Ximena Vargas

A01376215

Prejudice and Discrimination Essay

In the modern world, there is a direct link between prejudice and discrimination. Prejudice is
defined as the unjustified negative attitudes that some people hold against others of a certain
group of people. Prejudice can include attitudes such as sexism, racism, homophobia, and
religious persecution. Prejudices are pre-formed and have no reasonable basis.
Discrimination includes all of the actions that people take against others they have prejudices
toward. The segregation of blacks and whites during the American Civil Rights Movement is
an example of discrimination. A modern example of discrimination might occur if a male
employer were to pay a female employee lower wages due to his own sexism. However,
discrimination can also consist of more subtle, passive-aggressive behavior, such as dirty
looks, or refusing to patronize a business because the owners or managers are of a certain
race, gender, or religion.

There is a self-fulfilling prophecy involved with prejudice and discrimination as well. Those who
have been discriminated against begin to expect those around them to be prejudiced. This
leads to defensive behavior, further fueling the tension between the in-group and the outgroup. Furthermore, members of the in-group then feel justified in their beliefs, because those
in the out-group are acting accordingly with the in-groups preconceived impressions.
Discrimination and its self-fulfilling prophecy play a major role in the maintenance of prejudice
and inequality. First, it causes society to play the blame game. The victims of discrimination
blame those who act in discriminatory ways. In turn, those with prejudice blame the out-group
for putting themselves into their own predicament, and harbor resentment against them for
pointing fingers. Most often, neither group is willing to cooperate or see from the others
perspective, and the reality of the situation is ignored. The result of all of this is the
perpetuation of stereotypes, which provide a backbone for discriminatory practices.

Another issue which examines many aspects of inequality is the controversy over affirmative
action plans in colleges and workplaces. Affirmative action committees were formed in order to
provide equal opportunities to minorities, so that every school or professional organization
would include a certain quota of people from all races and ethnicities. These programs protect
individuals of minority race, religion, gender, and sex. However, some argue that because
these programs are focused on socioeconomic factors instead of on individual merit, they are
inherently unfair because they are disadvantageous to the majority population, and it is
sometimes referred to as reverse discrimination. Here, the prejudice stems from good
intentions for bettering the life of minorities. The discrimination is the exclusion of the majority
population. The self-fulfilling prophecy might hold that the majority population, by opposing
affirmative action, is practicing the very oppression that these programs were originally
designed to deter. Therefore, the need for these programs seems to be reinforced.

Whether intentional or not, prejudice and discrimination ensure the continuance of inequality in
the United States. Even subconsciously, we are furthering inequality through our actions and
reactions with others. Our feelings, or prejudices, influence our actions, or discriminations.
Because these forces are universally present in our daily lives, the way we use them or reject
them will determine how they affect us.