Why Prejudice Matters

Welcome to the Prejudice Matters blog. The blog's name has two meanings. On the one hand, the blog will discuss "matters" related to prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination. Prejudice will often be used here as a general term for a predisposition to behave in a favorable or, more often, unfavorable way towards a social group and its members. It is an attitude in the more general sense, and as such also has the three specific components that comprise all attitudes.

The affective component of an attitude refers to the emotional or evaluative reaction towards an object. In the case of prejudice, it is the feeling one has towards a group and its members, that is, whether one views the group in a positive and favorable, or negative and unfavorable, light. The second component, the cognitive component, represents the set of beliefs held about the group. This configuration of beliefs is often referred to as a stereotype. When one infers certain attributes in someone based solely on his or her group membership, stereotyping is said to occur. Although such beliefs may imply an evaluation (e.g., the attribute of hostility is viewed negatively rather than positively in most contexts), beliefs and their associated affect have historically been viewed as separate constructs. Finally, there is the behavioral component of prejudice. This refers to how one responds overtly towards members of the group. When behavior is biased as a result of someone's group membership discrimination is said to occur.

The second meaning of the blog's name concerns the seriousness of this topic. Prejudice is not just an abstract and theoretical construct. It refers to aspects of human behavior that have real consequences for people. In many cases, the quality of one's life, and even one's continued existence, may be impacted by actions rooted in prejudice. In the educational realm, the academic achievement of minorities may be hindered by negative stereotypes that bias their treatment by teachers or by the effects these stereotypes have directly on members of the targeted group. In the criminal justice system, minority group members are more likely to be stopped, searched, and once in custody, beaten by police. They are also more likely to be found guilty, given harsher prison terms, and less likely to be paroled. And with respect to employment opportunity, both salary surveys and controlled experimental studies, known as employment audits, find clear patterns of discrimination towards minorities, especially minority men (See Sidanius & Veniegas, 2000).

Prejudice and discrimination at this level may be viewed as an obstacle to equal opportunity and possible instances of the dominant group in society seeking to retain its power over subordinate groups. However, in the extreme, prejudice may result in civil war and outright genocide aimed at elimination of a racial or ethnic group completely. In just the 20th century, such cases are abundant. The most notorious is that of the Nazi holocaust in which six million Jews or nearly two-thirds of the entire European Jewish population were executed. At least as many members of other targeted groups (Roma, Slavs, Poles, Russians) also faced widespread execution as a result of ethnic hatred by the Nazis.

But it's important to recognize that the genocide of the Nazis is not an isolated instance. The term genocide first was used in reference to the massacre of more than a million Armenians, starting in 1915 and continuing until after the end of World War I. Other populations have also been targeted in Turkey since then. In the 1930s, Stalin adopted a new policy towards the Kulaks who resisted collectivization of their farms. Stalin declared, "From a policy of limiting the exploitative tendencies of the kulaks, we have gone over to a policy of liquidating the kulaks as a class" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kulak). And it goes on and on. Post-war nations have continued to provide ample evidence of genocide and targeted ethnic killings. The following list (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genocides_in_history) summarizes these.

Country, Dates, and Estimated Number of Victims
Sudan, 10/56-3/72, 400,000-600,000
South Vietnam, 1/65-4/75, 400,000-500,000
India, Punjab, 6/84-6/94, 150,000
China, 3/59-12/59, 65,000
Iraq, 6/63-3/75, 30,000-60,000
Algeria, 7/62-12/62, 9,000-30,000
Rwanda, 12/63-6/64, 12,000-20,000
Congo-K, 2/64-1/65, 1,000-10,000
Burundi, 10/65-12/73, 140,000
Indonesia, 11/65-7/66, 500,000-1,000,000
China, 5/66-3/75, 400,000-850,000
Guatemala, 7/78-12/96, 60,000-200,000
Pakistan, 3/71-12/71, 1,000,000-3,000,000
Uganda, 2/72-4/79, 50,000-400,000
Philippines, 9/72-6/76, 60,000
Pakistan, 2/73-7/77, 5,000-10,000
Chile, 9/73-12/76, 5,000-10,000
Mexico, 5/68-1/70, 2,500-10,000
Angola, 11/75-2001, 500,000
Cambodia, 4/75-1/79, 1,900,000-3,500,000
Indonesia, 12/75-7/92, 100,000-200,000
Argentina, 3/76-12/80, 9,000-20,000
Ethiopia, 7/76-12/79, 10,000
Congo-K, 3/77-12/79, 3,000-4,000
Afghanistan, 4/78-4/92, 1,800,000
Burma, 1/78-12/78, 5,000
El Salvador, 1/80-12/89, 40,000-60,000
Uganda, 12/80-1/86, 200,000-500,000
Syria, 4/81-2/82, 5,000-30,000
Iran, 6/81-12/92, 10,000-20,000
Sudan, 9/83-present, 2,000,000
Iraq, 3/88-6/91, 180,000
Somalia, 5/88-1/91, 15,000-50,000
Bosnia, 5/92-11/95, 225,000
Burundi, 10/93-5/94, 50,000
Rwanda, 4/94-7/94, 500,000-1,000,000
Serbia, 12/98-7/99, 10,000

When prejudice turns to racial or ethnic hatred, such targeted destruction of one group of people by another becomes possible. The current blog is dedicated to issues of prejudice in all of its forms. Academic research will be reviewed along with discussions of past and current events. A social psychological viewpoint will be predominant but material will also be drawn from sociology, economics, history or other disciplines as appropriate.