Learning from shared stories, prejudice, and self-reflection on personal attitudes

¶ … listening to everyone's stories, the prejudice powerpoint tour and reflecting on your own behavior and attitudes.

Discrimination is something all people come across during their lives and its intensity varies depending on the environment one lives in. Being part of a single parent family, from an Ecuadorian one living in the U.S., from an Asian community in the U.S., and basically having any kind of features associated with a group in particular are elements which can predispose a person's differentiation. Nonetheless, the fact that a person is discriminated does not exempt the respective person for displaying a biased behavior toward other individuals.

Society teaches people that it is likely for other people to behave similar to those in the community they frequent. People generally consider that it is wrong when a child is raised by a single parent and that because that particular child did not enjoy the opportunity of being educated by two adult individuals while at home, he or she will have less chances of developing into a balanced person. Whenever they come across someone with a background like this, people will try their best to interact with him or her as less as possible and when it is obligatory for them to do so they will treat that respective individual on account of their biased thinking with regard to the particular features he or she has.

Weight is essential for the way persons are perceived by those who they come across. When someone is dealing with weight problems, his or her capability to perform certain tasks will be determined by the members of the community he or she lives in. Concomitantly, this person can be influenced in believing that it is perfectly normal for them to be denied a series of privileges because of their physical appearance.

When an individual part of a majority in a community encounters one that is part of a minority, it is typical for the former to be inclined to consider that he or she is superior to the latter. Consequently, the former will attempt to behave toward the latter in view of the prejudices he or she has relating to the particularities present in the latter. Most individuals make use of anti-locution when they put across their discriminatory principles, as it is easier and apparently less immoral to do this. Anti-locution is as wrong as direct discrimination, given the fact that it encourages people to be prejudiced.

Avoidance is another form of prejudice that seems to be less harmful than straightforward discrimination. Because they were taught that people from a community different from theirs behave in a particular manner believed to be wrong, individuals will consider that it is easier for them to evade any chance of interaction with the categorized group rather than risk having to deal with the particularity associated with the group that is "not normal."

People will not hesitate to accept that discrimination is a real threat to society. However, little to no individuals expects to come across discrimination that is directed at them. People are shocked when this happens and cannot explain how it is possible for someone to discriminate them.