Following a lot of topics here about freedom from prejudice and prosecution; someone posted an idea that really struck me. Basically they said prejudice won't be completely gone until people could glance over all sorts of people and couples without their brain even registering that something is 'out of the ordinary.' Though I believe we'll have huge strides towards equality in our lifetimes, I doubt we'll see absolute equality within our generation. What I want to know is if true equality might ever be achieved? Racial prejudice still exists, gender inequality still affects lives, but our movement towards equality in those aspects is something that has happened within the last century; not a very long amount of time. Can you guys think of some sort of prejudice that has actually been conquered? Something we don't even think about these days because it's no longer relevant? I would like to use that as a mental foothold to convince myself that there might be light at the end of the tunnel for humanity in general, even if we don't live long enough to see it in full...
I can't really think of one right now. But there are a lot of people who don't let their prejudice get in the way. It's just a matter of getting to everyone and eliminating ignorance. Showing everyone that their is nothing wrong with being different.
Well, you can't completely eradicate prejudice. But certainly when it comes to issues like for example whether women should have the right to vote....I think the average person these days no longer even thinks twice about seeing women in line to vote, even though it was once a very contentious issue. Racism was once a winning issue in American politics. While there are still politicians who promote policies that have racist implications (namely Republicans), nowadays politicians who openly suggest in any way that they are racists will be ostracized and rendered unelectable. Republican George Allen lost his 2006 Senate race in Virginia, once the capital of the Confederacy, for uttering a racial slur. More recently we saw openly sexist and homophobic idiot Republican Todd Akin lose a Senate race in a landslide in conservative Missouri. I think in the U.S. at least, people are for the most part no longer willing to accept blatant racism or sexism (and while homophobia is still accepted in some places, I think we're getting close to the point where homophobia won't be accepted either). They may support racist, sexist, or homophobic policies, but nobody wants to actually be seen as a racist, sexist, or homophobe. Many people have become genuinely enlightened to the evils of prejudice. Many other people are merely forced by social pressure to keep their prejudiced views to themselves. But as I said, we can never fully eradicate prejudice; educating and enlightening as many people as we can is the prime goal, but creating a society where prejudice isn't socially acceptable is also necessary to create as just and fair society as possible.
Yes, I would agree with Rakkaus, many women's rights have improved. There is, of course, however, much conflict in poorer countries, where women do not get these rights. Especially in the East. And yes, prejudice is something that cannot be eradicated. In some ways, it can make us stronger, I believe. (That may have been a very controversial statement.) :eek: :lol:
