Racial Resentment, Ambivalent Sexism, and Christian Nationalism Predict Perceptions of Black Lives Matter Protesters as Criminals

• In Event: Social Movements and Criminal Justice: Movement Impacts and Perspectives on Advocacy

Abstract

U.S. history is full of examples where the powerful commit to an ideological position or course of actions up front and only later rationalize their commitment to protecting their interests. Scholars have theorized this principle may apply to public opinion of Black Lives Matter (BLM). People ideologically aligned with the status quo recognize BLM threatens the status quo, causing them to reflexively oppose BLM. Because BLM opposition is an intuitive rather than conscious process for many, they may struggle to understand why they oppose BLM. Thus, they may gravitate toward framings of BLM that allow them to ex post facto rationalize their opposition. Conservative moral ideas about criminals are useful here because they provide individuals with a socially acceptable reason for protecting the status quo, thereby helping them maintain their (self) image of being a good person. Results from a national sample show three different measures of alignment with the status quo—racial resentment, ambivalent sexism, and Christian nationalism—are positively associated with viewing BLM protesters as opportunistic individuals using social justice advocacy as a pretext to engage in criminalized behavior with impunity.

Authors

• Alexander H. Updegrove, University of North Texas

• Carlene Barnaby, Kingsborough Community College, CUNY

• Maisha Cooper, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte

• Ahram Cho, New Mexico State University