“Morality is simply the attitude we adopt towards people whom we personally dislike.”-Oscar Wilde

I finally came to admit something to myself, something others had told me, but I never admitted to until now: I am someone who will scapegoat at the drop of a hat. Yes Kay, you were right, have your moment. But admitting this made me think, prejudice is not simply discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. It can be for literally anything.

The definition of prejudice, as defined by Dictionary.com, is “an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought, or reason.” This definition doesn’t say anything about ethnicity, or sex, or any of the other ‘opular’ targets for discrimination.

It means any preconceived notion. Any time you assume something about a group or person without actually meeting them, you are guilty of prejudice, especially if the notion is a negative one.

Yes, you’ve officially lowered yourself to the level of the likes of racist skinheads in a way.

This is mostly a message to people like myself. Being of a left wing lean, I would tell myself I am a very tolerant person. I am completely accepting of gays, support equal rights for minorities, and try to not practice sexism. And yet, when I have come to think of it, I realize I am one of the most close minded people I know.

I am outright offended by those who disagree with the positions I described above. When I hear about bad news in this country, a part of me immediately leaps to blame those of a conservative lean for whatever the problem may be.

And yet, my personal prejudices extend beyond something as superficial as politics. I am a herder of scapegoats. When I have problems in my life, problems I feel like I cannot control or easily solve, my mind drifts towards blaming some kind or person or group for that problem, a kind of coping mechanism. It sounds a bit strange, but in a way it makes me feel better, feeling like someone else is responsible for my problem, and if they were gone, my life would be better.
For example, whenever I feel depressed about my lack of success with females, my mind drifts toward blaming other guys for this. Then the seed grows. Soon, I hold negative feelings and emotions towards certain types of guys as a whole, and the feelings will have me judging people before I meet them, assuming the worst about people I have never had a conversation with.

Yes, not so different than the poor white trash who blame minorities for their poverty in life.

Now, ask yourself something: Is there any certain group you hold inherent negative opinions towards? Are you the religious type who believes the secular are responsible for problem in the world, or perhaps vice versa? Are you a political partisan who jumps to lay the blame for a crisis on the other side? Perhaps you are a lifelong resident of your city, and think your home is being ruined by Californians/Floridians moving in.

I could go on and on with situations such as those above. My point is this: prejudice is not simply limited to hate groups. It would be a prejudice itself to say everyone discriminates, but I will say it is much more common than it is believed to be.

Next time you feel like blaming something going wrong without knowing the person/people, think about this. If we walk through this world, believing negatives about strangers, how are we to ever band together to solve the real problems facing this world?

So I will start, and admit my discrimination:
Jocks are not the reason I have trouble with girls.
Broadus itself was not the reason I had troubles growing up.
Conservatives are not the cause of any crisis the media reports on.
Accomplished people are not preventing me from making accomplishments of my own.
Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers are not actually going to cause the downfall of civilization.

Will you admit yours?

“reconceived notions are the locks on the door to wisdom.” -Merry Browne