+
Social Issue: Prejudice &
Discrimination
Enduring
understanding
+
 Prejudice
and Discrimination are not exactly
the same in meaning.
 Prejudice
and Discrimination develop from a
complex process and appear in various
forms which intersect.
 Prejudice
and Discrimination often result in
social injustice and human rights violations.
 Solutions,
programmes and policies to
eradicate discrimination have their
limitations.
 In
spite of progress in addressing prejudice
and discrimination in some parts of the
world, there are still daunting challenges.
+
Lecture Focus
1.
Prejudice versus Discrimination
2.
Major Types of Discrimination
3.
GCE ‘A’ Level Essay Questions
4.
Causes of Prejudice & Discrimination
5.
Effects of Prejudice & Discrimination
6.
General Approaches to deal with diversity
7.
Measures and Limitations
+
Lecture Focus
1.
Prejudice versus Discrimination
2.
Major Types of Discrimination
3.
GCE ‘A’ Level Essay Questions
4.
Causes of Prejudice & Discrimination
5.
Effects of Prejudice & Discrimination
6.
General Approaches to deal with diversity
7.
Measures and Limitations
+
Prejudice versus Discrimination
Prejudice
– a preformed and
unsubstantiated judgment or opinion about
an individual or a group, either favourable or
unfavourable in nature.
Encarta Encyclopedia
 often
denotes an unfavourable or hostile
attitude toward other people based on their
membership in another social or ethnic
group.
– unfair treatment of a
person or group on the basis of
prejudice
Discrimination
+ UN Definition
 The
UN Human Rights Committee defines
discrimination as:
“any distinction, exclusion, restriction or
preference which is based on any ground
such as race, colour, sex, language, religion,
political or other opinion, national or social
origin, property, birth or other status and
which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or
impairing the recognition, enjoyment or
exercise by all persons, on an equal footing,
of all rights and freedoms.” (General
Comment 18)
+
Relationship between P & D
Prejudice
can affect one’s
emotions and behaviour,
sometimes leading to
discrimination.
Can
observing discrimination in
one’s environment affect one’s
mindset?
+
Implications of the Relationship between
Prejudice & Discrimination
Prejudiced
Unprejudiced
Nondiscriminating
Discriminating
+
Lecture Focus
1.
Prejudice versus Discrimination
2.
Major Types of Discrimination
3.
GCE ‘A’ Level Essay Questions
4.
Causes of Prejudice & Discrimination
5.
Effects of Prejudice & Discrimination
6.
General Approaches to deal with diversity
7.
Measures and Limitations
Major
Types
of
Prejudice
and
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Discrimination
Prejudice and discrimination can be based on
1.Religion
2.Race/Ethnicity
3.Gender
4.Class/Caste
5.Nationality/National Origin
6.Age
7.Disability
8.Sexual Orientation
9.Against Convicts or ex-offenders
10.Against HIV patients or those with genetic defects
CLASS
The Confluence or the intersection of discrimination
DISABILITY
GENDER
RACE
+
+ International instruments addressing
discrimination include, among others:

International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial
Discrimination (CERD, 1965)

UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women (CEDAW, 1979)

UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2008)

UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Inter-American Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities

UN Human Rights Committee, General Comment No. 18 on Nondiscrimination (1989)

UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: Draft
General Comment on Discrimination and Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights (2009)
+
Lecture Focus
1.
Prejudice versus Discrimination
2.
Major Types of Discrimination
3.
GCE ‘A’ Level Essay Questions
4.
Causes of Prejudice & Discrimination
5.
Effects of Prejudice & Discrimination
6.
General Approaches to deal with diversity
7.
Measures and Limitations
+
Essay Questions
1.
‘The view of the majority is always right.’ Do you agree?
(GCE 2007)
2.
Many developed countries are paying increasing attention
to the needs of the disadvantaged. How far is this true in
Singapore? (GCE 2008)
3.
Can prejudice ever be eliminated? (GCE 2011-last tested in
1993 as a race qn)
4.
In your society, how far is equality for all a reality? (GCE
2012-last tested in 1994 as a gen. qn)
5.
Is there any value in preserving minority languages in the
world? (GCE 2012)
6.
‘People in the Arts, living or dead, receive far more
recognition than those in the Sciences, even though it is
less deserved.’ Consider this claim. (GCE 2012)
7.
‘The world would be a better place if more political leaders
were women.’ What is your view? (GCE 2013)
8.
How far, in your society, should unpopular views be open to
discussion? (GCE 2013)
+
Lecture Focus
1.
Prejudice versus Discrimination
2.
Major Types of Discrimination
3.
GCE ‘A’ Level Essay Questions
4.
Causes of Prejudice & Discrimination
5.
Effects of Prejudice & Discrimination
6.
General Approaches to deal with diversity
7.
Measures and Limitations
+ Causes of Prejudice &
Discrimination
1. Displaced Aggression
2.
The Authoritarian Personality
3.
Cultural Explanation
4.
Economic and Political
Competition
5.
Institutional Discrimination
6.
Mass Media and Stereotypes
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1. Displaced Aggression
Blaming
Need
others for one’s frustration
for scapegoats to vent
Classic
case of Germany’s treatment of
the Jews during WW2
Singaporeans
their problems
blaming foreigners for
+
Kristallnacht (literally "Crystal night" or
the Night of Broken Glass)
+
2.Authoritarian personality
+
2.The Authoritarian Personality
Characteristics
 excessive
conformity, submissiveness to
authority figures, repression of impulses,
desires and ideas, fearfulness and arrogance
toward persons or groups thought to be
inferior.
 Unable
to cope with change due to
upbringing and conforms to traditions
mindlessly-prejudice e.g against the
Untouchables in the caste system of India
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3.THE CULTURAL EXPLANATION
Prejudice
is passed down by
socialisation, a powerful process of
nurturing a child to adulthood.
Ethnic
stereotypes are used to bolster
his prejudice
He
is socialised into thinking that his
group is always superior to others.

Watch the doll test
:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkpUyB2xgTM
+ The Impact of Globalisation + the clash
of civilisation
 Movement
of labour, investment and ideas
across borders.
 People
bring their cultures with them.
 They
are distinct from native population by
colour, race, ethnicity, national origin
 Cultural
conflicts more frequent as ideas
clash and yet different cultures and religions
exist together
 Greater
tolerance and acceptance required
but also greater competition
Hijab
controversy
in
Catholic
France
+
+
4.Economic and Political
Competition
 The
majority uses prejudice and
discrimination as weapons of power
 for
control over land, resources, labour
 the
minority can be prevented from being an
effective competitor if they are regarded as
inferior
 The
May 13 1969 Sino-Malay sectarian
violence in Kuala Lumpur/Rakhine in
Myanmar/Sabah invasion by the Suluks
+
+
5.Institutional Discrimination
 inequality
is built into the institutions of
society whether or not the individuals
working in that organisation are prejudiced.
 Members
of the dominant group think that
the minorities are lazy or stupid when they
cannot make it.
 For
example, an individual who wants to
apply for a job in the civil service may be
asked to take an examination in English but
his mother tongue is not English.
5.Institutional
Discrimination
+
 Jews
and disabled during Hitler’s time
 Apartheid
: the policy of segregation of
blacks from whites in terms of residence,
education, work, public transport or facilities
+
6. Mass Media and its influence
+
+
+
+
Summary
Culture
Media
Authoritarian
Personality
Social
Structure
Displaced
Aggression
Econ & Pol
Competition
+ How applicable are these theories to explain
incidents like the Attack on the World Trade
Centre?
+
Example 2: Little India riot
+
Lecture Focus
1.
Prejudice versus Discrimination
2.
Major Types of Discrimination
3.
GCE ‘A’ Level Essay Questions
4.
Causes of Prejudice & Discrimination
5.
Effects of Prejudice & Discrimination
6.
General Approaches to deal with diversity
7.
Measures and Limitations
+ Effects of Prejudice & Discrimination
Individual level

Low Quality of life

Unfairly targeted by the law

Mental & emotional problems
Family
•
Pregnant mothers lack
nutrition
•
suffer more miscarriages and
give birth to low birth weight
babies.
•
The infant mortality rate in
this group is high.
Political and Economic
Problems
Social Problems

alcoholism, drug addiction,
juvenile delinquency,
prostitution and crimes.

female infanticide, abuse,
human trafficking

Loss of talent to the society

Capital flight out of the
country

Disunity, genocide, civil war
and wars of secession
+
Lecture Focus
1.
Prejudice versus Discrimination
2.
Major Types of Discrimination
3.
GCE ‘A’ Level Essay Questions
4.
Causes of Prejudice & Discrimination
5.
Effects of Prejudice & Discrimination
6.
General Approaches to deal with diversity
7.
Measures and Limitations
+ General approaches to diversity of
race, religion and ethnicity
1.Melting Pot theory : The belief that the
different ethnic groups in a nation should learn
from each other and merge together to create
a single new culture
+
Assimilation and amalgamation –
the Babas in the Straits Settlement
General approaches to diversity of race,
+
religion and ethnicity
2.Salad bowl/ Multiculturalism (or
ethnic diversity) relates to communities
containing multiple cultures
+ General approaches
 2.
Salad bowl/ Multi-culturalism (or cultural
mosaic) it refers to ideologies or policies that
promote this diversity or its institutionalisation
 the
advocacy of equal respect to the various
cultures in a society
a
policy of promoting the maintenance of
cultural diversity
 Sees
value and strength in the cultural
pluralism
 Fears
that assimilation may hurt their identity.
+
General approaches
3. A combination
of the melting pot and
the salad bowl
Persuade
immigrants to consider
themselves a citizen of their new nation
first and of their nation of birth second
Achieve
national unity and also retain
their unique culture and beliefs
+
Lecture Focus
1.
Prejudice versus Discrimination
2.
Major Types of Discrimination
3.
GCE ‘A’ Level Essay Questions
4.
Causes of Prejudice & Discrimination
5.
Effects of Prejudice & Discrimination
6.
General Approaches to counter P & D
7.
Limitations of Measures
Measures to counter Prejudice and
+
Discrimination
1. Persuasive Communication
2. Public Education and Information
Presentations
3. Balanced portrayals of minority groups in
the Mass Media
4. Increased Formal Education
5. Increased Social Contact
6. Therapy
7. Self Regulation
8. Governmental Intervention
9. Political Activism
10. International Action
11. Socialisation
+ Measures to counter Prejudice and
Discrimination – Can they ever be eradicated?
3. Balanced portrayals of minority groups in the
media
 Publicize
human rights and other moral norms
 Act
to enforce these norms by publicizing
violations and focusing public censure on hate
groups.
 Educate
the parties involved about each other’s
interests and needs
 Help
to undermine harmful stereotypes and
promote rehumanization of the parties
 Work
to deflate rumours and propaganda
 Limitation:
Only temporary reduction of prejudice
+
Benetton Advertisements
+
Media Advertisements
+ Measures to counter Prejudice and
Discrimination – Can they ever be eradicated?
8.Governmental Intervention – dealing with
discrimination
Action (also known as “positive
discrimination”) :giving special assistance or
preferential treatment to members of the groups that
were discriminated against
 Affirmative
Limitations:
 counter-productive
because it fuels resentment
against minorities and produces a backlash.
 success
 results
has been limited to certain minority groups
in falling standards, if less qualified
candidates from minority groups are given
preference over other, better qualified candidates.
+ 8.Governmental Intervention – dealing with
discrimination
 Anti-Discrimination
Laws - illegal to refuse
to employ someone simply on the grounds of
race or gender, age, disability, or sexual
orientation.
 Limitations:
Laws cannot regulate everything,
and if they are to be effective, they have to
be supported by public sentiment.
Most discrimination is subtle and only a
small percentage of victims can prove
discriminatory intent.
Measures to counter Prejudice and
+ Discrimination – Can they ever be eradicated?
9.Political Activism
 Pressure groups that seek to influence both public
opinion and governmental policies and programmes.

Changes in laws and ordinances relating to old
people.

Passage of civil rights protection for the gay
community in many places

Women’s liberation and sexual equality are now
widely discussed and more and more women are
entering occupations that were formerly closed to
them.

The Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and ‘60s in
America won the passage of important legislation
such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
+ Some Conclusions
Difficult to eradicate because
 Prejudice
is an attitude and can be hidden or
disguised.
 It
does not respond well to laws or top down
measures. Any change must be bottom up from
the individual level.
 Prejudice
is part of human nature and habit. As the
ability to group people into convenient groups for
quick judgment, stereotyping may have had
survival value.
 Causes
are complex, intertwined with tradition and
social structures too difficult to reform.
+
Some Conclusions
 There
are far too many types of
discrimination to target to be entirely
successful.
 Discrimination
can be more easily dealt with
by resorting to laws but enforcement is not
consistent.
 Watch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hHUQ0
Lp6v4