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Anthony Giddens defines prejudice as "the holding of preconceived ideas about an individual or group, ideas that are resistant to change even in the face of new information."
Examples of the worst form of prejudice include American slavery during the first two centuries of this country and the extermination of millions of Jewish people by the Nazis during World War II. In both of these cases, the blacks and Jews were seen as lower forms of humans or even non-human. Unfortunately, prejudice against the blacks and Jews continues to this day. They are often considered "scapegoats," or blamed for things they have not done.
In this same vein, stigmatize, according to Tony Bilton (1996) is "a process of experience in which some form of social behavior or attribute is subject to social disapproval and becomes discredited, resulting in a spoiled identity in the eyes of others and possible exclusion from normal social interaction." For example, emotionally ill people are often stigmatized. When some people hear the words "mentally ill," they automatically imagine stereotypes of straight jackets and mental hospitals with ranting patients. This concept of stigmatizing, therefore, goes hand-in-hand with "labeling," or as Becker noted (in Bilton, 1996), "the process where socially defined identities are imposed or adopted, especially the deviant label. Such labels may have consequences that trap the individual into that identity. In addition, many of these labeling and prejudices are passed along from parents to children...
Some sociologists argue that some of the emotionality in prejudice stems from subconscious attitudes that cause a person to ward off feelings of inadequacy by projecting them onto a target group. Social research across the world shows that prejudice is fundamentally related to low self-esteem. By hating certain individuals or groups, other people are able to build their own self-worth and importance. Other reason for prejudice is that it may lead to support from significant or respected others; to the contrary, denying prejudices may result in losing social acceptance and becoming a deviant as well. Pressures to conform to the views of families, friends, and other associates can be difficult to deny.
The question whether it is possible to end prejudice is also debatable. Even if fear of others unlike oneself is innate to some degree, it has been shown that education can eliminate some of the misunderstandings caused by irrational feelings. It is hoped that some day this will be possible.
References
Bilton, T. (1996) Introductory Sociology, London: Macmillan
Giddens, a. (1997) Sociology. London: Polity Press.
Pickering, AJS (1991). Emile Durkheim. Critical Assessments of Leading Sociologists. London: Routeledge.
Straus, R. (1994) Using Sociology. New York: Rowman and Littlefield.
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