Prejudice And Discrimination Essay

Prejudice and discrimination have both been prevalent throughout human history. Prejudice deals with the inflexible and irrational attitudes and opinions that are held by others of one group against those of another. Discrimination on the other hand refers to the behaviors directed against another group. Prejudiced individuals have preconceived beliefs about groups of people or cultural practices. There are both positive and negative forms of prejudice, however, the negative form of prejudice leads to discrimination. Individuals that practice discrimination do so to protect opportunities for themselves, by denying access to those whom they believe do not deserve the same treatment as everyone else. An example of discrimination based on prejudice involves the Jews. “Biased sentiments and negative stereotypes of Jews have been a part of Western tradition for centuries and, in fact, have been stronger and more vicious in Europe than in the United States. For nearly two millennia, European Jews have been chastised and persecuted as the “killers of Christ” and stereotyped as materialistic moneylenders and crafty business owners (Healey, p.65). The prejudice against these groups led to the discrimination against them.
The best-known example of anti-Semitism would be the attempted genocide or systematic killing of all the Jews during World War II. Prejudice and discrimination both are based upon mistreating an individual due to their race, gender, sexual orientation, or handicap, however discrimination is a specific form of prejudice that is institutionalized for example women being paid less than men, or ethnic minorities being treated differently due to stereotypes placed on them from other situations. The book “Prejudice: Its Social ...

... middle of paper ...

...ciety has intergrouped individuals for many years. Society creates an image for various individuals, and many follow through with those associations and do not try to negate it.
The most important event in civil rights for African Americans between the 1600s and 1881, would be the first mention of the abolition movement which was in 1688. The first protest against slavery took place in 168 in Germantown. This was the starting point of the end of slavery as people began to revolt against. “In 1688, only seven years after William Penn received his the charter for his “Holy Experiment” based on religious freedom and tolerance, four German Quakers, none of whom had been in the colony for more than five years, issued the first formal protest against slavery in Pennsylvania; indeed, the first formal protest issued anywhere in Britain’s North American colonies” (Hull,1).