General Chat

Eldrick you have posed an interesting question. I guess that a thief could be a good person in other ways but we don't see past the thieving part of his character so he is "bad" in our eyes. Do people look at my little granddaughter and see an adorable little child who is smiley and charming and doing everything that most other 2 y.o.'s are doing or do they see a child with a disability and can't get past that?
Sue

Why thank you. I think that comes from Sunday School in the good old United Church of Canada, probably from the ex-Baptist minister I took confirmation classes from. ;)

He had to consider whether to confirm me (precociously at 13, which was lucky, because if I'd waited til 15 like I was supposed to it would've been too late!), when I said I didn't believe in h.e.l.l. He thought about it and said he knew a missionary in the church who didn't believe in h.e.l.l., so it was probably cool.

Of course, that was back before not believing in anything at all became cool for the clergy. ;)

ohhhhhh I take the utmost offence as being labelled" bonkers".........slightly off me trolley or demarbled,yes but bonkers..........never :-) lol

Ophelia I don't think prejudice and labelling is quite the same but it can be used in the same way. Personally if I had a lot of prejudices I wouldn't have any friends or get on with many people at all. In my work I meet an incredible amount of very different people - all races, religions, sexuality etc. Illness is a great leveller.
Sue

Well, JC, that poses an interesting problem. Possibly one of semantics.

Is it possible for a thief to also be a good person in other ways? for instance, a thief may take old women across the road and nurse injured labrador puppies back to health, but because he is in a group I choose to label as worthy of my prejudice despite his endearing side, am I not then guilty of prejudice as opposed to common sense?

Ps ewww bambie hair in wallet ???
Rosex

...Interesting analogy J.C...

suemaid thats a good answer by the doc
coz what is normal??
Pippi your just bonkers lol

*niks eldricks wallet on the way out*
Rosex

Janey, thanks for that and I mean that seriously. It is the best definition of "prejudice" I have read.
Sue

...I prefer being individual myself...
Unfortuantely I think it is a common affliction of us `labelling` people..if they have a condition..such as Downs Syndrome, for eg. Labelling isnt quite the same as being predudice though..(i.m.a)

And actually, I rather like your poem, Colin. ;)

Oh, and you can be prejudiced both in favour of and against someone/something!

And wanting Margaret Thatcher buried in a dustbin isn't prejudice. It's rational hatred.

It is so difficult now to know the right thing to say.Do we say black,brown .coloured ,white.Learning difficulties .

E2, git yer etymological dictionary out.

Prejudice = pre-judging.

Judging an individual purely on a group characteristic is prejudice.

Judging an individual based on the individual's past performance is common sense.

The classic example we were always taught was:

Eww! Eggs! I hate eggs! I'm not going to eat eggs!
-- Have you ever tried an egg?
Eww! No! Eggs are disgusting.

That's being prejudiced against eggs. Pre-judging them without experiencing them.

Me, I puked when my mum tried to feed me eggs when I was six months old. Eggs still nauseate me. I'm not prejudiced against eggs. I know eggs, and I don't like eggs.

Eggs, of course, are fungible. One egg is the same as any other egg, assuming it isn't rotten.

One person isn't the same as any other person.

So judging Person A based on one's experience with Person B, even if they're both the same colour, is prejudice.

Thus endeth the lesson for today.

well thats me totally abnormal then ophelia,lol

`normal` is what society says it is..and governed by stats..questionnaires..and the law of averages...

My grandaughter has downes syndrome and yes it is an expression that is often used. I too don't think it's prejudice as such. Just pointing out that she is "different". Her paediatrician said something that stuck in our minds - "there are more "normal" things about her than "not normal" and what's normal anyway"?
Sue

..I think we all have a bit of predudice hidden within us..whatever it is..(the ones Elderick has described..Extreme..no one likes hooligans.theifs suchlike)..For me...I hate people that swear every other word...spit on the streets..are blatantly rude..and the Vicky Pollards of the world..And yes Elderick you are right..too much hypocrasy

exactly Sue,ive been reading a thread tonight and saw to my horror (not that it was at all meant to be offensive) that people were talking about a child "who was downes".......rather than a child "who had downes syndrome"...i suppose alot of it is old school,not in any way meant to be prejudice

This is where the hypocrisy comes out in people, it must be said.

I am grossly prejudiced and admit it. I am prejuduced against thieves, con men, burglars, all types of criminals and hooligans. So not everyone is worthy of equal treatment in my mind.

And I am no different to the majority of people here when you look at posts from the recent past.

People wanting margaret thatcher buried in a dustbin, gary glitter tortured and mutilated, etc etc - not to mention the things wished upon my humble good self.

So prejuduce is alive and kicking. And always will be - but perhaps that is justifiable prejudice?

Interesting in a way.