| Prejudice continues to be one of the leading | | | | only reason there are continued tensions between |
| forms of discrimination around the world, even in | | | | these two sides of the world is because of |
| the 21st-century where we understand | | | | preconditioned prejudices which are handed down |
| scientifically that every single human being on this | | | | from the previous generations to the new, thus |
| planet is exactly the same, regardless of the color | | | | continuing the line of hatred which at its very core |
| of their skin or the country they were born in. | | | | is nothing more than a trained response. |
| Even so, prejudice exists with fairly alarming | | | | In 2007 Harris and Fiske took a look at the brain |
| regularity even in the most developed societies of | | | | patterns in individuals related to a study on social |
| the world, with many of these preconceived | | | | grouping, and discovered that the brain area |
| judgments literally engraved into the very fabric | | | | crucial for social cognition showed that individuals |
| of the social quilt that makes up the way a nation | | | | were responding in prejudice ways that suggested |
| functions. | | | | that the responses were automatic, or innate. |
| There are three main types of prejudice: | | | | However, in 2009 Tiago V. Maia wrote an article |
| cognitive, affective, and behavioral. The first is a | | | | called Fear Conditioning and Social Groups: |
| metaphysical or methodological response, boiling | | | | Statistics, Not Genetics in the medical journal |
| down to what individuals believe to be true, while | | | | Cognitive Science during which she showed how |
| affective prejudice is referencing what individuals | | | | the timing and patterns of the differentiation |
| like or dislike. For example, certain individuals may | | | | between human races made it unlikely that human |
| have a certain attitude towards members of a | | | | beings could ever evolve the mechanisms |
| particular class or ethnicity or creed. Behavioral | | | | necessary to inherently fear different races. |
| prejudice references how individuals are inclined to | | | | Instead, her research showed that racial prejudice |
| behave. While all of these are in some way | | | | was nothing more than familiarity and exposure, |
| related, there are varying forms and degrees of | | | | or a learned, trained response. |
| separation. | | | | Given the overwhelming evidence as a result of |
| The underlying belief over the years by medical | | | | modern science, the general consensus is that |
| professionals is that prejudice is nothing more | | | | prejudice as is a learned trait, so the question |
| than a learned response, ingrained into societies | | | | really becomes, how do we unlearn it? When we |
| over the years by hundreds or thousands of | | | | look at global awareness factors as a result of |
| years of preconditioning regarding the way a | | | | the Internet and shared knowledge around the |
| culture looks at another culture. One of the | | | | world, there is no excuse for prejudice to still |
| easiest ways to see this in modern times is the | | | | exist, and the hope is that as more evidence to |
| difference of opinion between some of the radical | | | | support the facts comes to light individuals will |
| Middle East countries and the Western world, and | | | | begin to understand that their prejudices are |
| vice versa. Regardless of which side of the fence | | | | nothing more than a trained response. |
| you happen to stand on the fact remains that the | | | | |