Journal+5-Response

Questions:

1. Why do people tend to make fun of those who are in some way different? Do you believe this tendency is stronger in adults or children? Why?

2. Imagine which kind of insult would provoke you the most. An insult about... Explain which insult is most offensive to you and why.
 * your appearance or dress
 * your character or actions
 * a friend or family member
 * your beliefs

3. Give examples of prejudice (this can be a list). What are the most common types in your community? Your school? Explain why prejudice is destructive, perhaps citing specific examples you've heard of or witnessed. Have you ever experienced any sort of prejudice?

Answers:


 * 1) I think people tend to make fun of those who are different in some way because they feel as though the person does not fit in, or the person is not in the "norm". Of course. everyone has a different definition of normal, so in my opinion no one is technically normal. I believe that this tendency is higher in children and teens because I would think adults would be mature enough not to make fun of those who are different. I'm not saying adults don't make fun of each other, it just seems unlikely.
 * 2) An insult about a friend or family member would probably insult me the most. This is because I could care less about what people say about my appearance, actions, or beliefs, because it's just their opinion. If someone insults a friend or family member, I get mad. I stand up for all my friends and family members and I really don't like when people think it's okay to insult my friends and make them feel bad.
 * 3) Types of prejudice: Racism, Religion, Stereotypes in school (ex: All Asians are smart, All cheerleaders are stupid, etc.), Appearance, Background

Prejudice can be destructive because if someone starts bullying someone because of their religion, the person who is being bullied could possibly become depressed. This depression could in turn possibly lead to suicide. Personally, I have experienced prejudice in my life. It's not necessarily towards me, it's normally towards my friends. For example, my sister tends to be prejudice towards Asians. She thinks that all Asians are extremely smart, but not all Asians are extremely smart. It really gets on my nerves because I have a lot of Asian friends, and not all of them are extremely smart.