A Cure for Discrimination?

You raise an interesting point of view in your post; it seems that these discussions are discriminating against discriminators. Factors surrounding where these students picked up their discrimination are very important. I believe that no matter how much classes stress information about these other cultures, it's the parents who will be more influential on whether the student continues to discriminate. However, society is a bit kinder these days, and blatant discrimination is surrounded by animosity. But more subtle discrimination is still very prevalent, so I applaud any efforts to squash discrimination.

I agree with the "cure" to discrimination. Most people discriminate because they are unfamiliar with what they are discriminating against. But then again, it is up to those people to choose to learn about others and to view things from a different perspective which can be hard sometimes for some people.

This is really interesting. I definitely agree that having more background knowledge about a culture as well as experience with members of a different culture or group can help lessen discrimination. However, I think that a lot of discrimination is learned and comes from how people are raised as well as the views of their parents and people around them.

I like your point about curing discrimination. People need to be more informed about all different types of people and not jump to conclusions just beause they are unfamiliar. I do think, however that discrimination does come from people around us as well. It is hard to avoid the opinions of your parents and close friends.

I agree ignorance is evident in the world today I have seen and been a part of it. Most people will try to blame others for being discriminatory and most will try to fix the situation by saying the times they were not discriminatory. For example we all have heard I have black friends right after they tell a black joke and are called out on it. I have also thought to myself I am not discriminatory but in a way everyone is and no one is excluded. People may today not actively discriminate against others but in an unconscious or even conscious. I have talked with a manager at a local grocery store and he said when asked to hire or promote employees he does not know personally he will discriminate against people with tattoos and/or long hair. This is true for most positions even more so when you go for more prestigious jobs, this may explain why most employees do not have long hair or visible tattoos.

I really try not to act or think in discriminatory ways, but will sometimes catch myself saying or thinking something prejudiced. It's really hard to be completely unbiased, especially when others around you are biased (i.e. media, parents, friends, etc). I also think that ignorance is a big cause of discrimination, since we see others as out of our group. If we learn more about them, we will be more empathetic and be able to relate to them better.

This relates very well to lectures that we had last week about in-group versus out-group people. It's easy for an individual to discriminate against out-group individuals because we tend to see all out-group people as homogeneous. That is, at first glance they all appear the same. As noted above, taking time to break down this stereotype and to see people as unique and heterogeneous can lessen the effects of prejudice and discrimination.

Let me start off by saying I really enjoy the photo. Anyways, this is really easy to relate back to lectures and things that have been discussed in the book and discussion Stereotypes can sometimes ruin peoples perspectives of an individual because they are so quick to judge. Taking time to get to know an individual will hopefully help break that stereotype.

One way of viewing the consideration of other opinions is as a realm of "in-betweenness" between our understanding and that of another. In this space of encounter, we can consider the opinions and viewpoints of others and learning more about their "culture" while still honoring our own.

I agree that people need to become more knowledgeable about other cultures in order to diminish discrimination. It's important that people know what discrimination is and understand that it is a problem in today's society. It seems that some discrimination today is more subtle and people don't want to awknowledge that it exists, which will not get us anywhere if we want to eliminate it.

I believe that there is help on the issue of discrimination. Most people discriminate because they are not educated in the other cultures way of life, therefore a helping hand most be given to encourage the learning.

I clicked on your blog because I saw the photo that said "IGNORANCE" and I thought to myself how big of a coincidence it was because I was just talking about ignorance today! I agree with the previous comment that there isn't much help on the topic of discrimination, however, I agree that discrimination is largely a result of people simply lacking knowledge.