Eth 125 Discrimination Wkst

Associate Program Material

Discrimination Worksheet

Write a 100- to 200-word response to each of the following questions. Provide citations for all the sources you use.

• What is discrimination? How is discrimination different from prejudice and stereotyping? Discrimination: the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex. (Oxford Dictionaries, 2013)

In my opinion, discrimination, stereotyping and prejudice are very similar; they often overlap and can easily be mistaken for one another. Prejudice is defined as preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience (Oxford Dictionaries, 2013) or a preconceived judgment or opinion, an adverse opinion or leaning formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge, an instance of such judgment or opinion, an irrational attitude of hostility directed against an individual, a group, a race, or their supposed characteristics. (Merriam-Webster, 2013). Stereotyping is defined as a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. (Oxford Dictionaries, 2013) I would say they differ because both Prejudice and Stereotyping are opinions or ideas based on unjust opinions, ideas or unreliable generalizations about a person or group whereas Discrimination is when a person or group uses prejudice or stereotypes in taking action by denying equal rights and opportunities to these individuals and groups. So, in short prejudice and stereotypes are negative attitudes, opinions and ideas and discrimination would be to take these feelings into actions.

• What are the causes of discrimination?

I believe discrimination is a learned behavior and is caused by different reasons. Some of these reasons could be ignorance to facts, influence, fear, previous experience with an individual or group and conformity to a group, individual, organization or institution just to name a few. For example, a person raised in a home with prejudice and stereotypes about a group or individual my discriminate toward individuals or groups based on the influences they have experienced. A person may have had a bad experience with a person or group and take that experience against others of the same or similar group denying them of their rights and opportunities. Someone new to an organization that practices discrimination may start to use the same practices to conform and not go against the organization.

• How is discrimination faced by one identity group (race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability) the same as discrimination faced by another? How are they different?

I believe there are different forms of discrimination like race, religion, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability etc. However, I do not believe it is faced differently from one group to another. Each individual or group may face a different type of discrimination and it may be presented differently than presented to another. For example there is such thing as “workforce discrimination” which could be refusal to hire, pay inequity or denial of promotion, all of which are part of a bigger picture of discrimination that could be related to race, gender, ethnicity or other categories of discrimination. In my opinion, they are not faced differently and all forms or categories of discrimination result in the same thing; denying equal rights and opportunities to these individuals and groups.