Question

what is prejudice?Give two real-world examples,either historical or contemporary?Explain it

Answer 1

Definitions of Prejudice:

• An affective feeling towards a person based on their perceived group membership.
• A preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience.

Prejudice has been traditionally considered the feeling component of attitudes toward social groups. It reflects a negative response to another person based on that person's membership in a particular group termed Antipathy by the psychologist Gordon Allport. Prejudice is not personal, it is an affective reaction toward the category. A person who is prejudiced towards some social group is predisposed to evaluate its members negatively because they belong to that group. Discrimination is defined as a less favorable treatment or negative actions directed toward members of disliked groups. Whether prejudice will be expressed in overt discrimination or not will depend on the perceived norms or acceptability if doing so. Prejudice refers to a preconceived, usually unfavorable, evaluation of another person based on that person's political affiliation, sex, gender, beliefs, values, social class, age, disability, religion, sexuality, race, ethnicity, language, nationality, beauty, occupation, education, sport team affiliation or other personal characteristics.It tends to be based on favoritism towards one's own groups, rather than negative feelings towards another group.

Examples:

1. Sexual discrimination

Same-sex marriages are accepted by many countries around the world. But it is still a taboo topic that is quite delicate in many countries still. The cultures and previous traditional thought processes as well as beliefs of people are still evolving. In countries like India same sex marriage is still a far gaol for the LGBTQ community to achieve as many citizens of India still do not accept the ideology of homosexuality. In history and especially from the verses of various influential religions it is seen that heterosexual marriages are the way to go about for each individual. Homosexuality is seen as unnatural and not according to the values of religion. The heterosexual couple seems to have an unseen privilege over those who identify as homosexual.

In 2008 a majority of citizens in California voted in favor of proposition 8 which is a state constitutional amendment that banned same-sex marriage. In May 2009, a legal challenge was mounted against this very same proposition in a federal court. Despite thefact that individual states continued to pass laws barring homosexuals from marrying, in August 2010 the court legalized same-sex marriages in California. The long battle of public opinion lead to the District Judge Vaughn Walkers decision in case, opponents strenously resisted legalizing the same-sex marriage The federal courts ruling was clear, based on two simple arguments: There was no compelling state interest for banning homosexuals getting married and no evidence was presented that allowing same-sex marriages would hurt heterosexuals.

Mathew Shepard was a college student who was murdered in Wyoming in 1998 because of his sexual preference(he was homosexual), and in 2010 several students who also identified as homosexual committed suicide in response to the bullying they experienced because of their sexual orientation.

Even though many countries are slowly evolving with the ideas of same-sex love and marriages there is still lot of resistance from many people around the world to accept this idea fully. Even though some people know that's same sex marriages do happen and are legalized many individuals still may have prejudiced ideas against such ideas of homosexuality and marriage as they identify to be a part of their personal group. The group in which they are able to find their beliefs and values that molded them in their lives, it may be difficult for many people still to be comfortable with talking to a homosexual person. There are many who have homophobia- a fear of facing or confronting a homosexual.

There is still plot of prejudice and discrimination against homosexuals which is unfair to their community as they do deserve their own basic human rights. Every human being must have their right and dignity to live a life that they desire and still due to prejudice many people
(homosexuals in the LGBTQA community) are treated with disrespect and even violence at times. This can be seen very minutely as a person who is uncomfortable with the idea of a homosexual may treat them like they are bad. An employer who is homophobic may not hire the capable and bright individual just because he comes to learn that he/she is a homsexual. Such small and minor instances still occur around the world.

2. Racism- Prejudice towards a race.

Another example of prejudice is seen against people of colour. As historically the American used the black communities as their slaves that very same discriminatory ideas have managed to find their ways into today's world. Although the situation may seem better than the past where black people were made to slave for the white supremacists, the situation is still in dire need of recognition and respect from the white community. Research has found that black people are seen as more dangerous and negative as compared to white people. The black community has seen a lot of police brutality which is unfair and injust towards them since their slavery abolishment. The inner hate and dislike for them can be seen by the way many white policemen in the US treat them. The recent case of George Floyd (where he was needed by a white policemen till death)proved that such hate crimes have become very common in the US. Many black citizens are treated as if they are wrong and bad based on the colour of their skin. An individual's skin pigmentation is the result of genetics, being the product of both of the individual's biological parents' genetic makeup, and exposure to sun.There is a direct correlation between the geographic distribution of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and the distribution of indigenous skin pigmentation around the world. Areas that receive higher amounts of UVR, generally located closer to the equator, tend to have darker-skinned populations. Areas that are far from the tropics and closer to the poles have lower intensity of UVR, which is reflected in lighter-skinned populations. Reading and understanding such things about skin colour may seem quite scientific or even simple to understand but the deeply rooted prejudice that many people still hold is the real struggle of today's world.

Not only are people prejudiced based on race but even sex. Men have traditionally been seen as the care takers of women and their offsprings and so still many women are seen as inferiors and not a equals at the workplace today. Although the whole feminist movement has been working hard to achieve sexual equality there is still much work to be done for women to get equal pay for the same work. Even though women attempt and manage to get more done like caring for the child, the home and working at the same time men are still paid more for the same work that the man does.

A meta-analysis of 515 studies involving a quarter of a million participants in 38 nations examined how intergroup contact reduces prejudice.

They found that three mediators are of particular importance: Intergroup contact reduces prejudice by

(1) enhancing knowledge about the outgroup,

(2) reducing anxiety about intergroup contact, and

(3) increasing empathy and perspective-taking.

On a positive note, some individuals confront discrimination when they see it happen, with research finding that individuals are more likely to confront when they perceive benefits to themselves, and are less likely to confront when concerned about others' reactions.