How to fight prejudice

Prejudice is winning the tug-of-war with its opposite, judgment. In the latter, in fact, one exercises critical thinking, examines every angle and edge of something before attempting to evaluate it, takes a deep breath, and doesn't speak in slogans. Prejudice, on the other hand, feeds on simplification, even of things that are inherently complex, and on the idea of ​​making catchy jokes, giving responses that are more emotional than real. Judgment, when calm and convinced, brings people together. Prejudice distances, and therefore separates.

How to Avoid Prejudice

The etymology of the word itself helps us understand how fine the line is between prejudice and reality. And therefore between lies and truth. The word derives from the Latin prae, which actually means first, and iudicium, or judgment. In short: the prejudice in some ways it's a kind of early judgment, built on untrue foundations, and therefore as such not reliableBut it's still one step away from its opposite, that judgment that instead requires reflection, knowledge, and a critical sense. Even Albert Einstein, faced with prejudice, tended to throw up his hands and said: "It's easier to split an atom than to abolish a prejudice." I think, however, that prejudice can be defeated, and there are even very effective antidotes, as I try to demonstrate in this article. Provided, however, that we are first able to recognize it.

Prejudice is like a virus. The less effective the antibodies are, the more it spreads, until it becomes endemic. On the other hand, everyone, without exception, is at risk, especially in a contemporary world marked by haste and/or speed and a complete lack of time and/or desire to delve deeper, verify, and compare. All are antidotes to prejudice.

How prejudice is formed

An original editorial effort has successfully articulated prejudice, along with its driving force—the cliché—in a sort of catalog, with commentaries provided by individual authors. This led to a book (Il Pregiudizio universale, published by Laterza, edited by Giuseppe Antonelli) with multiple voices, yet united by the same idea: to dismantle prejudice, the cliché, and concisely demonstrate its groundlessness.

The demolition mechanism works well when the prejudices analyzed border on the absurd or ridiculous. Such as: Africans are lazy, libraries They are boring places. Women are mobile. Men are all the same underneath. Illegal immigrants are all criminals. A different matter, however, touches on equally deep-rooted prejudices, which this book dismantles with overly dismissive arguments, pitting one prejudice against another—obviously unintentionally, but with a paradoxical effect. Let me give two examples. One chapter is dedicated to proving, with powerful arguments, how unfounded is the idea, shared by many, of a North colonizing the South. From the birth of the unified state. Needless to say, we are talking about a complex topic, and as such, difficult to summarize in a few pages, but the book presents several considerations that should, in themselves, dismantle the prejudice. The agricultural system in the North was more advanced, literacy was higher, infrastructure was better, credit was more accessible. So what? Are these points of observation, among which one is missing that is not exactly a detail (the high level of industrialization in some areas of the South), enough to deny that the South has undergone a form of colonization, and therefore separation, from which it has never freed itself?

The second example concerns the idea, dismissed here as a cliché or prejudice, that reading books makes us better. The author of the chapter denies the possibility that books can somehow change us, in one direction or another. He considers reading almost a neutral factor in our development (doesn't this idea risk being a prejudice?). And without slipping into the rhetoric of the pleasure of reading, of books that "set you free," perhaps it's worth recalling the wealth of scientific research demonstrating concrete, very concrete, improvements in humans thanks to books. Reading is good for the brain, it strengthens neurons, improves memory, fosters human relationships, and can even impact the happiness.Aren't these things such that we can say, without slipping into the cliché, that reading books makes you better?

How to Get Rid of Prejudice

From here, returning to the origins of prejudice, it's worth reflecting—and this book significantly helps us do so—on the causes, the origins of prejudice, and the reasons why we are so surrounded, almost besieged, by public debate and private mini-conversations rife with clichés. We don't even realize how this mechanism fuels side effects, typical of a virus: generalizations, superficiality combined with simplifications, a lack of critical thinking. Not only that. Prejudice, wrapped up in clichés, excludes doubt, which is considered a sign of weakness: yet it is an essential lever for being strong, solid, effective, and convincing in the face of the complexity that accompanies us like a bodily prosthesis.

There is, however, an element of serendipity that can shape prejudice until it becomes something that allows us to make further, valuable discoveries. Anton Chekhov understood this well when he wrote: "Prejudices, like all the ugliness of life, are useful, because over time they transform into something useful, like manure into humus." In practice: prejudice can give rise to a discussion, an analysis, which leads to doubts and therefore to judgments rather than new prejudices. Over time, says Chekhov. Unfortunately, we have very little of it, and often misuse it or waste it: for this reason too, like shipwrecked sailors in a stormy sea, we lean, body and soul, on the raft of prejudice-cliché.

There are some very simple, natural remedies to ward off the risk of prejudice. These are small behaviors, sometimes trivial, but very effective, especially when they become habits, lifestyles. For example, the risk of prejudice is eliminated when one has the ability to question one's own opinion and oneself, taking a self-critical and non-self-referential view. Just as prejudice dismantles itself, almost imperceptibly, when the mind and heart are open, do not shy away from contact, and are not afraid of others' differences. Even in love, the line between judgment and prejudice is often crossed. I don't love you anymore, it's judgment that becomes an acknowledgment of reality. We are too different, it's a subtle, somewhat sugarcoated form of prejudice. In an attempt to avoid slipping into the morass of prejudice, by continually exercising the doubt, you will discover a unique creativity and a desire to abandon yourself to encounters, to not remain closed in solitude. To live by breathing the oxygen that comes from relationships with others.

Famous quotes about prejudice

• Seneca

An opinion that becomes a firm conviction is the foundation of prejudice. We barricade ourselves in a certainty, unaware that we're taking the wrong path in our assessments.

• Conchita Wurst

As the years go by, unfortunately, prejudice can only grow. Unless we've trained our minds to keep it at bay. A child's clarity also means looking at the world, life, and, above all, others, without prejudice.

• Descartes

Perfect synthesis of the only effective medicine against prejudice: cultivating doubts. Don't fear them.

• Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Prejudice is a form of slavery. We lose the freedom to look at others, and have relationships, with our heads free of any unexamined security.

Read also:

• How to stop complaining: It's pointless. It's much better to reflect and take action.
• The importance of silence: unnecessary noises ruin your hearing and especially your head
• How to Stop Procrastinating: A Mistake That Makes Us Suffer