PREJUDICE AND DISCRIMINATION

Treated Like a Nobody.

"When I was 10, the Ibo and Hausa people in my town had a clash in retaliation for the recent bombings in the North. The hatred affected me, a little boy who lost his Eastern mom to one of the bomb attacks, I began to make fun of a boy in my class who was Hausa, even though he had been my friend."

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Have you ever experienced the indignity of unfair discrimination which tends to be based on prejudice? A popular christian article asks. Perhaps it was because of your tribe as in the case of the 10yr-old boy, your skin colour, your gender, your economic status, your religion or even your age. Those who are regularly treated prejudicially often live in fear of further ill-treatment, the article further says. When they walk by a group of people, go into a store, move to a new school, or attend a social gathering, they may become sick with anxiety.

In addition, victims of prejudice and discrimination may have trouble getting a job, or they may receive second-rate medical care, an inferior education, and fewer social privileges and legal rights. When officially sanctioned, discrimination can lead to such evils as ethnic cleansing and genocides. A good example is the mass genocide in Rwanda in the 1990s.

This article looks at prejudice and discrimination on a larger scale. Bigotry and intolerance may persist even where there are laws against discrimination. A former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said and I quote:   "Six decades after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights..., the principles of equality and non-discrimination are still far from a universal reality." That is disturbing because immigration and the influx of refugees have significantly altered the demographics of many lands.

So, is an equitable society just a dream? Or can prejudice and discrimination be overcome?
"All human beings are born free and equal in rights and dignity. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood." -Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights says. I bet only a handful of us knew about it because we live in a lawless country. Despite the lofty ideal, prejudice and discrimination continue to plague mankind. This sad fact reflects not only our times but also the imperfections of humans. Nevertheless, the situation is far from hopeless. Granted, we may be unable to eliminate the prejudice we see around us, but we can work to root out prejudice that may lodge within us.

A good start is to acknowledge that none of us are above developing prejudices. The book, Understanding Prejudice and Discrimination says: "perhaps, the most important conclusions to emerge from prejudice research are these:

1. No one capable of human thought and speech is immune from harbouring prejudice.
2. It often takes deliberate effort and awareness to reduce prejudice.
3. With sufficient motivation, all these can be done. 

Education has been described as "the most powerful tool" in the fight against prejudice. The right education can, for example, expose the root causes of prejudice, enable us to examine our own attitudes more objectively, and help us deal wisely with prejudice when we are victims.

Prejudice causes people to distort, misinterpret or even ignore facts that conflict with their predetermined opinions. Prejudice may have its beginnings in seemingly innocent, but often misguided family values, or it may be sown by those who deliberately promote warped views of other tribes, races or cultures. Prejudice can also be fostered nationalism -the urge to be patriotic, or false religious teachings. And it can also be a product if inordinate pride.

Love; genuine love conquers prejudice. Treat others simply in the way you'd want to be treated. Envy and unnecessary pride breed prejudice, let go of all that. Let the bad others do to you bring out the good in you.

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