Prejudice is an attribute a lot of people fail to admit that they possess when they actually do, they can easily recognize when someone else is prejudiced but not when they are. Prejudice is an unjustified, negative and wrong attitude towards an individual or a group of individuals based on their membership of a social group. People are prejudiced mainly towards those of another race, gender, nationality, tribe, language and even religion.
Prejudice is like a virus that affects people, and they can be unaware that they have it so I'll tell you how to know you are prejudiced. When you stereotype a person because of what you've heard about the country or group he comes from which may not necessarily be true, you're infected with prejudice. Prejudice is a negative attitude that needs to be controlled because it can lead to hatred, and negative attitudes towards a person for no good reason.
Many governments pass laws to fight racism and other forms of prejudice but it still persists. This is because it's the actions of the people that the laws address and not their thoughts and feelings and prejudice starts in the mind of a person. Though it starts in the mind, it must have been prompted; especially something seen or heard about a group of people and it can definitely be stopped.
How prejudice can be stopped
Knowing facts about people before concluding: before concluding that persons from a certain group or race behave in a certain because of myths which are most times untrue, get to know them better. You can ask them to tell you about themselves and you'll see that the stereotype is irrelevant and it'll help you not to believe false assumptions about people. Remember that without knowing the facts,bad decisions are made.
Show empathy: we all need to cultivate the habit of empathy. All humans are different and we need to know and celebrate our differences instead of looking at them as flaws. The fact is that no one is perfect and there's no need to feel superior to anyone because they behave in a different way. Instead, we should be considerate and and see the world through their eyes and maybe, just maybe will we see that anybody can act in a certain way. When we empathize with someone, we become aware of just how similar we are to the person and it will reduce the way we judge people negatively. Remember treat everyone in a way you'd love to be treated.
Show love: doing kind things for people brings people together; the more you show love to a person, the less prejudiced you become. We need love to take away the hate and cure this prejudice of a virus. Show love in your words and actions because it helps to establish a bond between you and people.
Expand your circle of friends: most of us are prejudiced because the company we keep are those we share a lot of similarities with which is good but affects the way we see others that aren't like us. I for one have misjudged people and when I got to know them better, my perceptions about them changed. I also thought the people from a certain tribe in my country shared a similar behavior but when i became friends with one of them, I saw that I was wrong. When we get to know others personally, we begin to understand why they do things differently.
Recognize the strengths of others: we need to possess humility because it is a good attribute. We need to accept that there are some areas in our lives that we are inferior to others. Recognizing our weaknesses and asking for help from others which may be people we have been prejudiced towards can help deal with prejudice. Those people may have strengths in areas you are weak so don't be too egotistical to ask for help.
Prejudice is something that needs personal attention and no one but you can help you deal with every trace of it in your life. Always try to see beyond the differences of people you view negatively and find similarities between you and them.
