Discrimination

Discrimination is a controversed subject that can be discussed for hours and hours. I will only begin with a short, theoretical presentation of discrimination and keep the examples of discriminatory attitudes and behaviors for my next blog.
Discrimination represents any situation which supposes a different treatment applied to a person or a group because of their affiliation to a distinct group or social category. Discriminations can be based on race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, age, weight, disability, employment circumstances.
We are confronting so often with discrimination that, there are cases when we do not even see that we tend to have discriminatory attitudes towards people. It is impossible to eliminate discrimination totally, because, only in an ideal society people addapt each time perfectly to the circumstances and people around, without taking into consideration certain injust criteria. And, as nobody and nothing is perfect in this world, we discriminate many times, either we are aware of that or not.
Discrimination represents a behavior of excluding or reducing the access of certain individuals to certain resources in a society. This unfair treatment of people, which is discrimination is based on prejudice. While discrimination represents a form of behavioral manifestation, prejudice represents a negative attitude towards every member of a group, motivated only by the affiliation to this certain group. Discrimination is also linked to stereotypes, which represent the negative component of prejudice. Prejudice is a bent for agression or for any other negative mood or state towards a group which was stereotyped according to some simple characteristics, based on incomplete information. This definition concentrates on the negative aspects of prejudice and does not refer to all moods against any other category of objects or events.
The targets of hostilities and the victims of prejudice vary from a society to another and from a culture to another. Many times they are associated with the lack of power. Social groups as the Asians, African-Americans, women, homosexuals and unemployed people are among the most prejudiced groups. Less obvious, but dicriminatory is viewed the language accent, occupation, mental health or weight.
Discrimination is the one that implies the expression of the attitudes of prejudice. Still, some studies have shown that discrimination does not always come as a result of prejudice, but as a result of the social context.
To reduce discrimination, countries around the world have issued a series of strategies meant to ensure the equality of chances in the areas with discriminated groups. In the United States these strategies are called “Affirmative Action”, while in Great Britain they are know as “Positive Discrimination”. These strategies do not suppose a reversed discrimination but have the purpose of ensuring equal chances for all citizens, no matter the group they belong to. Positive Discrimination and Affirmative Action suppose the the admittance of disadvantages accumulated by the discriminated groups and also the development of practices and policies which help surpass difficulties.