Identifying Prejudice & Discrimination

1. Identifying Prejudice&Discrimination

2. Have you ever felt you were treated unfairly because of who you are?

3. Have you ever witnessed others treated unfairly because of their age, sex, skin colour, religion, or culture?

4. Why do people treat others unfairly?

5. What’s in a Word or Symbol? • Racism is negative behaviour based on an incorrect assumption that one race is inherently superior to others. • Racism is just one form of discrimination • Discrimination is any unfair action directed against people based on their race, gender, ethnicity, nationality, language, faith or sexual orientation. • Go to page 288 and look at the scenarios in the right column.

6. Define the following terms for clarity: • Stereotype • Prejudice • Discrimination • Systemic Discrimination • Genocide

7. Prejudice, Discrimination and Power • People affected by prejudice and discrimination are those people outside the mainstream of society or outside positions of power and authority. • Give some examples of who these people may be. • Stereotypes are beliefs about an individual member of a group that is applied to the entire group. • Think back to our discussion on stereotypes and how they shape our identity. • Prejudice emerges when stereotypes are negative or inaccurate in nature or when a person fails to change them in the face of contrary evidence. • When those who hold the stereotype have power or authority, prejudice goes to the next level called discrimination.

8. Understanding Prejudice&Discrimination • Perception is the way incoming information is shaped and changed by the personal background and experiences of each individual. • Philosopher Kenneth E. Boulding researched perception and used the term “The image” to explain how each person perceives things differently in the real world. Instead of seeing things in the exact way, they respond to an image of reality. • Can you make the link between “the image” and prejudice? Explain how this theory may help us understand the roots of prejudice and discrimination.

9. Psychologist Joel Barker expanded on Boulding’s theory and focused on paradigm. • Paradigm is a set of rules and conditions stored in the brain that a person uses to interpret and understand sensory experience. A paradigm is a filter of sorts • Each person’s paradigm filter uses the following to determine their understanding of a situation: • Prior experiences • Education • Personal background • Influence of friends • Other influences • Social Scientists believe it is possible to change the set of rule and conditions by which people judge certain situations. They call this a paradigm shift.