Prejudice Essay, Research Paper

Prejudice has been apart of human existences since the beginning of clip. Peoples

keep belittling positions towards other groups because of sex, race, colour and

spiritual beliefs. If our society hopes to travel frontward and go on to be

productive, bias must halt. In a clip when the universe is advanced as it of all time

has been, bias still remains a major job. Detecting the roots of

bias, and being able to understand bias positions, we as a society will be

able to happen solutions to halt it. To understand bias, we must first

see all the factors that contribute towards it, and so happen a manner to

counter these factors one by one. Prejudice 3 The Roots of Prejudice There is no

simple one-word reply to the inquiry of what causes people to be bias.

The consequence of bias roots from many complex mixtures of environmental

factors, upbringing, media, economic position, and eventually experiences. With this

being stated, what is the chief factor for bias, and what can we as a

society do to get the better of bias positions? When bias is mentioned, one tends

to believe of white and black struggle, but prejudice positions can besides be held about

adult females, age, faith, and other cultural people. To get down to understand the roots

of bias, it must foremost be defined. Prejudice is an attitude held toward the

member of some group, based entirely on their rank in that group. How people

develop their attitudes and stereotypes of other people is where the root of

bias Begins. By larning how and why prejudice positions take root, society

will larn to alter these negative sentiments. Groups of people who hold

bias mentalities about other groups of people tend to treat information

about these groups otherwise from the manner they process information about other

groups. The single traits and behaviours do non impact how they are viewed,

unless their behaviour reinforces the prejudice sentiment already held. There is a

belief in our society today that things are much better racially now so a

hundred old ages ago. The media portrays this thought daily. This statement can be

classified as being slightly true, but we as a society still hold a long manner to

travel to accomplish racial harmoniousness. Development of Prejudice There is still an

tremendous public show and denial of bias in our society. Harmonizing to

Earl Hutchinson: The most unsafe illustration of public racial denial is the

reserves and nationalist motions. Prejudice 4 They depict themselves as

? anti-government militants? contending to continue American freedoms. They

exorcised derogatory mentions to inkinesss, Jews, Asians, Gays, and Feminists

from their public statements and Hagiographas. The media and some civil rights and

autonomies groups back them up and publish their Hagiographas. These groups may differ

in tactics from the old Klan, Nazi Party, and John Birch Society, but they still

unite three points: White Christians must govern America, the federal authorities

is the enemy, and force is the merely recognized agencies to derive control. ( 1996,

p.87 ) When the media covers these groups, they give them free promotion and a

opportunity to be heard. Opinions are non merely formed from the intelligence, but besides from

telecasting, magazines, and wireless. For a long clip, there were really few plans

that portrayed inkinesss, Asian, Gays and other cultural people in a positive mode

on telecasting. Even today, there can be an statement that really few telecasting

shows are geared towards minority races. For illustration, expression at the popular shows

? Friends? , ? Frazier? , and? The X-Files? , none of which have a chief

minority character. By non holding a positively depicted minority on these

shows, the media is assisting bias. Media, telecasting and wireless are all

lending factors towards bias positions, but non the lone factors. The

Tradition of Prejudice People learn from a immature age to organize sentiments, values,

beliefs, and stereotypes from their parents. Because parents and environment

drama such a major function in kids? s upbringing, it should be pointed out that

this is one of the chief contributing factors towards organizing bias positions.

When kids hear their parents stating something bias, or detect them

moving a certain manner towards a group, the kid begins to organize the same

sentiments. By organizing the same Prejudice 5 beliefs as their parents, they are

inheriting bias behaviour. Their environment plays merely as an of import function

in organizing prejudice positions. Children who come from a hapless stray country have

fewer experiences to pull their ain differing sentiments from their parents. When

a kid comes from a more educated, less stray environment, they have more

experiences to pull their ain sentiments from. This can assist explicate why in the

southern portion of the United States people had, and still hold a difficult clip

altering bias positions. David Goldfield pointed out, ? white kids

learned, and were taught at an early age that whites were supreme, and hence

certain relationships with inkinesss were non acceptable? ( 1990, p. 12 ) .

Goldfield goes on to explicate how the southern position of inkinesss and minorities was

passed on to coevals after coevals by saying: Southern white kids

learned these lessons in school and recalled them with parents and relations,

the past going more romantic and less challenged by contrary sentiments with

each passing coevals. This was a society that passed down its heritage

orally. Southerners lived or visited among drawn-out affinity groups, where at

least one member could remember either straight or through a close relation the

Eden of the Old South, the forfeit and agony of the war, and the societal

and racial presumptions that emanated from this history. Southerners worshipped their

yesteryear ; it became their present, and it colored their vision of the hereafter. ( 1990,

p. 17 ) By demoing how the South passed on bias towards inkinesss and other

minorities as a tradition after the civil war, one can now larn how and why the

roots of bias become learned traits. Learning how bias is passed on

from parent to child, we can look for ways to halt the tradition of bias.

Today, the South does non go on to hold such a strong tradition of Prejudice

6 bias, but the roots can still be found. For illustration, merely late in

Texas, three white work forces dragged a black adult male behind their auto, killing him. In

what became a national media event because of the gruesome and racially

motivated slaying, one can see the seeds of bias were planted in the three

white males at an early age. They all belonged to white supremacist group and

admitted to killing the black adult male so they could travel up to a higher place

within the group. Even in our society today, favoritism and bias can

lead to force, particularly when race is involved. Racial bias is non the

merely issue confronting our society today. There are many signifiers of gender bias

and favoritism every bit good. Prejudice Towards Women Harmonizing to Baron and

Byrne, ? More than half of the universe? s population is female. Yet despite this

fact, in many civilizations females have been treated like a minority group? ( 2000

p.239 ) . In our society, many paces have taken topographic point to farther adult females rights

and equality, yet we still have overriding bias towards adult females. Torahs have

been passed universe broad to assist do bias against adult females illegal, like the

Torahs to assist halt racial bias, however society has turned to a more

elusive bias. Examples can be found throughout our society and the universe to

turn out this statement. How many American Presidents have been adult females? Look at the

reaction to adult females functionaries in the NBA. How many adult females are CEO? s, professional

managers, racecar drivers, military leaders, the list goes on and on. With half

the universe? s population being comprised of adult females, you would believe they would

clasp at least a bulk of these places. Covert bias is alternatively how our

society has learned to be prejudice towards adult females. Once once more, we have surely

made paces from the past where adult females were suppose to be? au naturel pes and

pregnant? , nevertheless we still have a long manner to travel. A premier illustration of

bias towards Prejudice 7 adult females in our society can be found from our former

Vice President Dan Quayl when he publically scrutin

ized the show? Potato

Brown? for picturing a individual working ma holding a kid out of marriage. The

2nd most powerful adult male in the universe was being prejudice towards adult females for

working and non remaining at place with their kids. He was blasted by some of

the media, yet he still found rather a few followings from our society. Society

has come along manner with beliefs of the functions of adult females, but we surely have a

batch further to go. Another illustration I would wish to show is one that I

experienced in a military Equal Opportunity Training category I participated in.

The teacher began the category by saying she would give an illustration of gender

bias if we would listen to her narrative and so compose down the reply. I

considered myself to be a really indifferent gender individual and looked frontward to

taking the trial. She stated, ? a adult male and his boy were going and skid on the

ice. The male parent was immediately killed and the boy was taken to the exigency room

in critical status. Upon reaching, the physician came out stated they could non

operate on this forbearance for he was their son. ? The teacher asked us to

explicate how this could be. My head raced to come up with the reply. Possibly the

male child had a measure father, or the male child? s pa was cheery and the physician was his

spouse? .I was certain I had came up with the right reply, after all I believed

I did non keep any prejudice. The simple reply that the physician was his female parent ne’er

occurred to me. Even I have a long manner to travel with my ain gender bias, merely

like our society. Womans have ever fought an acclivitous conflict in our society in

contending gender bias. To better understand the history of adult females contending

gender bias in our society, I quote Veraware.com: American adult females have

historically been victimized by favoritism in right to vote ( which was non

secured until a 1920 constitutional amendment ) , employment, and other civil

rights ( for Prejudice 8 many old ages, for illustration, adult females were denied the right to

service on juries ) . In the late 1960s the adult females & # 8217 ; s motion experienced a metempsychosis,

and the demand for legal equality with work forces was pressed non merely against

prejudiced patterns but besides against outmoded attitudes toward the function of

adult females in society. Some additions against favoritism in employment were made as a

consequence of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. In 1972 Congress passed the Equal Rights

Amendment ( ERA ) to the Constitution and submitted it to the provinces for

confirmation. With merely 35 of the 38 province legislative assemblies signing the amendment,

nevertheless, the necessary blessing was non secured by the 1982 deadline. By

understanding the historic conflict to get the better of gender bias, society is able

to better larn the stairss needed to halt the spread of bias and come up

with solutions. Solutions to Prejudice The roots of bias in our society are

prevalent in many combinations of factors such as, upbringing, environment,

media, and eventually experiences. Understanding the roots of bias are the

keys to work outing the spread of it. First of all, I believe society must maintain

go throughing Torahs against bias and battle it through authorities policy as stated

by Holly Sklar: We need vigorous argument over how to reshape policy in the populace

involvement & # 8211 ; non the pseudo argument of false run promises, negative political

ads and speak wireless hate-mongering. Rights and “ entitlements ” familiar

today & # 8211 ; among them the eight-hour twenty-four hours, lower limit pay, Social Security and the

right of workers to form and dicker jointly & # 8211 ; were obtained in the

face of strong resistance. Many of these accomplishments are being eroded.

Demagoguery is endangering democracy. To recognize community over pandemonium we must

non merely protect old Prejudice 9 additions, but forge new societal, political and

economic rights for the twenty-first century. ( 1995, South End Press ) Continuing to go through

Torahs to halt bias is a good start, but non the lone solution. Society must

learn to educate our kids throughout their lives on how to cover with

bias and give them the accomplishments to get the better of favoritism. Brian Aull

provinces: Even our federal authorities is at a loss in covering with a job that

is quickly germinating into a matured national crisis. The job persists

because we have avoided turn toing it for what it truly is & # 8211 ; a societal disease,

virulent and infective, woven into the moral and religious cloth of society,

passed from parents to kids, from one coevals to another, for over three

centuries. The civil rights Torahs failed to queer the growing of the malignant neoplastic disease of

racism, because they merely dealt with two of the disease & # 8217 ; s symptoms & # 8211 ; segregation

and favoritism & # 8211 ; but non with the disease itself. ( AAR, Internet ) I believe

that instruction and the uninterrupted passing of Torahs will assist halt bias at

its roots. Finally, I note that the media plays a large function in how society signifiers

bias positions, particularly towards inkinesss. Writer? s Kurt K. and Jason T.

surveyed the media for a study and stated: One of the most influential and most

prominate signifiers of media is the telecasting. Many immature Americans watch music

pictures, which depict inkinesss as mobsters, drug traders, and liquidators. Many

films besides seem to demo this portraiture of inkinesss, such as Boyz in the Hood, a

black movie about life in the Los Angels community. Newspapers and intelligence shows

study the offenses of inkinesss because it is more interesting but this signifier of intelligence

is perilously act uponing immature Americans to comprehend inkinesss in a negative

mode. ( 1997, Internet ) Prejudice 10 Changing the media? s portraiture of

bias in our society will assist people get the better of their stereotypes and

favoritism of other groups. All three of these solutions are a good first

measure in get the better ofing bias, but no one solution will be the lone reply to

work outing the job in our society. Using all three solutions, instruction,

reformed media, and uninterrupted transition of new Torahs will assist crush bias at

its roots. Decision There are many lending factors to the roots of

bias in our society, no one factor greater than the other does. Surely,

upbringing and environment seems to be an inherit factor that leads to

traditional positions of bias. While media, experiences and economic factors

contribute to the ongoing job of bias in our society. The solution to

get the better ofing bias in our society seems to lie in the ability to educate and

develop our kids from a immature age. This will assist give kids the tools and

accomplishments necessary for halting the spread of bias in our society. Besides,

reform of the media? s portraiture of gender stereotypes and racial stereotypes

demand to be addressed. In order to carry through a society with gender equality, we

must let adult females to keep higher occupations and places of authorization throughout our

society. After all, adult females make up over half of the universe? s population. No 1

solution will be the lone lending factor in altering societies

traditionally held bias, but a combination of all three will assist halt

bias at its roots. Finally, we as society must desire to alter as whole in

order to halt bias. Our society has taken a batch of stairss in the past 400

old ages in get the better ofing bias as whole, but we still are a long ways off from

accomplishing complete gender, racial, spiritual and cultural harmoniousness. As quoted by

Maya Angelou, ? We all should cognize that diverseness makes for a rich tapestry,

and we must understand that all the togss of the tapestry are equal in

Prejudice 11 value no affair what their color. ? Or as Gavin Bush state? s,

? Racism is a merchandise of fright and ignorance. The universe is richer for the

mixture of different types of people? unrecorded and let life take fright. ?

5ab

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Middle Passage Press Goldfield, D. ( 1990 ) . Black and white and southern race

dealingss and southern civilization 1940 to show. Louisiana State University Press

Baron, R. & A ; Byrne, D. ( 2000 ) . Social psychological science 9th edition. A Pearson

Education Company Versaware Inc, ( 1999 ) . Internet, www.funkandwagnalls.com Aull,

B. ( 1999 ) . Internet, www.artstistsagainstracism.com/educate. Sklar, H. ( 1995,

South End Press ) Internet, www.southend.press. Angelou, M. & A ; Gavin, B.

( 1999 ) Internet, www.artstistsagainstracism.com/educate.