Prejudice and Related Concepts - Essay Example

This essay aims to provide more insight into the above-mentioned concepts of sociology, thereby focusing on their examples, causes as well as how they are carried out. Similarly, the essay covers some of the consequences that come with them and examines what society would have been like had our communities been free of the above-mentioned concepts. when an individual is walking along a closed area at night and a group of senior citizens approaches carrying metallic and wooden objects in their hands, he or she will not feel threatened. On the contrary, the person will feel threatened when a group of young men approaches him, even without any provocation from their end. In like manner, it has always been perceived that mentally ill persons are prone to violence. Thus, it has remained to be the case irrespective of statistics revealing that mentally ill individuals are no more violence-prone than ordinary people.

Stereotyping, which refers to the aspect of adopting ideas about particular people even though such thoughts do not paint the real picture has similarly been a practice in the past and continues to be. For example, it has always been perceived that all politicians are philanders and that they only think of matters that benefit them in a way and make them richer. Racially, it has always been perceived that Muslims are terrorists, and Russians are violent and do not care about reputation. In terms of gender, it has always been perceived that all women smell good and that they are affectionate towards the color pink.

Bigotry, which refers to the aspect of being intolerant towards anyone who holds a different opinion from yours has been and continues to be practiced in various parts of society (Koppleman, 2014). For example, it is common knowledge that Atheists are not always accorded the support they need, in some regions, they are not even allowed to occupy public office. In a contemporary society as well, a section of society cannot tolerate gays.

Though several human rights agencies have always tried to fight for equal rights, discrimination has been and continues to be part of society. For example, cases of wage discrimination because of gender even though both males and females perform the same tasks and are of the same qualification have been registered. Similarly, cases have been mentioned where people are sidelined while the hiring process based on their having children or being disabled.

From the above discussion, there is no doubt that the above-mentioned concepts have something in common. This is major because, in all cases, an individual is not treated in the right way. The above concepts are perpetuated by the perceptions, that we hold and in some situations result in unfairness within society. Society would be a good place to live in, had it been that such practices are not tolerated.