Prejudice, bias, whatever ...

[snooper]

Are you prejudiced?

When I first went to school, I met a nasty boy called Tim. He was below average intelligence and a bit of a bully. Ever since then, any character I read about called Tim has those overtones.

Anyone else got any similar prejudices?

 

[Weird Harold]

Are you prejudiced?

I don't think you can be human and not have some prejudices. I have a few that I know about, and I'm sure there are a few more waiting in the wings to kump out and surprise me as some of the ones I know about have in the past.

There was a time when I would have said I had no prejudices, but experience and a couple of hidden prejudices that caught me by surprise when they showed up have made me a bit wiser about being so certain about being prejudice free.

 

[oggbashan]

I think all of us have prejudices and bias, conscious or unconscious.

Associations are a different issue. 'Tim' has no associations for me, good or bad.

One of the real difficulties for a writer is that your associations do not match those of the reader. A name or place means something to you. What does it mean to someone in Pittsburgh or Sydney?

A great writer, such as Shakespeare, can write for his time and his audience yet communicate across cultures and environments.

Most of us struggle to be understood on both sides of the Atlantic, now.

Og

 

[SensualCealy]

I would say Im prejudice in that way as well.
I named my daughter Catherine and refused to allow people to call her Cathy.
In school I had to mates by the names of Cathy and Kathy. Both were stuck up brown nosers to the point I didnt fit with their crowd.
Its weird how something in your life can cause a life time of hate.
I now have 4 friends each named some form of Cathy, Kathy, Kath, and Kathie. None of them fit the mold of these other girls, thank God!
Cealy

 

[raphy]

For the longest time I had very strong negative associations with what people from the UK will know as 'Rugby lads', after being bullied every day by them for most of my high school career.

I worked very hard to overcome that bias, because it was irrational and illogical and not everyone that plays rugby is going to turn around and kick me in the nuts.

Took a while though

 

[cloudy]

Bull riders are insane. Either that, or are closet masochists mascarading as macho cowboys.

(They really are crazy!)

 

[Guest]

 

[Colleen Thomas]

Anyone who claims to have no biase or prejudice is either a liar, self deluded or has no life experience. If you have a favorite ice cream, you have a biase.

-Colly

 

[cloudy]

Anyone who claims to have no biase or prejudice is either a liar, self deluded or has no life experience. If you have a favorite ice cream, you have a biase.

-Colly

Good point, Colly.

 

[rgraham666]

I am prejudiced about luxury cars. Cadillacs and that sort of thing.

Something about them screams, "I have too much money and too little sense."

To me anyway

 

[Guest]

 

[English Lady]

I agree with the majority. We all have prejudices and we all jump to those instant conclusion about people wether we realise it or not.

I think the important thing is how you deal with that prejudice and how you "control" it. If you let it make you bitter and jaded against certain people/situations then it's a problem. If you try and fight it off a bit and you try your best not to let it colour your views TOO much then I think you're handling it ok.

I have just read the book "chocolat" by Joanne Harris and it made me realise some of the prejudices i hold and some i used to hold and it made me really reasses myself and how i react to people. Once i cauht on to this I read the book without so much of a prejudice and i think it really opened my eyes to plotlines and twists i might have missed otherwise.

 

[Black Tulip]

Ever since I started working with students from all over the world, I developed a whole new set of preconceptions.


I figure it's not a problem as long as you are aware you have them and avoid acting on them as much as possible.

 

[SeaCat]

I do have prejudices and I happily admit it. Mine though are truly what I think of as basic. I am prejudiced against ignorance, although not stupidity. (Maybe I should give you my definitions of these two. Stupidity is the inability to learn. Ignorance is the lack of will to learn. There is a difference and at times they are difficult to tell apart.) There are ignorant people of every race, creed, color, gender, etc. These are the ones who I am prejudiced against.
Unfortunately I am also prejudiced against those who try to tell me how to think and believe, no matter how good their intentions are.
Oh by the way I find there is a distinction between dislike, (no matter how strong,) and prejudice. I dislike pain, wether my own or others and will go out of my way to avoid it. (Although I do understand there are those who enjoy it, either receiving or inflicting it on willing partners and do not think less of them. I am prejudiced against those who use pain to control others who do not wish it.

SeaCat

 

[Lukie]

it's taught!

Prejudice is taught to a person like stereotyping...it is the person's intellegence that has to have them realize that what they are doing when they do this.

 

[sweetnpetite]

Larry- a sleezy guy not to be trusted.

John- aslo do not trust (not sleezy however, much more charming, very don Juan.

Julio- I just love to say that name. Julio Iglasious, even more fun

 

[sweetnpetite]

Imagine the prejudice you'd face of your name was Bambi, and you were trying to make it in the corporate world.

 

[snooper]

... Most of us struggle to be understood on both sides of the Atlantic, now.

Some of us struggle to be understood on either side of the Atlantic.

I am prejudiced about luxury cars. Cadillacs and that sort of thing.

So am I. How dare the Americans call anything but a pre-1939 Rolls-Royce or Daimler a luxury car?

 

[gauchecritic]

I have prejudices but I'm not sure if they are brought about by specific people or types. I like to think that it's specific people and that I simply take a dislike to them, but then I find myself disliking someone because I discover they are Tory or PE teachers, and then confirm my prejudices by acting to type.

Gauche

 

[Guest]

I have a prejudice against Greeks because of my last husband and his family.

I have a prejudice against dowdy/frumpy women. Can't help it. I've even learned how irrational it is. Twice now I was against hiring a woman because of my first impression re. her hair, clothes, etc. Of course I knew it was wrong so I went along with the majority who thought they were the right person for the job. They were, and I became good friends with both of them and learned they were not at all what I'd presumed. In fact later I would not have thought of them as frumpy at all. Weird.

I am prejudiced against wealthy or upperclass people. Can't help it.

Really can't think of others.

Perdita

 

[deliciously_naughty]

Are you prejudiced?

When I first went to school, I met a nasty boy called Tim. He was below average intelligence and a bit of a bully. Ever since then, any character I read about called Tim has those overtones.

Anyone else got any similar prejudices?

My best friend and I have dated multiple numbers of men named Mike and John with terrible results each and every time. We now cringe when we meet a guy with either name. Silly, yes, but true.

 

[minsue]

I am prejudiced against wealthy or upperclass people. Can't help it.

Really can't think of others.

Perdita

Ditto. It drives me nuts & I wish I wasn't, but I am.

 

[Guest]

Ditto. It drives me nuts & I wish I wasn't, but I am.

Well, I don't spend much time feeling bad about it. It's different than having a prejudice against lower or working-class people. I don't think I've ever harmed a rich person with my opinions. Of course I haven't really known or met any.

Perdita

 

[fille]

I'm prejudiced against Rush Limbaugh and Pat Buchanan. Does that count?

No, it doesn't.

 

[minsue]

Well, I don't spend much time feeling bad about it. It's different than having a prejudice against lower or working-class people. I don't think I've ever harmed a rich person with my opinions. Of course I haven't really known or met any.

Perdita

That's just it. One of my best friends is from a very well-off family. I know for a fact that I've hurt her with some of the offhand remarks I've made about people in general with a lot of money.

I will also never forget the one time I lashed out at her about her own. One of the many things that always impressed me about her was that she was the only person with money that I'd ever met where you could not tell by her attitude or demeanor that she had never wanted for anything. Until for some reason we were discussing money and I made some comment about people earning 6 figure incomes. She looked at me and, in a disdainful voice, said, "Mindy, a hundred thousand dollars a year is not that much money." I can only imagine (based on the stricken look on her face) the amount of venom in my voice as I snapped, "It's a hell of a lot more than most people make! My parents sure as hell don't make even close to that put together!"

We tiptoed around money for years after that conversation. I was so disappointed in both of us for that.