Sunday, January 02, 2005

Prejudices

If a mobile phone rings during a seminar attended despite a prior request by the organisers to turn off all phones, which group of people will immediately come to mind to blame? Is it the youngsters or the adults?

The scenario described above is fairly common and often happened in public meetings.
It illustrates the prejudices that all of us possess to some degree or a great degree. We always think negatively of people of a certain group based on race, age, occupation, financial status, or the kinds. For example, when we look at people of a particular race, we often feel certain the types of behavior to expect. We assume a certain group of people frequently spit on the floor and we constantly view negatively of another group of people who constantly block passageways. Which group of people do we assume are not educated?

Preconceived ideas of people within a certain group although can be generally true at times, are in reality not the entire truth. Not all people of a certain group or genre behave in the way we think they usually behave. People are not robots. They are not programmed to behave in specific ways. Some may have accumulated bad habits as a result of the society or culture they live in, but not all are the same because individuals change and vary in behavior. No two persons are created the same.

The next time we meet a person, try not to jump to conclusion or think negatively of that particular person. Always ask the question, are the assumptions we have of them prejudices or are they true. If the answer is prejudice, then erase it out from the mind, and view the person as someone yet to be discovered. If the answer is true, then consider whether he or she may have changed. Learn to give others second chances. Never ever coin a person by the group he or she is in or by the people he or she associates.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

now i'd like to agree with you on that, but it's easier said than done- you know i'm right! we all want to believe pollyanna versions of the truth, but media, advertisements, music, radio, tv, movies- they program us 24-7.

maybe our time management skills are what needs changing. we're too easily led. we buy into things, because it's easier than sorting stuff out for ourselves.

anyway, interesting blog. :) -Lindsey

here's my sister. she's a writer like you...

-http://mooremarjo.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

I try not to be prejudiced, but where this one religion is concerned, I've not been able to overcome my prejudice. A few days back, I was hailing a cab, and the cabbie happened to belong to this said religion. My first reaction was to take another one, but I told myself I was being ridiculous. And know what, my journey home costs me 14 bucks everyday, and this guy's meter clocked 26! And he insisted that he was right. And I ended up paying 20. Agreed, it might be a coincidence, but I'm only human.

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