Some thoughts on prejudice.

What creates prejudice?

  • Ignorance

  • Fear

  • Economic (the fear that minority groups will work for less money)

      • Competition for jobs

      • Lowering standard of living

      • Political – if their numbers increase, minority groups may exert political power

      • Social – fears that minorities have lower moral standards

      • The psychology of prejudice

        • Fear of the unknown

        • A sense of insecurity and inadequacy (a fear that minority groups might be better)

        • Alternatively, a sense of superiority and a sense of power over others

What types of prejudice do we see in America in the 1920s?

  • Racial

  • Black Americans

  • Immigrants, eg Mexicans

  • Native North Americans

  • Political

  • Anti-Communism

  • Cultural

  • Religious

  • Anti-city

  • Anti-modernity

  • “Legal”

  • The use of the courts and other institutions

  • and illegal

  • Lynching

So, how does prejudice show itself?

  • Stereotyping

  • Labelling

  • Action

  • Discrimination

  • Jobs

  • Housing

  • Abuse

  • Verbal

  • Physical

  • Racism – personal and institutional