Cause of Prejudice Essay

There are many types of prejudice in modern society. The definition of prejudice according to Webster’s Dictionary is â€Å"an adverse opinion or leaning formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge.† The causes of some prejudice can be linked to a person’s childhood. The effects of being prejudice can be harmful to the person who is prejudice and to the people or group that person is prejudice of. The causes of racial prejudice stem mainly from childhood. One way childhood can cause a person to be more prejudice is where that person lived as a child. For example, if a child lives in southern United States, that person is more likely to be more prejudice against African-Americans because their culture in the South has been more prejudice towards that group because it has had a prejudice toward that group in general for many years due to slavery. This is not to say that all people in the South are prejudice but it does lean more prejudice against that group. Whereas, in the northern states, there is less prejudice in general towards African-Americans. Another way childhood can affect whether or not a person has a prejudice is their family and how they were raised. If a child see’s their family or parents using racial slurs or putting down a race for any reason, that child could grow up to be the same way and think it is acceptable to have a prejudice. The effect of that could be going in public or at school using derogatory comments towards a race and thinking that it is alright and hurting someone’s feelings. Living in a household with more open views to other races allows for a child to be more open, show less prejudice to others, and be more accepting and tolerant. A child could also pick up prejudice opinions through their friends. Their friends could be bullying another child due to his race and that child could join along to fit in. This also is a major problem in schools because that child that is bullied could resent his classmates and this can cause many more problems down the road. If a child can learn to not fall into the peer pressure of bullying others for being different then more children could  follow and there is the solution to bullying in schools. Children are very impressionable and the more we can teach them about tolerance and to be more open to others than the better off as a society we are. With less prejudice there wouldn’t be as much violence because much of the violence that happens has some sort of prejudice attached with it. Also, the more open we are then the fewer problems we will have because everyone will get along and focus on more important issues of the world.