White guilt is a sociological and social psychological phenomenon that refers to a collective taking of responsibility by the dominant group for perpetrating past injustices. The phenomenon of white guilt is usually associated with greater support for affirmative action and other activist approaches to mitigating the effects of racism. Therefore, white guilt can be perceived as a desirable or positive variable that can predict pro-social behavior. Indeed, research has shown statistically significant correlations between perceived white guilt and low levels of prejudice against people of color (Swim and Miller). Likewise, there is strong support in academic literature that white guilt is associated with more support for affirmative action programs (Gunn and Wilson). White guilt is also associated with the acknowledgment of the existence of white privilege, which is the phenomenon of whites benefitting from their social status (Iver, Leach and Crosby; Swim and Miller). The experience of white guilt is...
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