Isn't it time we accepted prejudice as an unpleasant,but perfectly normal human trait?

Question

It's endemic is it not?
And anyone who says they are not prejudiced in any way, against anyone, is a liar!
I have been the butt of prejudice and it hurt. But I lived to tell the tale.
'Sticks and Stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me" My dear old Mum used to say. And she was right.
So lets stop all this PC Crap and let it all hang-out......
They do in Thailand and it takes the sting out of it, believe me.

Answer 1

Although many people believe that we as humans have the ability to completely get rid of prejudice, we cannot. Yes, prejudice is learned, but no matter if we try and help our children and peers to not be prejudice, there is no sure fire way to eliminate it. There is always the media. People are programmed to judge. It is not a great trait to have, but we must except that of ourselves. We can try has hard as we want and yet it will still be a problem we will always face; whether it be prejudice in regards to gender, race, weight, or even social class, it will always be there. All we can do as humans is to educate ourselves. People discriminate; it's inevitable. I hope that made since.

Answer 2

Selfishness is also an unpleasant, but perfectly normal human trait. Does it follow that we should not try to encourage people to be altruistic and think of others?

And I think you're wrong when you say that prejudice is simply about things people say. Quietly accepting intolerant speech can often lay the groundwork for actions based on that speech. Terrible acts of intolerance are almost always preceded by hate speech that gages societal reaction to the hatred being advocated. Failing to speak against may be taken as either assent or indifference. This was true in the case of the anti-Semitic slogans the Nazis used long before they started the holocaust, the use of hate radio but hate mongering Hutus prior to the genocide in Rwanda and the very public marches and gatherings of the KKK. Do you think that no one who heard the expressions of hatred preached by these groups disagreed, but stayed silence because of the arguments you're making? Maybe if more people who disagreed had spoken up, some of the terrors these groups committed might have been avoided or at least diminished.

I don't know if Thailand has the same ethnic diversity we have here, but given the history of this country, I'd say it's a good idea for Americans to firmly debate and reject expressions of prejudice, rather than just accept them.

Answer 3

I like the answer given by George. Must we learn our lessons from 2 or 3 year olds? That tells you how primitive our society still is. Unfortunately, we are a lot like the 12 year old braniac that is smart enough to qualify academically for medical school, but would go crying to his mother if he had to make a real medical decision about real people.
Just because something is widespread does not make it human nature. It was widespread in the Nazi world to imprison and torture and kill the Jewish and other people. That does not make it normal.
The only thing I think that will change this is when people learn it does not make THEM happy to be mean and hateful. On the contrary being loving and kind to others will bring you blessings so rich and plentiful you can not yet imagine it.

Happy Yule/Merry Christmas/ Happy Hanuka/ and all other greeting s I may have left out.

Answer 4

I'm not sure if it's natural, but I seriously doubt that it will ever completely go away. As a bi-racial person myself, I experienced all sorts of predjudice and racism as a child. It was so bad that I was all but forced to quit school. I homeschooled myself after 9th grade. But you know what? I am a stronger person today because of all I dealt with. I'm not saying predjudice is right, because I don't believe it is. But I do believe that it is an unfortunate part of our lives. We encounter these things to learn and grow as human beings. Sometimes dealing with these things give us the motivation, the drive and the strength to do great things! If there were no negativity in the world to overcome, all of us would be weak. I think it's just a fact of human existance. I do think that it is in our nature to initially fear and perhaps dislike things that are different or strange to us. But, as adults we have the choice to either harbor those initial feelings, or try to learn and overcome them! This builds character as well!

hope this helps!

Answer 5

Well racism does hurt, but yes, it will be around until everyone is the same color and has the same features. Anyway, it is normal human behavior to be ethnocentric, everyone has a bit of sterotypical beliefs in their minds. I think appreciating the differences in the races is important. I would love to be free of racial identity but it ain't going to happen anytime soon.

Answer 6

how do you know what a one year old thinks.... ?

i agree with you mate, just take it on thew chin and get over it. everyone slurs everyone .... just a childish game that some take too far, point scoring. usually cos they havent anything better to contribute to society or humanity.

Answer 7

there is no prejudice between one and two year old, they play together and are happy, prejudice is learned, not inherent, and when we stop teaching that crap and learn to accept people as they are and not what they look like, then prejudice will disappear.

Answer 8

its not that its not normal, its kind of like an instict.
we control our instincts to be violent, we need to control our predisposed 'instinct' to hate others.