Question

Explain how prejudice and discrimination are functional in society.

Answer 1

In the course of human history prejudice and discrimination have prevailed. Prejudice applies to the inflexible and unreasonable beliefs and views held towards another by members of one group, whereas prejudice refers to actions directed towards another group. Feeling prejudiced usually means holding preconceived ideas about particular groups or cultural traditions. Prejudices may be either positive or negative — both types are typically preconceived, and hard to alter. The negative type of prejudice may lead to discrimination, while behaviors can be prejudiced and not act upon.

Many who practice prejudice do so to secure their own rights by refusing access to others that they feel are not deserving of the same treatment as anyone else. This is sad that, with the 'educated' modern mind, biases towards racial and ethnic minorities are leaving and continue to thrive. One well-known example of prejudice-based discrimination concerns the Jews, who have suffered thousands of years of maltreatment and persecution. During World War II, when millions of Jews were exterminated in German concentration camps in the name of Nazi ideals of "racial purity," the greatest effort to kill this group of people occurred.

Sociologists and psychologists argue that some of the prejudiced emotionality stems from subconscious attitudes which cause a individual to avoid feelings of inadequacy by projecting them onto a target group. By using certain people as scapegoats — those who are unjustly blamed without power — anxiety and uncertainty are reduced by attributing complex problems to a simple cause: "These people are the source of all my problems." Social research around the globe has shown that prejudice is fundamentally related to low self-esteem

Socializing. A lot of stereotypes seem to be transferred from parents to kids. The media — including news, movies and advertising — also perpetuates demeaning representations and stereotypes of various groups, such as ethnic minorities, women, gays and lesbians, the disabled and the elderly.
Conforming attitudes. Prejudices can carry support from other significant parties, so opposing prejudices will result in loss of social support. There can be considerable pressure to adhere to the opinions of relatives, colleagues and associates.
Economic perks. Social studies have shown that discrimination especially increases when groups are in direct competition for jobs.

Policy reforms have helped shift some prejudiced views. Women may never have been permitted to vote, attend graduate school or own property without reforms in the law. Yet racial integration in public buildings should never have occurred in America. Nevertheless, laws do not automatically change the behaviors of citizens. New laws can in some cases increase antagonism against minority groups.

Finally, cooperative learning or learning involving student-to-student collaborative experiences, though certainly of positive benefit to students, does not guarantee a reduction in animosity among opposing classes. Cooperation is normally too small and too brief to resolve all of a person's influences