The Impact of Prejudice and Discrimination on Society

Equal opportunities Assignment 1 This report will attempt to explain the meaning and implications of the terms Prejudice, Discrimination, Stereotyping, and Scapegoat. It will also look at two case studies in order to illustrate prejudice and discrimination in action. Prejudice and Discrimination Prejudice and Discrimination are difficult to separate as they typically appear together. Prejudice is defined as â€Å"A preconceived opinion†. while Discrimination is defined as â€Å"Biased or unfavourable treatment†, both taken from Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus 3 (Oxford University Press, 2001). Discrimination converts the mental process of prejudice into action. It is wildly accepted that discrimination is the action, while prejudice is the†¦show more content†¦After WWI Germany was a shadow of her former self; her economy was limping along like an injured animal. By the time Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in 1933 there were six million unemployed workers in Germany. Germany was in the grips of a depression. The German people were angry, they hated the Allies for doing this to them. Hatred was growing throughout the minds of the German people. It is conceivable that Hitler knew this, if he did know this it is also conceivable that he could direct his people anger and hatred inward. The Jews were a suitable enemy in Hitlers mind. By providing his people with a common enemy he was able to unify them behind him. His mighty propaganda machine started to roll, he blamed the Jews for Germany’s defeat in WWI, he blamed them for German’s many social and economic problems. He frightened the ruling classes by accusing the Jews of being in league with the communists. German Jews were made to wear armbands with Stars of David on them. They were beaten in the streets by groups of thugs. Jewish business were targeted; they were forced to paint Stars of David on the doors, guards were placed at the doors in order to deter people from entering. Hitler even got his message to the children of Germany; Children at schools were taught specifically anti-Semitic ideas. Jewish school children were openly ridiculed byShow MoreRelatedDiscrimination And Discrimination977 Words   |  4 Pagesbetween prejudice and discrimination is att itude versus action. Prejudice refers to negative attitudes or feelings toward or about an entire category of people (Mooney p. 289). Whereas discrimination refers to the actions or practices that result in the differential treatment of categories of individuals (Mooney, p. 292); individuals act on their prejudices which result in discrimination. It is critical to analyze the relationship between prejudices and discrimination as to they affect society. TheRead MoreWhen An Individual Has Lung Cancer, There Is An Immediate1411 Words   |  6 PagesThese people are the support network essential to the cancer patient for a successful recovery. However, what happens when an individual is diagnosed with depression? 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