Session Thirteen Worksheet:
Discovering the Human Museum

Objective:
Unlearn bias indoctrination that breeds disconnection.

Pivot toward human solidarity.

Rethink It:
Move from Bias to Curiosity

With our tendencies to categorize social identity groups, we fall into the trappings of bias that cause us to judge and degrade instead of lifting each other up. Overcoming mind bugs and blind spots takes work. It starts with identifying our personal tendencies that have been developed in our minds based on our own past experiences.

Connection Check

• What collars have I been assigned?
• When people see me, in what categories do they automatically place me?
• Do I associate with people outside of my in-group(s)?
• What is my usual reaction to difference?
• What’s my place in the human museum?
• What are some favors I’ve been granted that I can return to support the good life for all?
• What’s my vision for society? Is it grounded in solidarity or disconnection?

Action Steps:
Move from Disconnection to Solidarity

When we acknowledge our bias, it helps us break out from it and search for familiarity and empathy. Looking for new gateways to appreciating difference, rather than seeing it as a liability or weapon, helps us dream bigger and work on the common cause of getting to the good life without leaving anyone in the basement. Try the following:

1. Visit Harvard. Pick a Harvard Implicit Test to test your perceptions of various types of differences. What did you find? How will it impact your behavior moving forward? The tests are located at https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/selectatest.html.

2. Break out the popcorn. Schedule a movie night and watch the films my students watched to test your assumptions and help you dream bigger. Check out Miss Representation, Eye of the Storm, A Class Divided, and Race—The Power of Illusion. I also recommend Michael Moore’s Sicko, Capitalism: A Love Story, and the rest of his films. You can also look up other documentaries based on the areas you want to unlearn more about. Take note of your reactions. What did you unlearn? What will you do as a result?

3. Launch your own human behavior experiment. Dress up or dress down. Do people treat you differently as a result? Spend time outside your typical in–group. What is it like for you? Talk to your friends about their outward appearance and how it affects them.

4. Interview someone different from you. Interview someone who identifies with different social identity groups than you. For example, if you are a man, you could choose to speak with a woman. If you are able bodied, speak with someone who is not. If you are Muslim, you could set up a visit with a Christian. Sketch out a few questions in advance to learn more about their experiences based on their group identifications. Reflect on what you learn and identify any intersections in your experience.

5. Dream bigger. Embrace your global citizenship. Buy your season pass to the human museum. Visiting often will set your curiosity lens in full force. Be on the lookout for finding ways to snip collars, free people from the human jail, pull people up out of the basement, and create pathways toward solidarity.