago, used to rent out a couple of rooms. Basically when it comes to rooms, as oppose to a dwelling, people are allowed to be biased.

 

[steppinthrax]

Originally posted by: brandonb

Originally posted by: steppinthrax

It dosen't matter the matter of the fact is that this goes against the Fair Housing Act of 1968. You can't refuse anyone regardless of race/sex etc....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Housing_Act

Thats fine and dandy... However, if I'm renting out a place, and I don't want someone in my house renting with or without me, then they aren't gonna be there, its as simple as that. And yes, I can refuse them. Its my house, my living arrangements, I make the call. I'm not going to let some law force me into having someone in my house that I don't feel comfortable with. If there was an issue, like I'm being sued (I'd never rent but its besides the point) I could make up any story I wanted to get around it... It could be as simple as saying he/she looked at my kids funny, so thats why I didn't rent to them.

I'm sorry your black friend got discriminated against and your other non white race friends, but unfortunately if they want to improve that, they need to pick up the ball and do something on their part to change the perception. That or find a non white to rent from.

People copy DVDs, pirate software and download MP3s every day it's just that people rarely get caught. I personally give everyone an equal chance until I find otherwise. The law is one the landlord's side for making claims if someone damages or causes problems with your property.

One thing you said gets me is that "they need to pick up the ball and do something on their part to change the perception" I highligted their part because it seems almost like your saying the reason why people are rejecting them ovbiouslly based on their stereotypes is becuase they did it to themselves. So if that is the logic does many things. First it re-enforces stereotypes and second it's almost like your saying they need to change their behavior/voice to fit it with what those discriminators want to hear/see. So your acknowledging the existence of the black, white, asian and generally any other ethnicity mentality.

 

[magomago]

I beleive it. On campus people will write housing ads entirely in one language just so anyone outside of that language cannot call. I've been thinking for a long time to respond to the nuimerous chinese ads just to see the response when they say "How did you get this number!"

I think its wrong...but we have to move slowly and stuff like this doesn't change easily..

But if you call to ask about an apartment, you have to realize that how you present yourself is HUGE because the land lord doesn't want the place trashed. When your black friend called, did he act like a stereotypical rapper? You have to realize that leaves an impression. If anything, have him call back and be very polite and act curteous...its amzing how you can have a different reply.

Reminds me of a guy once whom I talked to: he and his friend went to mexico. The former was mexican and the latter was a white US citizen. When they were coming back the forner dressed nicely, shaved, and presented himself well and was able to pass without a problem...latter LOST his passport in mexico somewhere and they would NOT let him pass simply because of his appearance!

The moral of the story is you always need to present yourself well. If you called again and acted like an obnoxious person who might be shady in making payments I'm sure the place wouldn't be available.

 

[r6ashih]

They have also done this experiment with mortgage/loan applications. All things being the same, having an ethnic name would be the factor that rejected you as opposed to having a white name.

 

[brandonb]

Originally posted by: steppinthrax

One thing you said gets me is that "they need to pick up the ball and do something on their part to change the perception" I highligted their part because it seems almost like your saying the reason why people are rejecting them ovbiouslly based on their stereotypes is becuase they did it to themselves. So if that is the logic does many things. First it re-enforces stereotypes and second it's almost like your saying they need to change their behavior/voice to fit it with what those discriminators want to hear/see. So your acknowledging the existence of the black, white, asian and generally any other ethnicity mentality.

Let's take a look back before civil rights. You had black families who thought they were just as good as white families. They'd try their best to prove the whites wrong. So they did everything in their power to do so... Is that a bad thing? I don't think so. I think they were better off before civil rights than they are now with their broken families, gansters, drugs, etc.

And yes, many stereotypes are based off what the group of people have done to themselves... Do you think stereotypes exist of what the group does, or is it purely fiction? There's truth to all stereotypes.

change their behavior/voice to fit it with what those discriminators want to hear/see

Yes, if their discriminators are their landlords, then I'd expect them to change their behavior to fit what the landlord wants. I do it in my house. I'm renting from a white guy and I'm white... However, theres certain things he requires of me to make the situation comfortable for him. I have to honor it if I want to remain a renter. If I don't do them, I have to hit the road. I have to go out of my way to change his perception and make him happy... Its just a fact of life.

And yes, I do acknowledge the existance of the races. To do otherwise you are lying to yourself. Take for example, different breeds of dogs have different traits. Pitbulls, Dobermans, etc are generally known as aggressive dogs. Do you have non agressive ones? Sure. Do you treat all of them as aggressive without getting to know them? Well only if you are smart. Golden Retrievers are known as family dogs that are friendly to anybody. Are there aggressive ones? Sure... But do you treat them different than pitbulls on general? I'd say most do... Other dogs better hunting dogs, and others disciplined police dogs. Do I need to go on? Does that make any breed "better" than the other? Nope. They are just different and have different traits. I realize it, and we humans are no different. To say otherwise then you aren't thinking logically. But when we use dogs for our example, everything is ok because they are dogs. But somehow when it comes to human races, things change?

Irish are known for being feisty... Is it true? Maybe, maybe not... I assume there is some truth to it if they have that stereotype.

 

[piasabird]

My wife is asian and I have seen how she has been treated differently by police. She was stopped once driving my truck with a box in the back because the cops wanted to accuse her of being a terrorist. I have seen the same thing with some Black people I know. Anyone that is different is shunned and not treated properly. Of course my friend cut through East St Louis one time and they would yell at him because he was white. So this kind of thing happens to many people.

When one group of society gets a noteriety for being lawless and basically thugs and criminals it is a hard thing to overcome. When you see a lot of crime happening in big cities and a large percentage is being committed by minorities, then it is logical to shun them. This is to a large extent affected how the Media covers crime. We would be better off not broadcasting any video for criminals, and not mentioning that a suspect is Black, hispanic, or even a red-neck. I have been watching this in America for a long time and to me it seems that many groups in the USA have a lower regard for traditional values and are more accepting of minorities committing crimes and are willing to make any excuse for these minority criminals.

It is time to start teaching higher standards to the youth of America.

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

Originally posted by: shrumpage

Originally posted by: steppinthrax

Originally posted by: brandonb
I'll make a stab at this question.

My thoughts on it are as followed:

People who rent out their rooms or houses need to find someone they are comfortable with. Its not a crime. If its a room, then obviously the renter is probably living there as well. They are gonna want to pick someone they'd want to be around alot. If the person was white, and a black person called, they might not feel comfortable with a black person. Its not a crime. Same with other types. If it was a young lady, well, you know, the horny guy will of course be open to it.

All it proves to me, is that regardless of how much society tries to teach us diversity is strength and we should love one another... There is a fundamental instinct in each of us that we are more comfortable with people like us vs people that are not like us. Be it race, religion, morals, ethics, etc. With renting you want who you are comfortable with. It doesn't suprise me that things like this happen.

It dosen't matter the matter of the fact is that this goes against the Fair Housing Act of 1968. You can't refuse anyone regardless of race/sex etc....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Housing_Act

I had to do some research in to this type a stuff a few years ago, used to rent out a couple of rooms. Basically when it comes to rooms, as oppose to a dwelling, people are allowed to be biased.

QFT. The Fair Housing Act applies to stand alone dwellings (houses, apartments, condos) or attached rooms with private entrances. If you are renting a room in your house the Fair Housing Act doesn't apply.

 

[aidanjm]

Originally posted by: steppinthrax
I decided one day to do this little experiment on how people are actually treated in society.

ON a vaguely related note, I find that I am treated differently when I am well dressed versus the days when I can't be bothered shaving and just throw on some more casual clothes. When you are well dressed, it is "Sir, this" and "Sir, that" in stores.

 

[steppinthrax]

I came to a conclusion based on reading what others have posted in here and from my own thinking. Simply people will always stereotype it's in their nature. If you can go in a store and say I like product A over product B or say product A comes from a company that makes poor products therefore I won't even try this based on my experience. People seem to have the same thinking. They apply this "shopping" model to people in the real world. If a white guy gets muged in the street by a bunch of black dudes. He will forever have an impression that black people walking down the street are up to no good. Like the previous post. If you are dressed good and act professional people tend to treat you like so. So I guess they way things are is how things are going to stay.

 

[new22003]

Theres a commercial on the radio (for housing descrim) that did the exact same thing.

 

[beyoku]

This happens all too often. Craigslist got into a little trouble awhile ago with their home postings because of this. And in my opinion people should have to fight to disprove stereotypes. Most of those people affected by sterotypes are not even the people that fit that group. The people that fit in the stereotypical group generally dwell inside that group. Gangsters and Thugs dont interview for good paying jobs and fill own home lown apps. They dwell with other gangsters and thugs. I would hate to be interviewed by that guy for a job.