PREJUDICE CHAPTER 2

Hate Crimes Hate crimes statistics act became law in 1990 Government definition of Hate Crime An ordinary crime as a hate crime when offenders choose a victim because of some characteristic-for example, race, ethnicity, or religion-and provide evidence that hatred prompted them to commit the crime. Hate or bias crimes which is another name can also be based on hatred because of national origin or sexual orientation (Harlow 2005:1)

PREJUDICE & DISCRIMINATION Negative attitude that rejects an entire group Discrimination Behavior that deprives a group of certain rights or opportunities Ethnopaulism Ethnic slurs that include derisive nicknames and include speaking about or to members of a particular group in a condescending way

LaPiere’s Study Merton’s typology points out that people do not always act as they believe Richard LaPiere (1934, 1969) Exposed the relationship between racial attitudes and social conduct Traveled with a Chinese couple across the United States Despite alleged intolerance, couple was treated courteously at hotels, motels, and restaurants

Theories of Prejudice Four theories of prejudice Scapegoating occurs when an individual (group) projects and blames their own inadequacies or problems onto another group Criticisms of Scapegoat Theory Fails to explain why one group is used as a scapegoat and not another Fails to explain why two individuals who share the same experience vary in tolerance Does not explain personality differences

Criticisms of Authoritarian Personality Adorno et al 1950 – study of authoritarianism and prejudice Authoritarian Traits Rigid adherence to conventional values Uncritical acceptance of authority Power and toughness Intolerance and aggression toward those that don’t conform to conventional values Criticisms of Authoritarian Personality Focus on right wing groups and ignored left wing groups Prejudice is related to other traits such as social class Methodology employed Focused on only extreme forms of prejudice and not on other forms of prejudice

Criticisms of Exploitation Theory Prejudice is rationally and economically motivated on the basis of self interests The dominant group benefits from prejudice in that it is rooted within the exploitation of a group Criticisms of Exploitation Theory Not all subordinate groups are exploited equally Prejudice occurs for reasons other than economic Prejudice is not necessarily rational and may undermine dominant group interests

All four theories of prejudice have contributed to its understanding Normative prejudice is patterned into the cultural norms and values of a group or society Prejudice is a function of conforming to group norms of intolerance All four theories of prejudice have contributed to its understanding

Content of Prejudice: Stereotypes Unreliable generalizations about all members of a group that do not take individual differences into account Stereotypes are often exaggerated and negative images of a group Stereotypes come from a variety of sources a kernel of truth the media but power plays a role in their effect

Trends in Stereotypes Stereotypes often become a self-fulfilling prophecy Affect how we feel Affect how we relate to others Stereotyping In Action: Racial Profiling Any police-initiated action based on race, ethnicity, or national origin rather than the person’s behavior Can be an explicit use of stereotypes

Extent of Prejudice It is difficult to quantify the extent of prejudice between groups Measure the relative extent of prejudice between groups Social Distance The tendency to approach or withdraw from a racial group Emory Bogardus’s Scale used to measure social distance empirically and describes different degrees of social contact or social distance

Trends in Prejudice Nationwide surveys consistently show growing support by Whites for integration A change of attitude may create a context in which legislative or behavioral change can occur Opposition by Whites to immigration or affirmative action More acceptable, veiled way to express prejudice Described as “modern racism, color blind racism, or laissez-faire racism”

The Mood of the Oppressed Opinion polls have demonstrated interest in White attitudes on racial issues longer than they have measured views of subordinate groups Bias of White researchers Dominant group is more important to study because it is in a better position act on its beliefs Prejudice and its affect on the self esteem of the subordinate group

Prejudice affects perceptions on fairness or equality of opportunity Jobs, Housing, Justice Research literature of the 1940’s through 1960’s emphasized the low self esteem of minorities Should not assume minority status influences personality traits in a good or bad way Such assumptions may create a stereotype Characteristics of minority-group members are nor entirely the result of subordinate racial status Many studies of personality imply that certain values are normal or preferable, but the values chosen are those of the dominant group

Intergroup Hostility Content and extent of prejudice and stereotypes between ethnic - racial groups Members of oppressed groups have adopted the widely held beliefs of the dominant culture concerning oppressed groups Some groups feel they get along better with Whites than with other minority groups Low-income people compete with each other and do not see the larger societal forces the contribute to their low status

Reducing Prejudice Obvious way to eliminate prejudice is to eliminate its causes The desire to exploit The fear of being threatened The need to blame others for one’s own failure Answer rests with programs directed at society as a whole Prejudice is attacked indirectly when discrimination is attacked

Despite contrary prevailing beliefs, prejudice can be legislated Statutes and decisions do affect attitudes Studies to determine how to change negative attitudes toward groups of people find the following encouraging Education Mass Media Intergroup Contact Workplace training programs

Education and Mass Media Research consists of two types: Artificially (experimentally) created situations Studies that examine the influence on attitudes of motion pictures, television, and advertisements Media has had both positive and negative effects depending on the program, situation and subjects exposed. Well constructed programs tend to have an impact on reducing prejudice but to be effective they have to address the cognitive, affective, and action tendency dimensions

Some programs only focus on the cognitive or affective Formal education is related to a reduction in prejudice Formal education may not reduce prejudice uniformly within a group. Mass media may reduce prejudice without the need of specially designed programs Contact Hypothesis States that intergroup contact between people of equal status in harmonious circumstances will cause them to become less prejudice

Diversity Training Prejudice carries a cost not only to the victim but also to any organization that allows prejudice to interfere with its functioning Most organizations have initiated some form of diversity training Difficult to assess their effectiveness because of variation in structure between organizations Content also varies To have a lasting impact, training should not be separated from other aspects of the organization

Ways to Fight Hate 1. Act 2. Unite 3. Support The Victims 4. Do Your Homework 5. Create An Alternative 6. Speak Up 7. Lobby Leaders 8. Look Long Range 9. Teach Tolerance 10. Dig Deeper

Questions

What is the role of the internet in bias globally?

How can television reduce prejudice in American society and can it be used globally? Why or why not?

Why is education an important tool for reducing prejudice and discrimination?

How can one’s name lead to discrimination in seeking employment?