Is it bad to be prejudiced?

Stories that are passed on often form a basis for prejudice. Perhaps you have read or heard something about a specific group. Perhaps something has happened to you. Or perhaps you have picked up all kinds of stories from social media. These can make you prejudiced against different groups.

An unpleasant experience with one person from a certain group of people can make us prejudiced against the whole group. And against all the individual people in that group. As long as that only happens in your head, it is not much of a problem. 

Prejudices are the ideas and opinions that you have developed in your head about certain groups, such as men and women, and people with a different skin colour or religion. As long as you do not express your prejudices and as long as you do not act on them, nobody will notice them. 

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But many people are not very aware of their own prejudices. Or they believe they should be allowed to say anything they want. If you let yourself be guided by your opinions, and do not base your ideas on facts or never adjust them, prejudices can become quite obnoxious.

Have you ever heard a prejudice about yourself or about a group you belong to or want to belong to? Then you will know that hurtful and insulting remarks can have a lot of impact.

See also

When does prejudice become dangerous?

What can you do against prejudice?

Where do we draw the line between freedom of expression and discrimination?