Page 287 - Essencials of Sociology

260 CHAPTER 9 Race and Ethnicity

Contrast prejudice and
9.2 Prejudice and Discrimination
discrimination and individual and
institutional discrimination; discuss
With prejudice and discrimination so significant in social life, let’s consider the origin of
learning prejudice, internalizing
prejudice and the extent of discrimination.
dominant norms, and institutional
discrimination. Learning Prejudice
Distinguishing between Prejudice and Discrimination. Prejudice and discrimi-
nation are common throughout the world. In Mexico, Mexicans of Hispanic descent
Watch on MySocLab discriminate against Mexicans of Native American descent; in Israel, Ashkenazi Jews,
Video: Racial Stereotypes and primarily of European descent, discriminate against Sephardic Jews from the Middle
Discrimination
East; in China, the Han and the Uighurs discriminate against each other. In some places,
the elderly discriminate against the young; in others, the young discriminate against the
elderly. And all around the world, men discriminate against women.
Discrimination is an action—unfair treatment directed against someone. Discrimina-
tion can be based on many characteristics: age, sex, height, weight, skin color, clothing,
speech, income, education, marital status, sexual orientation, disease, disability, religion,
and politics. When the basis of discrimination is someone’s perception of race, it is
known as racism. Discrimination is often the result of an attitude called prejudice—a
prejudging of some sort, usually in a negative way. There is also positive prejudice, which
exaggerates the virtues of a group, as when people think that some group is superior to
others. Most prejudice, however, is negative and involves prejudging a group as inferior.

Learning Prejudice from Associating with Others. As with our other attitudes,
we are not born with prejudice. Rather, we learn prejudice from the people around us.
You probably know this, but here is a twist that sociologists have found. Michael Kimmel
(2007), who interviewed neo-Nazi skinheads in Sweden, found that the young men were
attracted mostly by the group’s tough masculinity, not its hatred of immigrants. Kathleen
discrimination an act of unfair
treatment directed against an indi- Blee (2005, 2011), who interviewed female members of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and
vidual or a group Aryan Nations in the United States, found something similar. They were attracted to the
hate group because someone they liked belonged to it. They learned to be racists after
racism prejudice and discrimina-
tion on the basis of race they joined the group. Both Blee and Kimmel found that the members’ racism was not
the cause of their joining but, rather, joining was the cause of their racism.
prejudice an attitude or prejudg- Just as our associations can increase prejudice, so they can reduce prejudice, the topic
ing, usually in a negative way
of our Down-to-Earth Sociology box on the next page.

This photo, taken in Birmingham,
Alabama, provides a glimpse into
the determination and bravery of
the civil rights demonstrators of the
1960s and the severe opposition they
confronted.