Discrimination Two definitions of the word discrimination are: 1. The ability or power to see or make fine distinctions; discernment. 2.Treatment or consideration based on class or category, such as race or gender, rather than individual merit; partiality or prejudice. It is strange to me that we describe prejudice with the word discrimination. I believe prejudice is prejudging something and forming an opinion about it,before actually experiencing it. It fits the second definition of discrimination, but both definitions would seem to contradict one another. The tendency to view some thing solely on the basis of category, seems like a failure to see or make fine distinctions. While it is easier to form our opinions on the basis of some category, it fails to discern that each member of that category is different from every other member of that category. Is every person with blue eyes totally equivalent to every other person with blue eyes? Is every other life form on this planet exactly the same as every other life form? My personal ideal is to try to base my opinions on my direct experience and to withhold my judgement and opinions with respect to those things with which I have no direct experience. Anthropocentrism, ethnocentrism, gender/racial/religious bias are all forms of the tendency to view things globally, failing to discern the differences that make everything in the universe unique. I would maintain that prejudice is the polar opposite of discrimination.
Posted on: Thu, 01 Jan 2015 22:02:29 +0000
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