Stratification - Term Paper Example

Once categorizing is brought to the extreme, prejudices are made and hatred follows as there would be winners and losers in that system. It is said that prejudices are the opposite of interest as the former leads to repulsion unlike the latter which produces attraction. It is evident around the world and may occur anywhere. It is produced by ignorance or fear (Aaberg 73). A good example is seen in history as the World War II occurred with Adolf Hitler and his heinous crimes that started by feeding the minds of his fellowmen with false accusations that twisted their views toward Jews, Gypsies and disabled people (Katz 316).

Prejudice occurred in that way but it may happen in some other way also. To understand the prejudice further, it should be further defined. A more complete definition of prejudice is “an adverse judgment or opinion formed beforehand or without knowledge or examination of the facts,” (Aaberg 73). Another definition is the assumption based on wrong and twisted generalization that is pointed to a group or to an individual that is a member of a certain group. In short, it is called stereotype (Al-Issa 18).

It means that false judgment is given without knowing the truth. It may then lead to hatred. Hatred is the response of an individual from a pain inflicted by an outside force and it is considered to be an intense emotion (Sternberg and Sternberg 16). Hatred can also be defined as “a feeling of animosity or hostility toward; detest; dislike or distaste for, or intense dislike or animosity” toward an entity (Aaberg 73). Discrimination is then the expressed form of prejudice wherein exclusion of certain individuals is observed without credible basis (Al-Issa 18).

In reality, discrimination is normal as it is part of the mental process to focus the attention of the viewer towards an object. Without it, people will not be able to