This week, we worked on a variety of different topics. One of those was defining the difference between prejudice and stereotypes.
A prejudice is a decision that a person makes about something or someone without any evidence, based on a preconceived notion of some kind.
A stereotype is an oversimplified idea of what a typical member of a class or group of people is like, usually based on rational generalisations.
They are both based on quickly attaching an attribute to someone or something, the key difference is that stereotypes are based on generally truthful ideas – prejudice is not. We all have an idea of what a Doctor or a Teacher should look like, what personality traits they have – this is a stereotype, based on reality. A prejudice is an assumption made about someone before having sufficient knowledge about what they are really like, based on speculation.
Points of view can also play a part in prejudices. Imagine a teacher standing at the front of a classroom giving advice to some students. One student, who is struggling with a particular equation, hears the advice the teacher gives and it sets something off in his mind, it suddenly clicks and he gets it – equation complete. Another student, who is finding it all rather easy, hears the advice and scoffs – he had finished the sums ages ago and was hoping the teacher was going to say something exciting.
Something similar happened recently when we were watching my son in a soft-play centre. I looked up from my phone and saw my son throw a small plastic ball at another child and it hit the other boy in the face. I shouted to him “Jake! Don’t throw balls at faces please!” My wife then turned to me and said “They were playing catch. You know his aim isn’t too great yet”. I was a little embarrassed. I missed a crucial part of the interaction and misinterpreted the whole thing.
