Prejudice and Racism: The Differences and the Ways to Deal with Them - Essay Example

In this essay, I will examine differences between prejudice and racism, using both academic literature (Sociology: The Essentials by Andersen and Taylor) and example from the movie Boyz n the Hood, in order to underscore my argument. I will argue that both racism and prejudice are caused by interplay of both cultural and socio-economic factors, and that in order to combat them, one has to change the historically conditioned fundamentals of a given society. Prejudice may be defined as a negative predisposition towards a social group and individuals, which endures despite facts that contravenes it, and involves both prejudgment and misjudgment (Andersen and Taylor 243).

A negative attitude towards members of particular group solely because of their allegiance to it counts as prejudice for all purposes, if the persons who exhibit such attitude willingly or inadvertently ignore all individual qualities of members of this group, whatever they may be. Negative prejudice is usually accompanied with positive prejudice to members of one’s own social group (in-group), which cements and props up this group as a coherent social unit. Even though the majority would usually dismiss prejudice as caused by ignorance and bigotry, in fact, it is rather rampant across the society.

There exist prejudices toward racial, ethnic, age and sexual groups, with the additional factor that members of this or that in-group usually consider their own group superior to their perceived ‘adversaries’ (Andersen and Taylor 244). A typical example of this function of prejudice may be ethnocentrism that centers on the recognition of inherent superiority of some ethnic groups over others. Prejudices do not exist in themselves; they operate through stereotypes which are accepted by individuals in the course of their socialization.

A stereotype is an oversimplified set of beliefs and suppositions about particular social groups that govern its perception by other social groups (Andersen and Taylor 242). Stereotypes are usually disseminated through media, both informal (family socialization) and formal ones (for instance, through portrayal of various ethnic groups in electronic media). Most common stereotypes about racial and ethnic groups create certain categorization of these groups, which lead the others to perceive them in one-sided and inaccurate way.

In comparison with prejudice, which is generally psychological predisposition, racism involves not only opinions, but also actual deeds. Racism may be defined as both perception and treatment of a racial or ethnic group as inherently alien and inferior to the in-group which includes a racist in question (Andersen and Taylor 245). Racism does not exist as such, unless it extends beyond the limits of mere prejudice, and becomes an active social behavior. One may distinguish between two kinds of racism: traditional racism, which assumes inherently destructive and aggressive forms of actual physical attacks against members of disliked racial group; and aversive racism that consists in covert disregard or avoidance of direct contacts with persons of other races (Andersen and Taylor 245).

After the beginning of desegregation in the United States, a new type of racism emerged. It may be called ‘laissez-faire’ racism, as its proponents basically blamed African Americans themselves for their lower social status in American society and vigorously resisted any attempts at ameliorating Black conditions through governmental policies, viewing it as a threat to established social system (Andersen and Taylor 245). Another form of racism which is particularly widespread nowadays, is ‘color-blind’