Prejudice implies judging before knowing the facts about what you are judging. Prejudice is informed by impressions, gossip, hearsay and tradition none of which qualify as facts. Once a prejudice is formed it is difficult to dislodge. This is probably due to a reluctance to waste a lot of time trying to arrive at the truth when the prejudice seems satisfactory.
There is a strange phenomenon which occurs when some overcome the prejudice by examining the facts and discover that the prejudice may have somehow been correct. The new "accurate" assessment is still viewed as a prejudice because it coincides with one. There is no way to know who is prejudiced and who is not.
There is also a phenomenon, where it is a population against which there has been a prejudice, where the victims refuse, or at least are reluctant, to surrender the victim image that the prejudice produced. Many, refusing to believe that the burden has been lifted, still play at being the victim as though it would be like leaving the house in the rain without an umbrella. Others, discovering that some of their flaws might be exposed if they could no longer be blamed on the prejudice, continue to hide behind the shadow of prejudice. Still others, exploit the victim image for personal gain.
Prejudging is as common as the common cold. It's always easier to generalize than to begin with a lot of specific information then analyze it and make a judgement. There wouldn't be time for anything else. Many times it really doesn't matter because the prejudging is not harmful. When it could be, and the judger knows it, judgment must be withheld. It's better to not know than to do harm.
There is a strange phenomenon which occurs when some overcome the prejudice by examining the facts and discover that the prejudice may have somehow been correct. The new "accurate" assessment is still viewed as a prejudice because it coincides with one. There is no way to know who is prejudiced and who is not.
There is also a phenomenon, where it is a population against which there has been a prejudice, where the victims refuse, or at least are reluctant, to surrender the victim image that the prejudice produced. Many, refusing to believe that the burden has been lifted, still play at being the victim as though it would be like leaving the house in the rain without an umbrella. Others, discovering that some of their flaws might be exposed if they could no longer be blamed on the prejudice, continue to hide behind the shadow of prejudice. Still others, exploit the victim image for personal gain.
Prejudging is as common as the common cold. It's always easier to generalize than to begin with a lot of specific information then analyze it and make a judgement. There wouldn't be time for anything else. Many times it really doesn't matter because the prejudging is not harmful. When it could be, and the judger knows it, judgment must be withheld. It's better to not know than to do harm.
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