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Love Of PrejudicePrejudice - Pride By Another NameWe are in love with our prejudices and biases. Why? Because our prejudices define who we are based on what we aren’t. I’m not just referring to racial or ethic prejudices, although these are still the major ones. We look at each other and see what we don’t want to see in ourselves. We see someone as too short, too tall, too fat, too skinny, too rich, too poor, too cute, too ugly. We love the word "too". Besides, "too" sounds more benign than "prejudice". A person can be too black, too white, too brown, too red. We love to find fault. If we don’t find fault with a person’s physical appearance, we find fault with their beliefs. Their religious beliefs or their politics are too this or too that. Yes, I have my own prejudices, I’m not free of the word "too". If you have read my other articles, you know I appear to have a lot of prejudices but, of course, I believe my prejudices are just and justifiable. Why else would I reveal them to anyone? Most of us don’t recognize our prejudices because they are part of who we are. Some have been with us since youth, some were acquired through life experiences, some through contact with people holding similar prejudices, and some we have been taught by our religious tenets and even in our schools. Prejudices lurk within us as common sense, as laws of nature, as laws of religions, but most as calls from our ego. Pride produces more prejudices than any other characteristic. Pride of the best race, the best religion, the best job, the best gender. Pride requires no proof. Prejudices based on pride are accepted as correct and natural with minimal thought and usually as hard facts rather than as concepts or ideas. Personal prejudices and biases are ingrain in our nature, part of our character. We can blame our parents, our teachers, our leaders but if we claim to think for ourselves then the fault is our own. Perhaps prejudices are necessary. Can we have opinions without prejudices? When do honest disagreements become prejudices? Prejudice is the natural extension of opinion. An opinion is a thought about something while a prejudice is usually a belief about a person. Opinions are impersonal; prejudices are personal. When we attach the person instead of the idea, belief, or characteristic we enter into prejudice. Opinions are what we use to define ourselves; prejudices are what we use to define others. We are so use to having unfavorable opinions and prejudices about ourselves it is only natural to extend these opinions and prejudices to those around us. Obviously, I believe opinions are good because I have so many, but care must be taken to ensure that an opinion doesn’t solidify into prejudice. Opinions are necessary to the conduct of life; prejudices are not. Opinion and prejudice have much the same meaning. Both mean to make a judgment. However, because I am opinionated , I view an opinion as a judgment of a person’s perspective; prejudice as a judgment of the person. Just because I dislike or disagree with a person’s views or beliefs does not necessarily mean I dislike the person or think of myself as a better person. Although, it is tempting to believe that a person would be much improved if only he or she would agree with me. Author: Don Miller
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2003 Articles |
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