Prejudice and Discrimination — The Difference
I’M LEARNING THE DIFFERENCE between prejudice and discrimination. I thought they were the same.
Prejudice is judgment — opinions not based on facts about another person and their connection to other social groups.
Prejudice is stereotyping, narrow-minded choices, feelings based on hardly any experience of knowing another person or group, or a particular race, ethnicity, religion, gender, age, economic class, abilities, disabilities, sexual orientation.
Discrimination is action taken because of prejudice.
Unfortunately, acts of discrimination can include threats, slander, exclusion, hatred, and violence.
Discrimination can be subtle — existing in silence, invisibility, simply feeling uneasy.
All people are prejudiced. It’s something to be aware of and study, not to defend yourself but to understand and question how prejudice works in yourself and other people, primarily through the power of socialization — the process beginning during childhood by which individuals acquire the values, and attitudes of a society.
I’m studying racism in myself, working to be racially fair.
Racism is a choice for oppression. It has structure and control systems that exist in economics, education, health, business, politics, jobs in how we treat people.
I’m pulling the pieces of racism apart in myself, figuring out the truth, and making change happen. Change for equity and
living as an antiracist.
It’s demanding, emotional work, and I’m grateful to say I’m not alone in doing it.
I thank Robin DiAngelo and her book: White Fragility — Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism –
for helping me learn about racism and to change.
Thanks — Michael (he, him)
