By : Nan McAdam
In our world today a lot of press is given to prejudice. What is prejudice? There are many definitions of the word. I would like to refer to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition: "preconceived judgment or opinion (2): an adverse opinion or leaning formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge" Even though it receives quite a bit of attention it is not a new phenomena. It has been around since the dawn of time. Did it start by helping our prehistoric ancestors survive in a hostile world? Since I am not an anthropologist, I won't be able to give you that answer.
Prejudice can effect every area of our lives. It is a learned response. We pick up quite a few of these from our parents and our family units. Unless we question these learned conditions in our lives we will be destined to continue them and pass them to the next generation.
Here's an example of this learned prejudice. When I met my husband I was amused by the fact that he had two foods he absolutely hated! One was raisins and the other, Lima beans. How could anyone not like raisins? They're sweet and chewy and make a great snack. I thought all children were raised with a box of Sun Maid raisins clutched in their hands. And, how could a Lima bean make him gag? I am not a huge fan of that particular bean, but I have never lost my lunch over a plump light green bean! When I met his family I found out that this profound dislike was shared by all his siblings, his mother and his grandmother.
When discussing food preferences it can be a humorous thing. But, when that same learned response happens with race, religion, sex and any other thing that stops us from expanding our personal interactions with others it becomes less humorous and downright detrimental to our lives.
Here's an illustration of this in the work place. Let's say that Fred has a realty company and he is looking for sharp individuals for his sales force. But, Fred doesn't like people with blond hair. A young man walks into Fred's office and sits down to interview for the job. He is young, ambitious and has all the right answers to Fred's question. But, because of Fred's prejudice to blond hair, this young man's application automatically hits the rejected pile. Why does that matter? There are plenty of applicants waiting in line to be interviewed. It matters if the man was a young Donald Trump. By not considering Donald because of his blond hair, Fred has cost his company millions of dollars and changed his family's financial legacy forever.
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In our world today a lot of press is given to prejudice. What is prejudice? There are many definitions of the word. I would like to refer to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition: "preconceived judgment or opinion (2): an adverse opinion or leaning formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge" Even though it receives quite a bit of attention it is not a new phenomena. It has been around since the dawn of time. Did it start by helping our prehistoric ancestors survive in a hostile world? Since I am not an anthropologist, I won't be able to give you that answer.
Prejudice can effect every area of our lives. It is a learned response. We pick up quite a few of these from our parents and our family units. Unless we question these learned conditions in our lives we will be destined to continue them and pass them to the next generation.
Here's an example of this learned prejudice. When I met my husband I was amused by the fact that he had two foods he absolutely hated! One was raisins and the other, Lima beans. How could anyone not like raisins? They're sweet and chewy and make a great snack. I thought all children were raised with a box of Sun Maid raisins clutched in their hands. And, how could a Lima bean make him gag? I am not a huge fan of that particular bean, but I have never lost my lunch over a plump light green bean! When I met his family I found out that this profound dislike was shared by all his siblings, his mother and his grandmother.
When discussing food preferences it can be a humorous thing. But, when that same learned response happens with race, religion, sex and any other thing that stops us from expanding our personal interactions with others it becomes less humorous and downright detrimental to our lives.
Here's an illustration of this in the work place. Let's say that Fred has a realty company and he is looking for sharp individuals for his sales force. But, Fred doesn't like people with blond hair. A young man walks into Fred's office and sits down to interview for the job. He is young, ambitious and has all the right answers to Fred's question. But, because of Fred's prejudice to blond hair, this young man's application automatically hits the rejected pile. Why does that matter? There are plenty of applicants waiting in line to be interviewed. It matters if the man was a young Donald Trump. By not considering Donald because of his blond hair, Fred has cost his company millions of dollars and changed his family's financial legacy forever.
Job Vacancy , Indonesia Job , Job Indonesia
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