By: Natasha Archary
Outgrowing prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination is not an easy feat. It’s a generational and systemic construct that is so deeply ingrained that it gives people the false perception that their way of thinking is valid.
Transformation is something that many countries are striving to achieve but the differences and stereotypes still exist.
Midday Joy listeners share some of the prejudices, stereotypes and discrimination they have either outgrown or are working on dropping.
Discrimination comes in many forms and it’s not just racial prejudice that needs to be weeded out of society. Gender disparities in a patriarchal society is still a hurdle for women.
The perception that a woman’s role is guided by the men in her life, speaks to the inequalities that we have yet to overcome.
While there have been great strides in addressing the oppression and advocating for women’s independence, cultural and religious beliefs outweigh modern norms.
Religious stereotypes also forge implicit attitudes we have of other groups or orientation outside of our own.
Outgrowing prejudice, stereotypes and discrimination
Stereotypes include physical features guiding how we perceive people. Profiling someone based on the colour of their skin is a shallow and often inaccurate assumption.
We’ve seen this with the Black Lives Matter movement, where black people are racially profiled by police officers with no proof that they committed a crime.
Skin colour, hair texture, eye shape, physique, these and other features add to our preconceived stereotypes.
With more inter-racial relationships, and babies who are mixed race, the notion that you can still profile someone based on looks is a human tendency that needs to change.
Listen to the conversation on Midday Joy:
These prejudices need to change:
- Bias
This is a tendency that is unreasoned eg. a bias towards only hiring South Africans
- Discrimination
It’s when you treat someone with distinction or favour against a person based on “class”, societal standing, race etc
- Microagression
This is an outgrowth of implicit bias and is a term that spews into slights, insults, indignities and denigrating messages.
- Nationalism
Xenophobia is another term for nationalism, This is when a particular nation is superior.
- Sexism
Gender stereotypes and traditional gender roles
