How Social Prejudice Affects Our Society

Prejudice is an opinion or attitude about a group of people that is based upon lack of understanding or incorrect information. It is making assumptions about children and young people because they belong to a particular group. Prejudiced attitudes can all too often be found among children, even at a very young age. Research has shown that children are capable of holding prejudices and negative attitudes towards others from the age of three. There are so many pressures on children to fit in and to conform with expected appearances and behaviour that they may be discriminated against and bullied if they do not. Both discrimination and prejudice can take a range of forms and can take place for a multitude of reason and usually occurs through lack of knowledge and understanding of diversity, every childcare professional must be conscious of the fact that a child or young person will experience some form of prejudice or discrimination against them throughout their time in school. It is down to us adults to educate and teach children to understand and respect other peoples differences in order for them to grow into mature, respectful young adults, to do this, children should be encouraged to explore and discover other cultures, beliefs and the environment around them. We should be vigilant to ensure that children respect and embrace diversity. Children can experience prejudice and discrimination the same way as adults due to race, religion, age, sex, culture or ethnicity.

Prejudice is when we have a preconceived opinion about someone or a group of people that is formed without knowledge, or even a real understanding about them.

Often times our society confuses equality for equal. Although the words may look same and share similar letters, the two have completely different definitions. As an African American citizen living in America I feel like we focus much on being equal opposed to having equality. Thus when having equality you are giving equal opportunity and more door become available, despite when being equal you are just like everyone else. However, unlike the novel “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. I would rather have equality than to be one hundred percent equal to someone else. When making everyone equal you take away ones individuality, creativity, and strengths; eliminating competition and status feuds. Yet in order for them to make everyone equal they must instill fear and diagnoses everyone with false handicaps.

Prejudice is an opinion in which is not based on any reasoning, and may cause harm. Prejudice can be seen just about anywhere, and it affects our daily lives. There are many different ways a person can show prejudice beliefs, but why do they believe things they have never experience? Some may say it’s something personal with one’s self that causes prejudice thoughts, or some may think it their surroundings contribute as a motive.

“The unemployment rate among blacks is about double among whites, as it has been for more than six decades” (Desilver). Some say that prejudice can still be seen in the modern world today. Prejudice is when a negative assumption is made about a person because they have a different opinion, race, or religion than others. In the modern world many people still have negative viewpoints towards people with no reasoning. Prejudice are not only seen today but also seen in 1933 in Maycomb, Alabama.

In this modern world, prejudice is still a universal problem we still have yet to overcome. Although it is true that our society is much less prejudiced than it was 40-50 years ago, we are still struggling to create racial harmony in a world that is so diverse in terms of racial group, sexual orientations, ethnicity, nationality, religions, and so on. I think the core of prejudice comes from stereotyping, which is the generalization of motives, characteristics, or behavior to an entire group of people. In the world where media propaganda is ubiquitous, often times most stereotypes are not formed on valid experiences, instead they are based on images publicized by the mass media, or even created within our heads after seeing and hearing examples from many different sources, like movies, or even hearsay. Stereotyping is more powerful than we think, because it allows those false pictures to control our thinking that leads us to assign uniform characteristics to any person in a group, without consideration of the actual difference between members of that particular group.

Equality? Equality is the state of being equal, however the idea of equality has been such an issue not only in the past but the present as well. White people believe that they are superior to minorities such as Women, African Americans and Hispanics because, minorities, are They make women feel inferior, believe that African Americans are threatening and violent, and think that Hispanics are murderous and slothful. This is in fact very wrong because they judge people based on what is being said or events that have no relevance. Minorities are treated unfairly because they are different and are believed to be less than others.

Prejudice influences the historical record because those opinions and beliefs are handed down through the generations and believed by others due to the influence those that express those views have on others. In the context of the Understanding Prejudice quiz about slaves and their treatment, the textbook states that “contemporary institutional and individual racism, which is central to today’s conflicts, has its origins in the institution of slavery” (Schaefer, 2015, p 168) which was embraced by many of our past presidents and which allowed long-standing prejudice and discrimination to occur against black people. The prejudicial theories of authoritarian personality, exploitation, and normative come into play as well as the theoretical perspectives of functionalist and labeling.

Americans have strived for equality for hundreds of years, and treat everyone fairly. Slaves have been freed, gay marriage has been legalized, and segregation has been banished. But this idea of equality has still not been achieved or shown in society today.

Chimamanda Ngozi once said, “The problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.” (Stereotypes). Many stereotypes effect us. They can also have a negative effect and those affected by it can feel insecure because they may be judged or treated because of that certain stereotype. Stereotypes are labels that are unfairly placed on people, and they affect all of us.

The psychological perspectives concerning prejudice is assuming someone or something is a certain way before actually knowing and having facts. The sociology book gives a few examples of theories on prejudice. It is often to hear an assumption rather than the facts when something or someone is referenced. I believe people judge to quickly. Anymore we are so focused on first impressions we tend to forget who we are. Also, it is typical to try something out once and if you were not pleased we often not give it a second chance.

Fat people are funny. If you wear Crocs means that you are a complete dork. If you are pretty, you are smart, and if you are ugly you are stupid. Little old ladies that have a lot of cats are nice. These are examples of prejudice. It is in schools, on the radio, and on TV. Prejudice is what we think of people or things just because other people look like or act like that. Prejudice is a preconceived idea that is in no way based on a reason or actual experience or evidence. Prejudice is a major problem for many people in the United States and many other places in the world, but the more you know about prejudice, the easier it is to identify and stop it.

The world has made great strides towards upholding equality in different factions of the community. However, declaring that discrimination has been eradicated from the society would be incorrect, as it can still be observed in the foundations of the modern world. A look into the history of America shows that a significant aspect of the nation was built on the notions of segregation and the oppression of various people based on race and gender. Back then, discrimination was outright and the law proudly upheld it with only few people standing up against the concept and its associated practices. Today, years after cultural evolution, any form of inequality is frowned upon. However, there still exist some fundamental forces in current systems that

For century’s man’s thoughts, ideals, perceptions, and actions have caused tumultuous inquiraries. We as a society have learned to accept discrimination, prejudice, and stereotyping. These malefactors have caused great malice. Consequently, these dehumanizing practices are not only present in America which is considered to be the “melting pot”, but globally. Everyone is eccentric in their own way. We all have the God given right, and the natural right to habitat, in peace and harmony, and to be free of afflictions from others. Our Forefathers did not have discrimination, prejudice, or even stereotyping in mind when it came to building up America. In fact these cancerous inklings imbrue the very fabric that America was made of. Discrimination,

Prejudice and ignorance are two of the most prominent ills of our society today. The way gay soldiers are treated today is no exception. Many have been forced to resign due to their sexual orientation, which has little or nothing to do with their ability as soldiers. Most members of our armed forces have no experience in relating to gay people, resulting in a fear that has caused pain to many people, both homosexual and heterosexual. In 2010, Obama put this country into place when he signed the, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010”. Even though this was signed, it is still a very heated debate within the government and this society. People should not have to worry about being gay when they sign up to protect their country. They also should not be judged on the basis of their sexuality.