Prejudice vs Discrimination vs Stereotype

Prejudice Definition and Meaning

Prejudice is like judging a book by its cover without even reading it. Imagine you see a book with a cover that doesn’t look interesting to you, and you assume the book is boring or not worth reading. But if you give it a chance and read it, you might discover that it’s actually a fantastic story. Prejudice is when you judge someone based on their appearance, race, religion, or any other characteristic without really getting to know them.

A famous quote by Martin Luther King Jr. says, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” This quote means that people should be judged based on who they are on the inside, not on how they look or where they come from.

Prejudice can be harmful because it leads to unfair treatment, discrimination, and even bullying. Just like you wouldn’t want someone to judge you without knowing you, it’s important to treat others with respect and give them a chance to show who they are. By doing this, we can create a more understanding and accepting world.

Prejudice is an unjustified or incorrect attitude (usually negative) towards an individual based solely on the individual’s membership of a social group. The Cambridge dictionary Defines Prejudice as an unfair and unreasonable opinion or feeling, especially when formed without enough thought or knowledge. Prejudice is a baseless and often negative preconception or attitude toward members of a group.

When people hold prejudicial attitudes toward others, they tend to view everyone who fits into a certain group as being “all the same.” They paint every individual who holds particular characteristics or beliefs with a very broad brush and fails to really look at each person as a unique individual. Prejudice can have a strong influence on how people behave and interact with others, particularly with those who are different from them, even unconsciously or without the person realizing they are under the influence of their internalized prejudices.

Discrimination Definition and Meaning

Discrimination is when someone is treated unfairly or differently because of certain characteristics they have, like their race, gender, religion, age, or appearance. It’s like having a group of different fruits—apples, oranges, bananas—and deciding that one type of fruit is better than the others without even giving them a chance to prove their worth.

Imagine you’re in a sports team, and the coach only lets certain players play because they wear a specific brand of shoes, even though other players are just as talented. That’s discrimination—it’s not fair, and it stops people from reaching their full potential.

Discrimination can be both obvious and subtle. For example, someone might not be allowed to join a club or get a job because of their race, or they could be made fun of because of their appearance. In other cases, discrimination might be harder to notice, like when someone is treated differently in small ways, making them feel left out or unwelcome.

Martin Luther King Jr., a famous civil rights activist, once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” This means that when we allow discrimination to happen, it affects everyone, not just the person being discriminated against. We all have a responsibility to stand up against discrimination and treat everyone with respect and fairness.

In the end, it’s important to remember that everyone deserves an equal chance to succeed and be happy, regardless of their differences.

Discrimination means treating a person unfairly because of who they are or because they possess certain characteristics. Discrimination is an action or a decision that treats a person or a group badly for reasons such as their race, age or disability. Many people wrongly think that discrimination does not exist if the impact was not intended, or if there were other factors that could explain a particular situation.

In fact, discrimination often takes place without any intent to do harm. And in most cases, there are overlaps between discrimination and other legitimate factors. If you have been treated differently from other people only because of who you are or because you possess certain characteristics, you may have been discriminated against.

What are Protected Attributes (list)?

Protected attributes are personal characteristics or features that are legally protected from discrimination. In the context of discrimination sustainability, this means ensuring that people are treated fairly and equally, regardless of these attributes. Protected Attributes meaning the qualities, traits, or characteristics that are protected by law, and must not be discriminated against. The lists of protected attributes of different countries (Canada, America, Australia, UK) are very similar, and usually include, but not limited to:

• disability
• sex
• race
• sexuality
• age
• gender identity
• relationship status
• status as a parent or carer
• pregnancy
• breastfeeding
• religious or political conviction
• guide dog or other assistance animal
• industrial activity
• profession, trade, occupation or calling
• spent criminal conviction
• association with a person who has an attribute listed above.

An illustration of protected attribute

Let’s use a simple example with statistics to help explain. Imagine a high school with 1,000 students. According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2019), the racial distribution in the United States is roughly 76.3% White, 13.4% Black, 18.5% Hispanic, and 5.9% Asian. In our high school, we’d expect to see a similar distribution:

1. White students: 763
2. Black students: 134
3. Hispanic students: 185
4. Asian students: 59

Now, let’s say that the school has a club for students who excel in math. It would be considered discrimination if the club only allowed White students to join, even if they didn’t have good math skills. To ensure discrimination sustainability, the club should allow students to join based on their math skills, regardless of their race.

To support this concept, laws like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 were created to protect people from discrimination based on their protected attributes (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, n.d.).

What are the 4 types of Discrimination?

There are 4 main types of discrimination:

Direct discrimination

Direct Discrimination happens when someone is directly mistreated unfavourably because of one or more of the protected attributes.

Indirect discrimination

Indirect discrimination meaning a requirement (or a system) that appears to be neutral and the same for everyone in fact has the effect of disadvantaging someone because they have a protected attribute. An example of Indirect discrimination is if someone is disabled, but expected to show up to an office for an interview, but the building doesn’t have an escalator that allows for a wheelchair. Therefore, the person who has disability won’t be able to show up for an interview.

Subtle Discrimination

Subtle Discrimination is not obvious, or intention. However a subtle discrimination can happen in many ways, they are difficult to spot. It may be a joke, a subtle comment, or other behavior which is difficult to prove.

An simple example is joking about a female co-worker who is too weak to perform certain tasks.

Adverse Effect Discrimination

Adverse effect discrimination is a scenario that on the surface, the related policy seems to treat everyone equally but actually has an adverse impact on a protected group. An example of adverse effect discrimination is that a shift-related policy that require all employee to rotate shifts, however it is discriminating to an employee who needs to find childcare at midnight.

Harassment

Harassment meaning a situation when a person’s behaviour undermines the dignity and psychological or physical well-being of another person or persons. An example of harassment can be sexual harassment, or bullying because of protected attribute differences.

Victimization

Victimization is the event or incident leading to a victim state. Victimisation is where someone is treated relatively less favourably because someone intend to complain or has already complained about discrimination.

Stereotype Definition and Meaning

A stereotype is like a shortcut our brain takes when trying to understand the world around us. Imagine you’re playing a video game, and you have to choose a character. Each character has certain traits and abilities that are common within their group. But in real life, people are not video game characters, and it’s not fair to assume that everyone in a particular group has the same traits, abilities, or beliefs.

Stereotypes can be about a person’s race, gender, age, or even their hobbies. For example, someone might think that all skateboarders are rebellious, but this is not true. Each skateboarder is an individual with their own unique personality.

Stereotyping is a problem because it can lead to misunderstandings and unfair judgments. As the famous writer, Harper Lee once said in her book “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” Stereotyping prevents us from seeing others as unique individuals with their own stories and experiences.

To avoid stereotyping, it’s important to get to know people as individuals and not make assumptions based on their appearance, background, or group they belong to. As the popular saying goes, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”

Stereotype is defined as to attach an idea or image to a person who belong to a particular group. A stereotype is “…a fixed, over generalized belief about a particular group or class of people.” (Cardwell, 1996). Stereotyping is something we do daily, even if we don’t realize it.

Stereotypes are not only harmful in their own right; they do damage by fostering prejudice and discrimination. By classifying groups of people, we can better understand the world around us, although prejudice may be a result. In this lesson, we’ll watch Amy categorize strangers she sees on a bus and determine the reasons why humans tend to stereotype.

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