As seen from the title, I will answer this question so we can have a bigger understanding of these differences. This will also help your vocabulary about important topics in our world. Previously, we defined prejudice as an idea we have before we actually get some experience or proof about a certain group of people. This being characteristics we get from the world around us about specific groups of people we may not encounter or have many relationships with. This can lead to discrimination. Discrimination is our actions and feelings reflecting our prejudice towards a group of people. This is when we feel uncomfortable around some people or we think they are weird or not normal because we have a prejudice idea about ourselves in comparison to others. Discrimination then follows after we have the clear prejudice idea and are accepting it. The level of discrimination can affect the level of treatment towards others. If someone has a huge prejudice idea towards a group of people being bad, then they will discriminate by hatred towards that group. Where on the other side of the spectrum, if someone has a small idea that a group of people may be bad, then they will discriminate by segregating themselves from the group of people. Anyone can be on either end or anywhere in the middle. Prejudice and discrimination can also work towards a positive way of treating people. The same situation would apply but you would act nicer and better towards a group of people. You can even have a better sense of trusting a group of people, but that would still be discrimination. Sometimes we may think we are being nice and polite to people. If we think again, we may notice a certain idea we have towards the group of people we treat better and worse. There is no benefit to any part of prejudice and discrimination. While it may seem good to treat people kindly, it is still not fair because they did nothing to deserve that treatment. I know that may sound harsh but my point is that anyone and everyone deserves to be treated kindly. A stranger of color is walking by and you do not hold the door for them is not fair because they did not do anything to deserve that. At the same time, a white stranger passes by and you hold the door, say hello, ask how their day has been is still unfair because they did not do anything to deserve that either. We should he holding doors for everyone and asking everyone how their day has been. While we know we should not have any prejudice and therefore have no discrimination towards everyone, it is very hard to get there. The same way I explained we are always learning ideas from society which creates prejudice, we are also learning discrimination because it comes from those ideas even if they may be unconscious.
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AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2015
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