Discrimination.Good or Bad?
Bad, we all think. To judge people before you get to know them is BAD. And that's what discrimination is, right?
Wrong.
That would be called being PREJUDICED. Think about the roots of that word. It's obvious: "pre" and "judge." To judge someone before you know them. That's pretty much just deciding in advance what you think about a specific group of people and everyone in it.
That IS bad, but we all do it. I don't think it's bad to have preconceived ideas—necessarily. I mean, we can't help it. It's bad when you let that get in your way of getting to know someone. I mean, let's face it; if we see a guy that's wearing all black leather with a skull and crossbones tatooed on his bicep and six piercings in each ear smoking a gigarette against the side of a convenience store, we aren't going to think "Gee, he looks like such a nice guy. I think I'm going to go speak to him." Do we think that? NO.
And that's prejudice, right?
HAHAHAHAHAHA, wrong again!Well, maybe it is, but really, THAT'S discrimination.
"Definition: Discriminate: to note or observe a difference; distinguish accurately"
Think about it. Is it wrong to distinguish between something? If you're picking a babysitter for your children, are you going to pick the girl with all A's, or the twelve year old boy who's been known to attempt parachuting off the roof?
Uhhhhh, not a hard choice.
That's discrimination.
So, I'm saying that discrimination isn't bad, right?
Yup, wrong again (but you probably saw that coming, lol).
Discrimination can be bad as well as good, just like almost anything. You don't want your discrimination to turn into a prejudice. Discrimination when used the right way is perfectly good, healthy, and helpful. Just don't let it get out of hand.
Remember:
Discriminate: to observe a difference, to distinguish between something.
To be prejudiced: an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought, or reason.
When you saw the guy loitering around the convenience store, you no longer were without knowledge, though, or reason. Therefore, that was discrimination. See the difference?
I hope so.
We have to stop flinching at the word “discrimination” just out of habit. (Racial discrimination, flinch away. That’s definitely BAD.) Before you accept society’s definition of a word, make sure society has it RIGHT first.
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^_^ weird post. true, though
ReplyDeleteHaha, yeah :)
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ReplyDeletehmmmm....but discriminating before you actually have talked and gotten to know that person is prejudice. and what if that guy outside of the convenience store is really a good guy? and you stereo-typed him...also you've never gotten to know him so how could you know. How is that different from racial prejudice? I agree we should use wisdom...but it's a finer line then i think you realize.
ReplyDeleteSo many things to tackle! Haha, okay, here goes:
ReplyDelete"discriminating before you actually have talked and gotten to know that person is prejudice." Not quite because of the definition of "prejudice": an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought, or reason. After you saw the guy, you weren't without reason or knowledge. And it's also just commom sense not to go up and talk to the guy. Especially us girls.
"How is that different from racial prejudice?" Well for one thing, it's not racial...Lol! And racial prejudice is deciding before you even meet or see people that everyone of a certain color is the same.
Glad you're giving your opinion, too! What I was trying to say is we have to watch the definitions we agree with, because realistically, discrimination is not a bad thing--when used correctly.
Yeah, "discrimination" is a really crucial daily life skill. No, you don't go talk to the guy smoking on the corner in black leather and piercings. Because people do things like that for a reason. Yes, there's a personality and lifestyle associated with such an image. Such an image suggests that this character has seen the rougher side of life and has become rough enough to deal with it. Or maybe it's a visual expression of a liberal or rebellious attitude. Maybe it's a mask, but maybe it's not. If it is a mask, then he got what he wanted when you don't talk to him. If it isn't, then you just saved yourself a potentially nasty situation by staying away.
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