Chapter 6 Wps Office

CHAPTER 6
CHALLENGING PREJUDICE
AND BUILDING TOLERANCE
• Humans have become increasingly unkind toward those
who differ in terms of race, ethnicity, religion, sex,
gender or socio- economic class. We have made
"differences" an excuse for prejudice and discrimination.
Ethnic and religious discords have turned into full-blown
armed conflicts which have annihilated numerous lives.
• Hence, building tolerance for diversity becomes an

imperative in a world where hatred for differences has
become a justification for violence.
• Prejudice is the negative feeling or attitude towards
a person or a group even if it lacks basis (Allport,
1958).
• Stereotype refers to the negative opinion about a
person or group based on incomplete knowledge.
• Discrimination refers to negative actions toward
members of a specific social group that may be
manifested in avoidance, aversion or even vio-
lence (Franzoi, 1986). Thus, stereotypes, being
negative beliefs about a group, can form the basis
for prejudicial feelings, which, in turn, may lead to
negative action or to discrimination.
Theories of Prejudice
• There are diverse theories as to the origin, transmission and

maintenance of prejudice. One strong theory on its cause is the
Social Learning Theory (Altemeyer, 1981). Prejudice is simply
passed along, sometimes for generations, and is reinforced in
various institutions including the family, school and media.
• Prejudice is said to stem as well from igno- rance or from lack

of information (Betlehem, 1985). It may also be due to one's
tendency to think highly of oneself and of the group to which
one belongs, resulting to the denigration of the attributes of
others out- side it (Social Identity Theory, Tajfel & Turner, 1979).
Types of Prejudice
• In the beginning, prejudice was simply equated with racism. How- ever, over
time it was realized that there were other forms of prejudice. Thus the concept
of prejudice has expanded and now
• includes the following major types:
• RACISM -the belief that one's own cultural or racial heritage is in nately
superior to that of others, hence, the lack of respect or appreciation for those
who belong to a "different race"
• SEXISM -a system of attitudes, actions and institutional structures that
subordinates women on the basis of their sex (Meginnis & Oehl- berg, 1991)
• HETEROSEXISM -negative attitudes toward lesbians and gay men
• CLASSISM - distancing from and perceiving the poor as "the other"( Lott
1995)
LINGUICISM - negative attitudes members of dominant language groups
hold against non-dominant language groups (Chen-Hayes, Chen & Athar, n.d.)
AGEISM -negative attitudes held against the young or the elderly "Looksism"
prejudice against those who do not measure up to set standards of beauty. The
usual victims are the overweight, the undersized, and the dark-skinned (Nario-
Galace, 2003)
LOOKSISM -prejudice against those who do not measure up to set

standards of beauty. The usual victims are the overweight, the undersized, and
the dark-skinned (Nario-Galace, 2003)
RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE- prejudice against those who are followers of

religion other than one's o
Education For Tolerance
• Prejudice may be challenged by teaching tolerance. Tolerance is the respect,

acceptance and appreciation of the rich diversity of cultures and various forms of
human expression (UNESCO, 1995). It is the foundation of democracy and human
rights. Education for tolerance aims to counter influences that lead to fear, aversion
towards and exclusion of others. Tolerance recognizes that others have the right to
be who they are.
• h
W
yteacht o l e r a nc e ? UNESCO a s s e r t s t h a t e duc a t i on i s t h e mo s t
effective means of preventing intolerance. There is a need for schools to educate
citizens who are appreciative of other cultures, respectful of human dignity and
differences, and able to prevent or resolve conflicts amicably.
• Discrediting hateful propaganda towards the different other through education is
an imperative. Major religious traditions call on their flock to treat others with
the same respect and dignity they give themselves. More so, the call to
challenge prejudice is enshrined in various human rights instruments. Nations,
through international agreements and treaties, have affirmed their commitment
to the protection and promotion. of human rights such as the right to freedom of
thought, conscience, religion, opinion, and expression. Article 1.2 of the
"Declaration on Race and Racial Prejudice" stipulates that "all individuals and
groups have the right to be different"
• In addition, educating for tolerance is a practical alternative. Intolerance has

given rise to violence, terrorism and discrimination within societies. A lack of
respect for differences, among other factors, has given rise to conflicts between
and among groups as in the cases of the Catholics and Protestants in Northern
Ireland, the Israelis and Palestinians in Israel; the Bosnian Serbs and the ethnic
Albanians in Kosovo; the Hutus and Tutsis in Rwanda; and some Christians and
casualties in armed conflicts at one person every 100 seconds. Teaching for
Moros in Mindanao. The World Health Organiza- tion (2002) has placed
tolerance will aid in protecting human rights and in saving lives.

Following is a list of biases towards certain groups shared by participants in CPE- conducted workshops:
Teaching Learning Ideas
• Prejudice is based on a self-centered judgment that there is only one

correct way of experiencing the world (Aboud, 1998). Knowing the
many ways of being right, as schooling can provide, can help students
adopt more enlightened beliefs.
• Here are some ways to teach and learn tolerance:
• Examine your own biases. In the classroom, do you give more favorable
attention to students who are physically or socio-eco- nomically
advantaged?
• v
eiGa p pr o pr i a t e a t t e nt i on a nd t r e a t e a c h s t ude nt f a i r l y
regardless of sex or socio-economic status, among others.
• Examine your self if you are inclined to give more compliments to those who
are more physically attractive, and so on.
• g
litHth
h eo
tt h a t d i ve r s i t y i s e nr i c hi ng. Di f f e r e nc e s s hou l d b e
h
g
u
celebrated, not scorned, as we learn a lot of new things from one another. An
analogy would be the fruit salad which is so delicious even if it is made up of
different fruits that come in various flavors and colors.

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CHAPTER 6

• Hence, building tolerance for diversity becomes an

• There are diverse theories as to the origin, transmission and

• Prejudice is said to stem as well from igno- rance or from lack

LOOKSISM -prejudice against those who do not measure up to set

RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE- prejudice against those who are followers of

• Prejudice may be challenged by teaching tolerance. Tolerance is the respect,

• In addition, educating for tolerance is a practical alternative. Intolerance has

tolerance will aid in protecting human rights and in saving lives.

• Prejudice is based on a self-centered judgment that there is only one

• Here are some ways to teach and learn tolerance:

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