Prejudices are expressed in a negative attitude towards other people based on some characteristics /for example, gender, race, age, etc./ They are based on generalization and negative conclusions towards a given social group.
Prejudices and negative stereotypes are at the root of discrimination.
Discrimination is the unfair or prejudiced treatment of different categories of people, especially on the basis of ethnicity, age, gender or disability. People prone to negative stereotyping can form and express prejudices and generalize the characteristics of groups of people even in relation to absurd criteria such as their date of birth or belonging to a certain zodiac sign.
Prejudices are formed mostly by upbringing and family environment, and at a lesser extent by social experiences.
This film shows how dangerous prejudices are and how easily the carriers of prejudices can single out a group of people (for example, of a certain zodiac sign or any other sign) and turn them into victims of discrimination and aggression.
Authors: Ivana Vitanova, Maria Petelova, Magdalena Petelova, Iliyana Pencheva, students from Neurocop professional high school “Dimitar Talev”, Gotse Delchev
Reflection Questions:
1/ What are the main areas of non-discrimination covered by European law?
Take a look at the publication Handbook of European non-discrimination law.
2/ How does stereotypical thinking affect people’s lives? Think of different cases from your experience.