You’ve seen it. Maybe it was a video of a "Karen" in a park, or perhaps a bizarrely specific casting call for a period drama. You scroll, you pause, and that one thought pops up: that’s gotta be racist. It’s basically the unofficial slogan of the modern internet. It’s a gut reaction, a meme, and a genuine social critique all rolled into one four-word sentence. But where does that feeling come from, and is the data backing up our collective intuition?
The phrase isn't just a throwaway line. It’s a tool for navigating a world where "old school" prejudice has morphed into something subtler, quieter, and often more institutional. Honestly, we’re living in a time where people are hyper-aware of optics.
We notice things.
The Psychology of the "Gotta Be" Moment
Why do we say it? Usually, it’s because our brains are pattern-recognition machines. When you see a bank deny a loan to a person with a 750 credit score because of a "zip code risk," or when a retail worker follows a specific teenager around a store, your internal alarm goes off.
It’s about the gap between what someone says and what they actually do.
Sociologists often point to "Aversive Racism." This isn't the loud, angry kind from the history books. It’s the kind held by people who believe they are egalitarian but still harbor unconscious biases. According to researchers like Dr. Samuel Gaertner and Dr. John Dovidio, this often manifests in ambiguous situations. If there’s a clear rule, people follow it. If the situation is "gray," that’s when the bias leaks out. That’s exactly when you find yourself saying, "Okay, that’s gotta be racist."
Let’s Look at the Hard Numbers
Sometimes the gut feeling is just a feeling. Other times, the numbers are so glaring that they make the phrase feel like an understatement. Let’s talk about the "Algorithm."
You might think code is neutral. It isn't.
Take the mortgage industry. A 2021 study by The Markup analyzed 2 million mortgage applications and found that lenders were 80% more likely to reject Black applicants than White applicants with similar financial profiles. When you see a middle-class family of color get turned down for a house while their peers with the same income get approved, that’s a "that’s gotta be racist" moment backed by 2 million data points.
It’s not just housing.
- Healthcare: A famous 2019 study published in Science found that an algorithm used on more than 200 million people in the U.S. to predict which patients would need extra medical care was biased. It prioritized white patients over Black patients who were actually sicker. Why? Because the AI used "cost of care" as a proxy for "health needs." Since less money is historically spent on Black patients due to systemic barriers, the AI thought they were healthier.
- Employment: The University of Chicago and UC Berkeley conducted a massive "resume study." They sent out 80,000 fake applications. Results? Names that "sounded" Black received 10% fewer callbacks than names that "sounded" White, even with identical qualifications.
These aren't just anecdotes. They are structural realities.
The Meme Culture and the "Cringe" Factor
We have to talk about the entertainment side of this. TikTok and Twitter (X) have turned the phrase into a reaction format. You see a brand release a "skin-tone" bandage that only comes in one shade of beige. Or a "urban" themed party at a university where people are wearing costumes that lean heavily into stereotypes.
The internet doesn't wait for a peer-reviewed study to call it out.
The phrase functions as a way to vent. It’s a release valve for the frustration of seeing something that feels fundamentally "off." You’ve probably noticed how brands scramble to apologize about ten minutes after a video goes viral. They know that once the "that’s gotta be racist" label sticks, it’s hard to peel off.
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But there’s a risk here.
Sometimes, the internet gets it wrong. Nuance gets swallowed by the algorithm. A person might make a genuine mistake or a cultural faux pas that isn't rooted in malice, but the speed of social media doesn't allow for a nuanced trial. This creates a "boy who cried wolf" scenario where actual, systemic issues get lumped in with minor social awkwardness.
The Economic Cost of Bias
People often treat racism as a purely social issue. It’s not. It’s a massive drag on the economy. Citigroup released a report a few years ago that is honestly staggering. They estimated that if the U.S. had closed the racial wealth gap 20 years ago, it would have added $16 trillion to the GDP.
Think about that.
$16 trillion is not a small "oops." That’s the cost of discriminatory lending, wage gaps, and unequal access to higher education. So, when people roll their eyes at the phrase that’s gotta be racist, they are often ignoring the fact that this "feeling" represents a massive loss of wealth and opportunity for the entire country, not just the groups being targeted.
Why Context Is Everything
Is everything racist? No. Obviously not.
But context matters. If a security guard asks to see a receipt from one person but lets five others walk past, that’s a context clue. If a doctor dismisses the pain levels of a Black woman—a well-documented phenomenon known as the "weathering" effect—that’s a context clue.
The phrase acts as a bridge. It connects a specific, localized event to a much larger, historical pattern. It’s a way of saying, "I see what’s happening here, and I know it’s not an isolated incident."
Moving Beyond the Gut Reaction
So, what do we actually do with this? Just saying the phrase doesn't change the mortgage algorithms or the healthcare AI.
We need to move from observation to audit.
If you're in a position of power—hiring, managing, or even just participating in a community—you have to look at the "gray areas." That’s where the bias lives. It’s in the "culture fit" interview questions. It’s in the way leads are assigned in a sales team.
Basically, we have to stop being surprised when the data confirms our gut feelings.
Actionable Steps for Navigating Bias
If you find yourself in a situation where you’re thinking "that’s gotta be racist," or if you want to ensure you aren't the one triggering that thought in others, here is how to handle it practically:
- Audit the Process, Not the Person: If you’re a business owner or manager, don't just "try to be better." Use data. Look at your hiring rates. Look at who gets promoted. If the numbers are skewed, the process is broken, regardless of your intentions.
- The "Flip" Test: It’s an old trick but a good one. If you replaced the person in the scenario with someone of a different race, would the reaction be the same? If the answer is no, you’ve found the root of the problem.
- Support Transparency: Support laws and policies that require transparency in AI and lending. We can't fix what we can't see. When companies are forced to show their work, the "gray areas" tend to disappear.
- Listen to the "Gripe": When people use this phrase, don't get defensive. Ask why. What pattern are they seeing that you might be missing? Often, those who are most affected by a system are the first to notice when it’s malfunctioning.
The phrase isn't going anywhere. As long as there is a gap between our stated values and our actual outcomes, we’re going to keep calling it out. The goal isn't to stop saying it; the goal is to build a world where we don't have to say it so often.
Start by looking at the data in your own circle. Check your own biases. And maybe, just maybe, we can start closing that $16 trillion gap.
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