Fear, an emotion caused by either a rational or irrational threat to one’s health, life, status, security, perceived sense of power, etc. Prejudice, a dislike or like for an individual or group which is not reasonable or logical. “Children with a genetic condition that quells their fear of strangers dont stereotype based on race, according to a new study. The findings support the idea that prejudice stems from fear of people from different social groups, although some researchers question how well the new study supports that conclusion. Even individuals who profess not to be racist often harbor racist attitudes on an unconscious level, implying that racial prejudice is socially or biologically ingrained. In a 2005 paper in Science, New York University psychologist Elizabeth Phelps and her colleagues exposed black subjects and white subjects to pictures of both black and white faces, first in conjunction with a mild electric shock and then without the shock. Once the shock was gone, the volunteers fear reactions, as measured by electrical reactions in the skin, soon disappeared when exposed to pictures of their own race, but remained to a limited extent when exposed to pictures of the opposite race. Phelps’s team concluded that racial bias was linked to a deep-seated fear of people perceived as members of a different social group, a connection that some researchers had suspected but for which solid data was lacking. The researchers also found that this fear was diminished in people who had more contact with members of other races, such as those who dated interracially (Balter, Latest News : American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2010).” It is truly time for the United States of America to come to terms with racism, i.e. prejudice. For many it would seem circumstances have improved and for others it would seem things have remained the same. The truth is racism/prejudice has changed with evolution of time in the United States of America. It has become more covert, institutionalized, undetected, subversive, unknowingly accepted, harder to detect, harder to battle, and more dangerous than any known disease. A disease leading to possible death of promise for a better way of life, true life, justice for all. A way of thinking which enables the majority to remain in power while dismissing potential contributions of future minds. Before one determines they are without prejudice consider whether one has been the victim of prejudice, institutional or otherwise. Think before you speak!
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 02:07:43 +0000
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