What is Prejudice?

Prejudice is an attitude or belief that is formed without sufficient evidence or thought, and that is often based on stereotypes or biases. Prejudice can involve negative feelings or attitudes towards a particular group of people or towards individuals who are perceived as being different in some way.

Prejudice can take many forms, including racial prejudice, religious prejudice, gender prejudice, and sexual orientation prejudice, among others. It can manifest itself in a various ways, such as discrimination, segregation, violence, or exclusion. Prejudice can have serious consequences for those who are targeted, including physical harm, economic disadvantage, and social exclusion.

Prejudice is often rooted in fear, ignorance, or a lack of understanding of others who are perceived as being different. It can be difficult to overcome, but it is important to recognize and challenge our own prejudices and to work towards understanding, acceptance, and equality for all people.

The word bias derives from Latin. The prefix ‘pre’ indicates ‘before,’ while the word ‘judice’ comes from the same origin as the word ‘judged.’ Although we commonly associate prejudice with bad attitudes and prejudiced conduct, such as bigotry or racism, there are numerous different types of social bias, such as:

• Sexism is the stereotyping of people based on their gender.
• Religious prejudice is the dislike of a person or group simply because of their religious views.
• Ageism is a bias based on age.
• Classism is prejudice against members of a specific socioeconomic class.
• Homophobia is the practise of categorizing persons based on their LGBTQ+ sexual orientation.
• Xenophobia is the fear of people from other countries.