Tuesday, April 24, 2007
I agree with the statement that prejudice is a disease we can never get rid of. First of all, I shall define the key phrases in this statement. 'Prejudice' is an opinion on someone or something that is not based on reson or experience. 'Disease' is contagious, harmful and hard to eradicate because of its root causes, and often it has side effects. 'Never get rid of' means to take action so that something or someone is no longer there to worry or annoy you.
Prejudice and discrimination are negative manifestations of integrative power. Instead of bringing or holding people together, prejudice and discrimination push them apart. It is especially destructive when it occurs on a large scale--as it did in Sri Lanka, or the Middle East--it also occurs on smaller scales as well, when one group holds negative stereotypes of another group and discriminates against members of that group based on those stereotypes. Prejudice is happening everywhere in every country. This phenomenon has been existing centuries ago, thus we can conclude that prejudice is a disease we can never get rid of.
Prejudice mostly happens in the United States. For example, 41% of the Whites believe that Muslim religion supports terrorism. Other examples include 46% of Hispanics and 41% of the Blacks believe thatAsian-Americans are crafty and devious based on Harris poll for NCCJ, 1994.
On September 11, 2001 attacks 4 planes hijacked and crashed into World Trade Center and The Pentagon by 19 hijackers. Nearly 3000 dead. Since then, prejudice in the States expended. More Americans regard Muslim as a terrorist or law-breaker. This is extremely unfair to the Muslims in the States.
The reasons why prejudice can never get rid of are because that stereotype maybe one of the 'first' skills children learnt in age 4-5, and they will be prejudiced in age 7 under social influence, such as some television programmes contain ethnic jokes, and racial-biased information. Thus it is extremely difficult for us to get rid of prejudice.
source: http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/problem/prejdisc.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11,_2001_attacks
♥ a butterfly landed @ 8:31 PM
2 Comments:
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By 
, at
May 20, 2007 at 12:17 AM
I agree with your point that prejudice is a diesease we can never get rid of. Your views are well-supported by real life examples and statistics, which shows just how common and widespread prejudice is. :D
By 
vera, at
May 21, 2007 at 7:36 PM
“YouTube has no ethics, it's been created for the sole purpose of entertainment and money.” Do you agree?
YouTube is a popular platform for the public to upload, view, and share video clips nowadays. One can upload video clips on the YouTube, and at the same time, allows the general public to rate the them.
Personally, I agree that the purpose for the founders to set up the 'YouTube' is solely for entertainment and money. According to a July 16, 2006 survey, 100 million clips are viewed daily on YouTube, with an additional 65,000 new videos uploaded per 24 hours. The site has almost 20 million visitors each month, according to Nielsen/NetRatings, where around 44% are female, 56% male, and the 12- to 17-year-old age group is dominant. YouTube has thus earned a large sum of profit through high viewership.
However, many people started to violate the power of technology by putting up copyrighted materials or offensive video clips on the website. For example, the Thai government has banned access to the YouTube video-uploading website after it broadcast material critical of the country's king recently. YouTube, however declined to remove the offensive 44 seconds video clip.
On the contrary, YouTube also benefits the public by providing them with useful tips and information on health and other issues. For example, some innovative video clips promote breast examination by putting the message to a popular hip-hop song. The woman singing the adapted version of the song encourages others to: “Raise your arms in the air/ check for tumours up in there/ check after your menses/ then go shop for Fendi”.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube
♥ a butterfly landed @ 6:52 AM
1 Comments:
I agree with your views to a cetain extent. The statistics and examples provided supports your point, however, i believe that there are still other uses YouTube is created for. There is still the beneficial side of YouTube; as can be seen from your last paragraph too. :D
By vera, at
May 21, 2007 at 7:47 PM
