(卐) symbol of Nazi Germany on a Jewish synagogue represents a prejudicial phys-
ical attack, as is any form of physical action against gays. Historical examples
include the violence committed against blacks during the segregation era, pogroms
against Jews in Russia, and recent attacks on Muslims and mosques in the United
States in the wake of the events of 9/11.
5.Extermination: The most heinous form of prejudice is extermination, where a target
group is subjected to physical violence with the intent of total elimination. The
U.S. government’s program against Native Americans in the 1800s, Hitler’s“mas-
ter plan,”the“killing fields”of Cambodia, Serbian“ethnic cleansing,”and“tribal
warfare”in Rwanda are examples of this form of prejudice. A more recent illustra-
tion is the radical Islamic State militants’actions against members of the Yazidi
minority group in northern Iraq.
As Allport brings out, most individuals are content to express their prejudices ver-
ballytofriendsandseldommoveto
the more intense levels.^33 However, a
close monitoring of daily news events
will disclose that prejudicial instances
of discrimination and physical aggres-
sion remain an all-too-common event
both domestically and internationally.Avoiding Prejudice
Avoiding prejudice is neither easy nor simple. As with most aspects of culturally
instilled perception, prejudices are learned early and reinforced through repeated
exposure. However, research has disclosed two techniques that are often successful
in dispelling prejudicial views—personal contact and education.^34 Research on the
merits of personal contact as a means of reducing prejudice dates from the early
1950s. The rationale is actually quite simple—the greater the frequency of positive
interaction between in-group and out-group individuals, the lower the level of per-
ceived prejudice. This contact does, however, need to meet certain criteria in order
to be successful, with the most important being groups of equal status and cooperation
for common goals.^35
From an educational perspective, two types of programs have been found to
reduce prejudice. The first centers around what is called multicultural education
curricula, which focus on presenting the“history and cultural practices of a wide
array of racial and ethnic groups.”^36 The material is related from the point of view
of the minority group(s) rather than that of the dominant culture. Cultural diversity
training, the second type of program, is widely used in business and organizational
settings. These programs are designed for all corporate employees, from worker to
executive. Objectives are to increase employee cultural awareness, heighten inter-
cultural understanding, create self-awareness of one’s own cultural behaviors, and
demonstrate the value of cultural diversity.^37 Regardless of the program selected,
the explicit goals remain the same—to reduce prejudice through intergroup contact
and cross-cultural dialogue.
The most fundamental method of decreasing prejudice is being personally mindful.
You can examine your own prejudices and work to avoid remarks that could be inter-
preted as prejudicial against another group or person from that group. Too often,CONSIDER THIS
In what ways have you personally observed prejudice being
expressed?Prejudice 395Copyright 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).