Two of the four major causes of prejudice involve (a) finding a scapegoat for one's problems and (b) having little knowledge of or experience with groups other than one's own. Explain how these two factors may cause prejudice

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Suggested Response:
• When people are frustrated, they find a scapegoat to bear the brunt of their frustration. They don't want to admit that they might have to change or find a new way to solve problems. They would rather the blame be given to someone else. For example, when there are high numbers of unemployment, immigrants are often blamed for the economic down turn. This causes people who may never have even met an immigrant to start taking abut immigrant reform and campaigning to remove "illegal aliens" from the state. It turns the conversation about unemployment from how to solve the difficulties to a conversation about us versus them which reinforces prejudice.
• When other cultures are avoided unexposed people have a tendency to believe what they read, see in the media, and hear from others as the truth about a group. Unfortunately these messages are usually stereotypes and prejudiced beliefs. If people do not expose themselves to other cultures, they have no experiences to compare these messages to and are more susceptible to believing the negative messages they are exposed to.