Prejudice

Overview

A prejudiced belief leads to categorical rejection. Prejudice does not mean disliking a person one meets because one finds that person's behavior to be objectionable. It means disliking an entire racial/ethnic group even if one has had little or no contact with that group. A college student who requests a room change after three weeks of enduring his roommate's sleeping all day, playing loud music all night, and piling garbage on his desk is not prejudiced. However, he is displaying prejudice if he requests a change on arriving at school and learning that his new roommate is of a different nationality.

Prejudice often is expressed through the use of ethnophaulisms, or ethnic slurs, which include derisive nicknames such as “honky,” “gook,” and “wetback.” Ethnophaulisms also include speaking about or to members of a particular group in a condescending way (e.g., “José does well in school for a Mexican American”) or referring to a middle-aged woman as “one of the girls.”

Prejudice and Discrimination

Prejudice and discrimination are related concepts but are not the same. Prejudice is a belief or an attitude, whereas discrimination is action. Discrimination involves behavior that excludes all members of a group from certain rights, opportunities, or privileges. Like prejudice, it must be categorical. If an employer refuses to hire as a typist an Italian American who is illiterate, it is not discrimination. If she refuses to hire any Italian Americans because she thinks that they are incompetent and does not make the effort to see whether an Italian American applicant is qualified, it is discrimination.

In exploring the relationship between negative attitudes (prejudice) and negative behavior (discrimination), sociologist Robert Merton identified four major categories. The label added to each of Merton's categories may more readily identify the type of person being described:

• 1.
  The unprejudiced nondiscriminator: all-weather liberal
• 2.
  The unprejudiced discriminator: reluctant liberal
• 3.
  The prejudiced nondiscriminator: timid bigot
• 4.
  The prejudiced discriminator: all-weather bigot

As the term is used in types 1 and 2, liberals are committed to equality among people. The all-weather liberal believes in equality and practices it. Merton was quick to observe that all-weather liberals may be far removed from any real competition with subordinate groups such as African Americans and women. Furthermore, such people may be content with their own behavior and may do little to change themselves. The reluctant liberal is not so committed to equality between groups. Social pressure may cause such a person to discriminate. Fear of losing employees may lead a manager to avoid promoting women to supervisory capacities. Equal opportunity legislation may be the best way to influence the reluctant liberal.

Types 3 and 4 do not believe in equal treatment for racial/ethnic groups, but they vary in their willingness to act. The timid bigot will not discriminate if discrimination costs money or reduces profits or if he or she is pressured not to discriminate by peers or the government. The all-weather bigot acts without hesitation on the prejudiced beliefs that he or she holds.

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