Essay about Prejudice: Discrimination and Prejudice Words

Submitted By kayleeboo
Words: 654
Pages: 3

Racism, discrimination and prejudice is a very touchy subject. Some people say it is still around today, some don’t. It’s the way you grow up and what you see growing up. As Dali Lama once said, “From the viewpoint of absolute truth, what we feel and experience in our ordinary daily life is all delusion. Of all the various delusions, the sense of discrimination between oneself and others is the worst form, as it creates nothing but unpleasant.” (Discrimination quotes) What is prejudice you might ask? Prejudice is a wrong or negative act towards someone based on race, gender or social group. Three examples of prejudice otherwise known as discrimination could be age, race or religion. According to most professors and psychologists, prejudice is something that we develop from our experiences in life, and which hinders our ability to make rational judgments. Prejudice, discrimination and racism still exist to this very day. It was very clear after 9/11. It is just more concealed than it was during the 1900s – 1960s. However, this could present a problem in the future. Discrimination and prejudice will always exist. Human nature being what it is, some people need to find something to hate 'others' about. Whether it being skin color, religion or gender. Whatever faults we have people will find something to focus on, it's just our mind set and way we were brought up. “Small is the number who see with their eyes and think with their minds” (Einstein) The impact that prejudice has on young people is huge. We say we want to break prejudice and it has to be stopped but how is it ever going to be stopped if all we do is make racial, sexist and all discriminatory comments? With children it is all “monkey see, monkey do”, if you are racist so will your children and it will be a never ending cycle. Children who have lower self-esteem are more likely to participate in prejudice. They may try to improve their own worth by finding a group of people who they can put down, just like bullies. “For some, putting down others may serve a psychological function, allowing them to feel more important and powerful than those they put down.” (What to Tell Your Child About Prejudice and Discrimination , 2011) What can parents do about prejudice? Well, there is a lot that can be done but first off you should make sure you help your children become sensitive towards other peoples feelings, make sure your children know that judging people is unfair, teach your children respect and have an