Can Prejudice Be a Good Thing?
Can prejudice ever be a good thing ?
Prejudice is an adverse judgment or preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience. Stereotypes are the best examples of prejudice that we encounter more or less often. But should this behaviour be considered as immoral and unnatural, or is it just a protective response from our brain?
It is well known that human survival was, especially for our ancestors, based on group living. Therefore, “outsiders” were viewed as real threats. This instinct certainly plays a major role in our behaviour towards unknown and different social groups. However, our natural instinct against danger does not justify any form of racism or xenophobic behaviour. In fact, being aware of that instinct makes us even more responsible for our acts in situations that could involve prejudice. Our ancestors’ biological instincts created a multicultural world that nowadays we should all enjoy. I think that being conscious of the stereotypes that we have towards other cultures and people is our best weapon against prejudice. Personally, I do have preconceived opinions on some cultures, as we all do. However, those prejudices, that I am aware of, awaken my curiosity about cultures that are for me unknown and different. This is what pushes me, for instance, to travel a lot. Traveling is for me a way to discover other ways of living, sometimes confirming my adverse judgment but most of the times erasing it.
The best way to overcome prejudice is to be open-minded. Judging people before getting to know them will push you to missing a lot of opportunities. On the other hand, being open-minded and trying to verify whether our judgment was wrong or right is the greatest way to make the best of our instincts.