We all know that prejudices are an awful phenomenon. But is stating a statistical fact or a personal preference a prejudice?
I would like to start this article with a disclaimer: I don’t hate any race, nationality, religion, or similar; I love the human diversity and I think that, unless abused to spark violence, it makes our world beautiful.
I guess that you can easily conclude that I don’t like prejudices or discrimination neither, and you’re right.
That said, I believe that sometimes we are doing too much to prevent prejudices and by doing so, we tend to create reverse prejudices.
What do I mean by this?
For example, if someone states an obvious fact that, in a certain area, the majority of the undesirable behavior comes from the members of a certain group, he/she is considered to have prejudices. Rightfully so, if he/she stated that ALL members of a certain group cause problems, or that ALL problems come from the members of a certain group. But if he/she didn’t say ALL, and if he/she didn’t say it in a hateful/disrespectful/aggressive way, what’s the problem with speaking the truth? Realizing that a problem exists is usually a necessary prerequisite for finding a solution. If you think that he/she has prejudices, that you’re actually having reverse prejudices.
Also, if someone, for example, says that he/she finds Asian/black/white members of the opposite sex the most attractive, is he/she a racist for having a personal preference?
Speaking of race, it seems to me that the term Afro-American is one of the dumbest inventions of all times. I don’t mind being called white, so what’s the problem in calling someone black? If you think that calling someone white or black is problematic, than you’re actually unconsciously thinking that being white or black is bad. Why would you call someone whose family is living in America for generations, and who has probably never been in Africa, an Afro-American, instead of calling him black, which is equally good as white?
I think that the key to solving prejudices and discrimination is through education, socialization, creativity, etc. and not in senseless censorship. Would you agree or am I overlooking something?
Have a wonderful day, week, and life!
Prejudice is not based on reason or actual experience. It is an affective feelings towards a person or a group based on gender, religion or sexual orientation etc. It is usually unfavorable feelings and is the prejudiced person’s own evaluation of the group or a person, and doesn’t have to do with reality. However, talking about prejudice is not prejudice. To be classified as prejudice, it need to show the ‘feelings’ towards the group or the person.
Racism exist because of our greedy and mean ancestors who only cares for themselves, black people commonly treated as a slave before , nowadays those humiliations people still infected by the idea about hierarchy.
We are the only humans here on earth that have segregation of race, i'm not a black, i'm not an Asian, i'm not a Latino-- "I'm a human being".
The aliens don't call themselves a big bald head, they don't call themselves a lizard, or three eyed or any other creepy species, they call themselves " Alien ".
We all have prejudices of all types, all the time.
We are prejudiced against very sharp, or hot, or dangerous objects...flamethrowers, snarling/ slobbering dogs, ebola victims coughing nearby, etc., etc.
We automatically shun things that we believe will harm us. If those beliefs are well-founded, then they are rational, human responses and no value judgements can be assigned to them.
If those reactions are un-founded, or based on faulty learned biases, then they are not rational, and can be rightly judged as unenlightened, even hateful.
If we are told that certain parts of a large city are dangerous at night, and yet go there, unprotected, we are taking a risk. Race doesn't have to enter into the discussion at all, except that some political ideologues benefit from bringing it in anyway.
If blacks in inner cities commit more crimes, per capita, than whites in the suburbs, we can talk all day about the socio-economic reasons for such facts, but we can not deny them as facts, or impose undue disdain on anyone who merely admits/writes/discusses them.
We need to stop counting melanin, and start counting truth.
Very well stated. We all have preferences. We also can observe trends and notice them without saying 'all people are this or that' and not be inherently bigoted.
The kumbaya crowd trips over itself to state it isn't biased in any way, yet this is patently false.
Dude, we are ideological kindred spirits. No doubt!
Once and for all: I will ignore all comments which praise my articles although there are no upvotes from the comments' authors. It doesn't matter if you have 10 or 10,000 SP, 10% or 100% VP, it's a matter of principle - if you like something, you support it according to your possibility.
Totally agreed. Also, facts do exist. People nowadays seem to be all caught up in the idea of cultural relativism, as if its relative aspect were the only non-relative feature to exist (which puts them in a rather interesting paradox). Stating a fact that might elicit people to breed prejudices is not the same as breeding them yourself.
Great post - I have had many of the same thoughts regarding the whole racism discussion. I especially have a beef with this weird new Marxist definition of racism making it prejudice + power, which is used by people who engage in wildly racist behaviour and afterwards claiming it not to be racism because they claim to be a member of an oppressed group.
Very authentic post because in this post you discussed very beautiful topic I think we should live like a human being there should not be division I appreciate your thinking @lifenbeauty
I think the problem with prejudice is way more deeper and complex. If a person is bad, it goes to the person itself, not because other attributes. This is the dangerous of labeling.
The more dangerous and complicated things is that mass media have a massive influence on putting an agenda, a hegemony of certain ideas, drives the public opinion.
If we read about semiology, we will find that a word could have a different meaning other than the definitive one we find on dictionary. Some words could have connotation and context, that brings certain feeling toward the object.
We should take pride in ourselves, no matter what people say or think. I am me, i born this way, it was not my decision to begin with. So why i should be blame for that.
Just be proud of yourself and do not bother with idiots who talk bad about you. Ignore them, soon they will be tired, if you do not rrsponse to that.
I love humanity as i am a human. I have no other identification.
prejudice is a very dangerous disease in human life. but if it continues to be a reference in life.
I do not agree to distinguish both the skin group, and the state it will make people arrogant, a lot of developed countries, because vanity collapses and not left behind.
@lifebeauty
thank you for making a very useful post