Prejudice
by Alison Junker
Imagine walking down the red carpet, cameras flashing, getting everything you could ever want. Now, imagine being in downtown Dallas at night in a dark, lonely, parking lot. What kind of feelings do you experience when you imagine these different scenarios? Envy of the celebrity getting everything they want, or the fear in a city where crime and danger are apparent at night? Envy and fear are two prejudices that we experience every day. The envy of celebrities and the fear of the unknown give us an unyielding prejudice against something or someone.
The envy prejudice of celebrities is an example of a feeling that I see in myself. The wealth, glamour, and fame prove their prominence in my eyes. The celebrity life of designers begging them to wear their gowns and someone catering to their every need gives me reason to believe that they live a carefree life. As I see in the tabloids, celebrities have problems just like everyone else. They are not people without concerns or issues. They just have worries at a different level. When I put celebrities on such a high pedestal I judge them in an unfair way, or am prejudice against them regardless of my yearning for their lifestyle. Prejudice is defined as any preconceived opinion or feeling, either favorable or unfavorable. In this case, I favor the celebrities through my preconceived notions of their wealth, glamour, and fame and what it affords them.
On the other hand, the unfavorable prejudice of fear that I see in myself is toward low-income neighborhoods and the people who live there. While my sister and brother attended Bishop Lynch High School, I experienced areas that were unfamiliar and somewhat scary. Without my knowing I judged these people unfairly because of the neighborhood they lived in. Many of them have the same values and morals I have been taught throughout my life and I judged them by their home and surroundings. I truly “judged the book by its cover.” This unfavorable prejudice I experienced shows the many preconceived notions that people have daily.
I find, in my daily life, I judge people by their looks and living conditions, whether it is positive or negative. I also found that prejudice is not always negativity against someone, but can also be a positive connotation for someone. Although the positive connotations are good, the person on the other side may think something different. At John Paul II I have found that some teachers consider us to be “rich kids.” Although this might seem positive, a student could consider this as a prejudice against them, because they know that their parents have sacrificed many things for them to attend private school. These positive and negative prejudices have different effects on different people, some not even realizing the prejudice.
While envy and fear are present in each and every one of our lives, I feel that my prejudices tend to be more favorable than unfavorable. Either way, any type of prejudice against someone is wrong. In our school, community, and state we can make prejudice fade by understanding that judging people can lead to assumptions that hurt others. Prejudice is alive and well in all of us, good and bad. I have learned that my lifestyle encourages me to understand that under each book cover, can be a person of great strength, character and integrity. My parents have taught me to see the good in people, and I believe that is one of the most important moral lessons I will ever learn. Looking for the good in all is my first attempt at eliminating prejudice.
Alison Junker, a student at John Paul II High School, Plano, Texas. She can be reached at ajunker@jpiicardinals.org.
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Copyright 2008 Alison Junker. All rights reserved. While you may copy this publication, its content may not be modified. You may, and are encouraged to, share the publication with others who may benefit from receiving it
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