Prejudice

[SolemnBoy]

A couple of months ago our school conducted a research regarding prejudice where approximately 50 examples of common ones were listed. Students were to mark each one they personally shared and I thought the whole idea seemed rather pointless and stupid. The results, however, showed that most people claimed to have no prejudice at all which made me interested. There was also an option to add prejudices that couldn't be found amongst the examples, yet barely anyone claimed to be prejudiced in any regard at all.

I personally found it hard to believe that nobody at my entire school had any prejudices whatsoever and I sense there's a great deal of deception or even denial going on. In this thread I thought it would be interesting if people would share prejudices they have and are aware of. Now, I realize this concept is set to become a battlefield, and I'd like to acknowledge that the purpose is NOT to attack people whose prejudices offend you. I think most of us (if not all) have them and acknowledging them is probably a step in the right direction. Also, just because you're prejudiced against a certain group doesn't mean you're convinced your thoughts are correct or that all members within said group follow the behaviour you perceive. Let me begin!

I have absolutely no racial prejudices at all which I'm thankful for, having grown up in a very racist village. Whenever I encounter religious or spiritual persons, however, I automatically make certain assumptions that I'm not proud of. For example, if a person was to tell me he/she believes in astrology or, say, homeopathy (with the placebo effect as an exception) I'll instantly assume the person is naive, irrational or even stupid. I can't help it! I know it's not necessarily true and I know that there are plenty of people who believe in these things who are more intelligent than me, but the second I hear someone confess to belief in any of the aforementioned things my brain assumes "naive, irrational or stupid" until I'm proven wrong. Which is pretty awful.

This is the only prejudice I have. Can we leave our political correctness at the door and just be honest now?

[pellaz]

... I personally found it hard to believe that nobody at my entire school had any prejudices whatsoever ... Can we leave our political correctness at the door and just be honest now

well there is yourself?

[ardus]

I agree we all have the, but I think that mostofus have a hard time recognizing them.

Richard


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[SolemnBoy]

I agree we all have the, but I think that mostofus have a hard time recognizing them.

Richard


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That's what I believe too. I think in most cases people who say they have no prejudices at all are either lying to themselves or others. With some exceptions of course. They don't have to originate from some form of malevolence it could be passed from parents to their children. There was this guy in my class once who was born in Kenya and moved to Sweden when he was around 2. He told me once this damn town had instilled racial prejudice towards black people in him and he had no idea how to get rid of it.

[VileKyle]

I know that since moving to New Mexico, I've grown some new prejudices towards Hispanics and Native Americans. Do I act on them? No, but I recognize that they are still there. It probably doesn't help that I don't live in the best of neighborhoods.

[Genersis]

I do and don't have prejudices.
Or rather, I do, but not in the traditional sense.

There are certain things which irritate me when people talk about them as true or real.
I don't assume them to be stupid, or assume they must hold other beliefs, but there are some things people say and believe that just really grinds my gears for no specific reason I can figure.

The common theme seems to be assertions and claims which seem ridiculous and baseless to me.

[SolemnBoy]

I do and don't have prejudices.
Or rather, I do, but not in the traditional sense.

There are certain things which irritate me when people talk about them as true or real.
I don't assume them to be stupid, or assume they must hold other beliefs, but there are some things people say and believe that just really grinds my gears for no specific reason I can figure.

The common theme seems to be assertions and claims which seem ridiculous and baseless to me.

Well it's sort of abstract for me too. It's like a conflict between my rationality saying "this isn't true, you can't think like this!" and some strange emotion I get. In the end my rationality always wins but the fact that there's a conflict to begin with is more or less what I call my prejudice.

[Spellbound]

I don't know if it's a prejudice to think that people are misguided if they profess a belief in something that is blatantly untrue. If I said that Elvis is alive and living on the moon which is made out of green cheese, you'd brand me an idiot, and you'd be right.

[ardus]

I'm not super excited about the idea of a totally honest discussion about prejudice

I know I have them, I don't like it, but I know they are there.

I don't want to share them though.

Richard


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[Genersis]

I guess prejudices are a kind of coping mechanism to deal with fear and anger.