Valerie Purdie-Vaughns on Unintentional Bias | Big Think

1. 

   @AmericanTravelers

   January 16, 2026 at 12:39 am

   Oh brother.

2. 

   @edugator2242

   January 16, 2026 at 12:39 am

   “Biases outside of our awareness.”

   This is the problem with science. When you can make statements like this and call it science, you are manipulating science to fit your end goal.

   How do you measure bias outside of my consciousness?

   You cannot.

   You should be scared of any “science” that claims it can.

3. 

   @wszechbytdoskonay3071

   January 16, 2026 at 12:39 am

   Racial Separatism is the Future! Fuck "multiculturalism" and race mixing!

4. 

   @jonnyd7165

   January 16, 2026 at 12:39 am

   Just read about her in our issue of Columbia Today. What an amazing insight. To see how we cope, what environments we are exposed, stereotypes, and bias all play a factor in who we are. I admire her observation regarding change: that paying attention to our behavior and the stress it creates is more valuable than worrying about change. Neuroscience plays critically as does organizational behavior. Seek first to understand, than to be understood.

5. 

   @fox71racer

   January 16, 2026 at 12:39 am

   I have to personally apologize for those tech companies. I am sorry the products they make are too complex and abstract for individuals who could not actually receive enough education about to understand. I would also like to take this opportunity to apologize about gravity, always weighing people down and such…

6. 

   @CHARLESHARDIN96

   January 16, 2026 at 12:39 am

   Irony: these comments!

7. 

   @jnyerere

   January 16, 2026 at 12:39 am

   So many dislikes. hmm…I wonder why. On a different note, this was definitely one of the better BigThink videos I've seen. 

8. 

   @Borzogo

   January 16, 2026 at 12:39 am

   SHE IS BLACK! Wow! Can't believe it! Let's talk about it! Wait, wait a minute people, no way… she is a woman too! DEAR LORD! So much to talk about…………………….what? What she is actually saying? Who cares right? Let's focus on the black thing.

9. 

   @Aisitt

   January 16, 2026 at 12:39 am

   I can totally relate to this. Some my friends unintentionally say racial comments or say stereotypical things about people. I do too, and it's bad, but i am conscious of it (reminding myself that i'm being ignorant). I was thrown off by that example she gave me because I thought to myself she's being extremely bias, but she was just giving an example LOL. 

10. 

    @rustile306

    January 16, 2026 at 12:39 am

    Fair point to make, not everyone is aware of how unavoidable "discriminating" is. It's far too simple minded to think that by some act of willpower that we can just change our minds about certain groups of people, however I do believe (as with so very many things) that educating people is the best way to attack unfair discrimination. When a person really believes that a certain benign trait makes someone a poor candidate for a position, they will make the decision to not hire said candidate.

    Now that being said, I don't agree with the "equality" game. People deserve equal protection under the law, and nothing further. Some are better suited for jobs, relationships, promotions, etc., and that's simply how the world works. To deny this is to deny reality and construct some sort of candyland where everyone can do anything and we're all winners. As far as not hiring a woman because she's a woman, I personally find it to be simply a bad decision on the part of the employer, because they may be passing up a good worker due to their own personal biases or insecurities. Not hiring someone because they're disabled? Sorry, but that makes perfect sense in most cases. Unless their disability isn't going to affect work performance, it's beyond reasonable to consider it.

11. 

    @garudadude

    January 16, 2026 at 12:39 am

    Well said.

12. 

    @OmniphonProductions

    January 16, 2026 at 12:39 am

    A pediatric study recently placed Kindergarteners in either red shirts or blue shirts and observed the students' behavior over the next couple of weeks.  Researchers found that those in each color eventually came to congregate exclusively with each other, and while they didn't necessarily think the other color was bad, students consistently formed the opinion that their own group was inherently better.  Enlightening or just a bit scary?

13. 

    @OmniphonProductions

    January 16, 2026 at 12:39 am

    The part about letters of recommendation MAY jump to a conclusion about correlation vs. causation.  I'd have to see the sample size in the study as well as profiles of those involved.  Remember that Statistics is the art of interpretation of data to make it match your presupposition.  To that end, assigning "subconscious bias" to somebody else's languages first requires one to subjectively assign quality to that language as a means of inferring intent that may or may not match actual intent.

14. 

    @superpie2themax

    January 16, 2026 at 12:39 am

    An interesting topic, though this video seems more like the introduction to a longer speech than a full lecture (at least so far as these videos might be called such). I would have liked there to be more listed examples as a lot of instances of unintentional bias arise from the action in question never being… well, questioned. 

    Particularly if this video was meant to precipitate change, a greater number of examples would probably have served that purpose better. Sometimes all it takes is to point out something wrong for people to change it.

15. 

    @TemporalOnline

    January 16, 2026 at 12:39 am

    What she said is TRUE and backed up by studies, why so many dislikes?!

16. 

    @killwgiles1617

    January 16, 2026 at 12:39 am

    This is so fricking important

17. 

    @PaulCHarris

    January 16, 2026 at 12:39 am

    Since there is no data provided here, she should have started this entire piece with in "my opinion". I wonder why "big think" doesn't vett out their Videos a little better than that. This is just an opinion piece.

18. 

    @sclair2854

    January 16, 2026 at 12:39 am

    I would have liked to have seen some research on it in the description at least ^^; Sorry but I never trust "We know" statements without references. Especially when it comes to psychology and complex social issues.

19. 

    @typsom

    January 16, 2026 at 12:39 am

    Most speakers on this channel DON'T cite specific examples to their argument. But a black woman does what other white men have done here and hmmm… look at all this needless nitpicking. Further to the point: stop being so entitled and seek out this research yourself if it truly interests you – learning isn't about being spoon-fed the answers – you have to seek it out. You also have to listen – so that when someone gives you the opportunity to arrive to a conclusion on your own, you take it, rather than whine that "there was no point" when there actually was.

    Interesting how her points are proven by the comment section in this video. Bill Nye makes a statement and he's a genius. Valerie Purdie makes a statement and she's not backing up her statement enough – AND she's "boring" – AND despite making several interesting points throughout the video, she somehow had no point

    some of you are outrageous

20. 

    @geocarag

    January 16, 2026 at 12:39 am

    what's the big think in this video?

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