A united front
Are you prejudiced against anyone, any group? Muslims? Gay and lesbian people? Gypsies/travellers?
, some 29 per cent of Scots feel they are justified in answering 鈥測es鈥 to that question.
But it would seem that prejudice is floating rather than fixed. Rather than being rigid, it is malleable, open to persuasion or the influence of circumstance.
The survey, conducted by the estimable Scottish Centre for Social Research, discerned an increase in prejudice against Muslims compared to a decline in such attitudes towards gay and lesbian people.
Let us be clear what we mean by prejudice. We mean unthinking hatred, dislike or suspicion of an individual based solely upon that individual鈥檚 membership of a particular social group.
It is quite different, utterly different, from an empirical approach to an individual.
Think back to when you were at primary school. Say another child routinely punched you. You would be entitled to form an aversion to that child, to avoid that child鈥檚 company.
By contrast, when we succumb to prejudice, we are extrapolating from the general to the particular, with no reference to individual evidence. We have formed a view upon a group 鈥 and we translate that view into hostility towards individual members.
This is, quite simply, illogical and wrong. It is demeaning, debasing.
To their credit, politicians from all parties at Holyrood have said so at Holyrood today. Without caveat.
I'm 
Comments
Does that include politicians that are against single mothers or those that are against Eton educated toffs?
Methinks our politicians are duplicitous and are merely promoting PC policies for fear that the electorate might withdraw their season tickets for the gravy train; of course we are all guilty of one form of prejudice or another but it is only the strong who resist the simplistic route of blaming one minority group or another.
As a Dundee United supporter you should recognise the signs of prejudice; however why worry it鈥檚 only a wee team.
Does that include politicians that are against single mothers or those that are against Eton educated toffs?
Methinks our politicians are duplicitous and are merely promoting PC policies for fear that the electorate might withdraw their season tickets for the gravy train; of course we are all guilty of one form of prejudice or another but it is only the strong who resist the simplistic route of blaming one minority group or another.
As a Dundee United supporter you should recognise the signs of prejudice; however why worry it鈥檚 only a wee team.
What about David Camerons comments about being in Glasgow and not getting headbutted. That sounds prejudiced, doesn't it.
Even if it was a joke, you could get away with saying something like that about any other group or nationality, could you?
Quote: "Let us be clear what we mean by prejudice. We mean unthinking hatred, dislike or suspicion of an individual based solely upon that individual鈥檚 membership of a particular social group."
So is the Scottish news media, including 大象传媒 Scotland journalists, indulging in prejuidice when it continually condemns the SNP, whether it is in power or is not?
So if you're a gay muslim you're no better off!
#2 - Spot on
Politicians espouse anti-prejudice principals when it suits them, but then conversley act explicitly prejudicial when it suits them. e.g. recent terrorism legislation and the resulting police actions specifically target certain backgrounds - i.e. it's prejudicial (but we're told that's ok in this instance as its to prevent terrorism).
Prejudice is definitley a floating thing - 10 years ago many people would not even have batted an eyelid at Burkas or Hijabs being worn - nowadays, the press and politicans have managed to instill into us an unjustified fear of muslims - so when we see muslems in their chosen clothing we are indoctrinated into prejudicial thoughts.
I think we ALL like to think we are not prejudiced and are fair minded - but in essence I think that in some form of another we ALL are prejudiced in favour of "our own kind" whatever that may be e.g. colour/race/religion/sex/age/disability etc.
I find this comment from Mr Cameron offensive how dare he say that those of us with independence leanings are an "ugly stain" how predjudice and derogatory is that remark ?
"Conservative leader David Cameron has strongly defended the Union, pledging to fight the "ugly stain of separatism seeping through the Union flag".
Problem is that one person's dislike or aversion can be viewed by others as prejudice...... pc rules?
One problem is that one person's dislike or aversion to a group or individual is too often labelled as prejudice, especially if such an opinion is contrary to the perceived
politically correct one. You are no longer free to choose your friends - or enemies.
I'm bipolar, like others with mental health issues I face prejudice every day. It matters not that I am fully recovered and stable. I have been in a 4 month tussle with a local authority to get on their teaching supply list. I have been subjected to humiliating tests and screenings. Stigmatisation is rife. We are where gay people were 25 years ago in terms of acceptance by "society." 80% of people who have suffered from a mental health problem are unemployed, even if they have recovered. In general the attitude is sickening.
btw Peter(on another board)
before becoming a teacher I was "cosseted and cocooned" on a North Sea oil rig for 12 years. There were many at Jordanhill who, like me, had real life experience.
The worst prejudice I have experienced is at Scotland football games, as someone with an 'English' accent, there are some morons (mainly at home games) who feel the need to ask a man dressed in Kilt and Scotland shirt if he is English!
#4 It is not necessarily prejudice to disagree with an opinion.
I think we are all attracted to the idea of independence at times. There are many problems with the union. At some stage we must all have considered voting or even voted for the SNP
I have considered, rather than pre-judged the SNP; I have noted the importance of co-operation in a globalised world; I have been mindful that the EU (an even more imperfect union) has shown that cooperation actually reduces national prejudices; I have considered the arguments in favour of independence; I have analysed the SNP and their policies and I have realised that it is clear that independence is the only thing the party agrees on and the rest of their polices are incoherent when you look at the detail; And I have seen their lies and broken promises in government.
Having done the above I have been able to discriminate from amongst the many claims about the SNP.
I am not prejudiced against them. I have considered the arguments and seen that the SNPs ideas are dangerous and there are policies bad for Scotland. However, the SNP deserve the same rights as any other political party. Just because I don鈥檛 like them doesn鈥檛 mean they should be allowed to exist.
Quote: 'We mean unthinking hatred, dislike or suspicion of an individual based solely upon that individual鈥檚 membership of a particular social group.'
Isn't this exactly what happened to pistol shooters after the Dunblane tragedy in 1997 and which continues to this day?
Prejudice is a political tool, that is still deployed to exploit fear.
Predjuice against Asians or (Muslims) has been a long term issue in this country.
Asians are the largest ethnic minority in Scotland , and Muslims are also the largest ethnic minority. So when their is predjuice against Asians hence its "Muslims", and when their is predjuice against "Muslims" hence its Asians.
If its not "Paki bashing", then the alternative blend is "Muslim bashing".
95% of Asians are Muslims in scotland and 97% of Muslims in scotland are asian.
Its just the same old predjuices that have been in existence in the past and perhaps from the same segment of narrow minded people. Nothing new. No need to be alarmed.
Living in scotland, that is the part and parcel of the life here.
Should Asian or Muslim predjuice decline statistically then inversely perhaps predjuice towards the Polish people will increase. Its no a win situation, from a cultural context.
Hi brian to anyone who wants to check and see if they do have any internal bias check out this site.
It measures your reaction time to certain pictures and words because internally you cant control your thinking it shows if you are biased and which way. quite interesting. Really makes you examine why you hold the beliefs that you do.
Your definition of predjudice is quite correct Brian.
However, we must learn form other European Nations ,not least England,and accept that Multi-culturalism has been an unmitigated disaster,resulting in a patch-work of parallel societies. .Even the Ultra-liberal Netherlands seem to have admited that, as have at least by implication,some English Labour politicians.
Scotland needs more people,and consequently,a planned,rational,Immigration Policy.We have a moral duty to welcome new arrivals.Similarly they have a duty to embrace their new Homeland and make every effort to assimilate,even if that means the abandonment of some customs and beliefs.
It鈥檚 worth bearing in mind that the word 'prejudiced' is very often used by PC (or should that be po-faced?) journalists and politicians to castigate those who have the temerity to disagree with them.
In reality, the former represent a fairly small percentage of the general public, however that doesn't stop them lecturing the rest of us on what are the 'right' attitudes to have.
These scribes and MPs are the first to extol the virtues and privileges of a democratic society, however these privileges apparently don't extend to free speech if our ever so haughty politicos don't like the sound of it (witness the raft of legislation introduced by New Labour, which will only deepen ill-feeling rather than reduce it).
The country鈥檚 nannying tendency will no doubt say that enjoying the rights of a free society comes with responsibilities, but I'm afraid these responsibilities also include allowing the great unwashed to speak their mind, even if this jars with the right-on politics our out of touch middle aged political leaders and commentators forgot to leave behind in their youth.
The UK鈥檚 liberal 鈥榚lite鈥 has a distasteful habit of suppressing, ignoring or steamrollering over views which they find unpalatable, but by so arrogantly dismissing the views of others as mere prejudice, they鈥檙e only storing up trouble for the future.
"We mean unthinking hatred, dislike or suspicion of an individual based solely upon that individual鈥檚 membership of a particular social group."
I can say for certain in that case that I am prejudiced against Scottish Labour governments, Tory leaders on visits to insult the government of Scotland and the 大象传媒 Scotland Parochial and Demeaning news team.
Thankfully, these minority groups are becoming smaller.
The survey found that there was prejudice towards groups - not individuals.
There can be very valid reasons for suspicion upon a GROUP if a large percentage of the group has a culture that is perceived as negative.
Although most individuals within the group may very well be agreeable, sometimes you cannot pick and choose.
Eg By accepting unconstrained muslim immigration, an existing population is automatically accepting a large percentage that support Sharia law and therefore a perceived future threat to democracy.
I find it quite coincidental but this subject has concerned me greatly recent years. I as a young man considered myself to be very liberal toward those who were of a different faith or persuasion and did not feel any particular ill will toward anyone (apart from those who witter on about 1966 as some kind of mantra) .Now however and with a lot of travel and work overseas under my substantial belt I find myself asking why when I travel anywhere (including the good old USA ,Africa, Brazil, and more recently around the Caspian region) I must mind my Ps and Qs and be ever so careful not to utter any thought that may cause any offence or upset to any of the Citizens or their Country . When I feel the same courtesy is not returned to me or I should say us in this Country .I think by now we all realise the Neebs to the South of us will never get the hang of including us in their Great Country or referring to Scotland as England when they talk about Great Britain .Its further afield ,I do object to those who need to cover themselves from view I feel insulted at the implication that my casting my gaze on some one from another country is in some way causing an affront to that person . I don鈥檛 want to see us as a society required to change simply because someone as come to live in our country I thought the reason someone would wish to do that was because we already have excellent rules for our society and we don鈥檛 need to change, the visitor needs to change to fit in with us and should that person wish to stay as a fellow citizen then a little discretion in dress and religious persuasion would be appreciated as I feel the whole point of coming here was to follow our way not the other way around
I am without question prejudice against benefit theives.
I am a PAYE tax payer to the tune of 拢14,000-00 per anumn,I would rather see more of my contribution help build hospitals, care for pensioners or children.
I have personally witnessed a benefit theif give out advice regarding claim forms, unfortunately for the individual concerned myself and one or two others let him know our feelings on this matter, he subsequently conducts his business at the other end of the village pub.
All taxpayers have the right to be prejudice against these pariahs.
I am prejudiced. I really find it hard to take scottish tories seriously. One and all.
Predjudice is spawned of fear, and fear facilitates control of the public. That's been a politician's dream scenario for centuries, hasn't it?
Everyone has prejudices - acknowledge their irrationality and move on.
I agree with the claim that the media in general display hatred and discrimination towards the SNP Scottish Government. They care not that the Scottish People elected them in a democratic process, because they dont tow the Westminster Line and dare to question the right of Scots to assume an adult attitude to run their own country. Having watched many of your televised reports Brian, I must say that even though you believe you are being moderate, you constantly allow your own perceived right to defend the status quo.
Exactly how much of your bias affects our young Scots, can be seen by their lack of confidence and pride at who they are. Surely being told continuosly for the fifty years that you are not capable of running your own country, creates the lack of self awareness that leads to alcohol & drug abuse.
Your job is to report the facts without showing any favouritism to either party. Yet the 大象传媒 has betrayed the people who pay the license fee that guarantees an income to live comfortable and send your son to University. We do not ask you to be biased towards the SNP, we simply ask that you dont throw in rubbish reports that take away the importance of a leading parties corruption. To clarify my comment better, may I suggest you tell us when you last did an investigative in depth report on the London Controlled New Labour Party. Perhaps 大象传媒 Scotland should hire a John Pilger type Journalist who can go for the throat no matter what your political persuasion is. That would be very interesting indeed.
The report leading to this stated that some 30% of people surveyed thought that ethnic minorities and people from Eastern Europe took jobs away from native Scots. Given that the UK government now annonunce that 4 out of 5 jobs created in the last 10 years went to people from outside the UK, you can see that for those in lower income jobs such a belief is rather more sensible than the "Dissapoinmted and worried" Communities Minister would suggest.
Pavel for PM anyone??
. . . and 65% were against - a pointless discussion about a pointless subject.
I feel that this survey implies something else about us Scots (I'll use the word "Scots" as that's what the article used. "Those questioned" might be better).
To me it also implies that we Scots are (refreshingly) honest with ourselves. Did the survey ask whether people that it was "right" that they thought it was a particular way? I suspect not.
If it had, I suspect that, whilst people admitted, for example, that felt they negatively towards Muslims, they would also admit that they felt it was wrong to feel that way.
This, I believe, would be grounds for encouragement. Acknowledging one's own prejudice is the first step to breaking it down.
#7 Conway,
I could not agree more, and it should be highlighted that unionists make persistent and prejudicial use of 鈥榚xtremist labelling鈥 in much of their argument against the case for Scottish independence.
The ceaseless use of the 鈥榮eparatist鈥 tag is a case in point. I know of no-one in the independence movement who takes this term as other than deliberately pejorative, and no-one who accepts having their desire for an independent Scotland amongst the world鈥檚 democratic nations described as 鈥榮eparatism鈥.
Of course, the very use of the word, with its implied overtones of bigotry, hatred and xenophobia 鈥 all of which have been used as terms of abuse against a democratic, civilised movement 鈥 is calculated to engender revulsion amongst 鈥榙ecent people鈥 against the strongly implied spectre of extremism.
Indeed, I have barely heard a coherent unionist argument that does not rely to some extent on these 鈥榖ogey man鈥 invectives.
Why should support for Scottish independence be uniquely 鈥榠mmoral鈥 鈥 even if every action taken in the name of Great Britain was somehow above reproach??
The fact that the leader of the UK Conservative Party depends on such insular scaremongering to demonise the Scottish Government in Edinburgh speaks volumes.
He and his 鈥楴orth British鈥 cohorts will have to do a whole lot better if they seek to stage a serious alternative to the National Conversation, and debate the constitutional question through mature argument, as opposed to juvenile and prejudiced diatribe.
OK Brian, where do you stand on the charge that the 大象传媒 has a left-liberal bias or prejudice? What about prejudice towards climate change as a given?
"Let us be clear what we mean by prejudice. We mean unthinking hatred, dislike or suspicion of an individual based solely upon that individual鈥檚 membership of a particular social group."
In that case, I'm very prejudiced against Scottish Labour governments, Tory leaders insulting Scots and the 大象传媒 Scotland Parochial and Demeaning Media Service.
Thankfully, all these particular minority groups are becoming disappearing.
the media and other parts of established society have been anti catholic for hundreds of years their latest target being catholic schools
(created because of catholic exclusion by the then public schools)
and now stands accused of being the root cause of the sectarian problem
only in scotland!
anyone who mentions it is simply labelled paranoid and dismissed
when you allow one form of prejudice to go unchecked for soo long it only encourages other forms of predjudice
I'm sure my Irish forefathers are laughing their heads off at this - they endured all sorts of abuse when they came to 'friendly' Scotland in the late 1800s. And it has continued in varying degrees right up to the present day.
What nonsense, education always was and remains even today the biggest threat to all religions; what do religions do when they cannot stop education from interfering in the spread of a given religion; control education!
Brian - Mike (post no. 22) detects a strong prejudice in your reporting of Scottish political events as do many other people.
Your not-so-subtle put downs of the SNP in particular is clearly immoral and directly damages millions of young Scots.
People have a right to form views based on facts not poisonous, cunningly timed attempts to distract attention from things you'd rather we forgot.
It was hilarious to see Donald Trump bursting your balloon over your disgraceful attempt to smear Alex Salmond for having held a meeting about the golf/housing project in Aberdeenshire.
My Irish forefathers came to 'friendly' Scotland in the late 1880s, and were subjected to horrendous abuse and discrimination, due mainly to their Catholicism. And in the year 2008, this is still a common cause for abuse - I have been on the receiving end of it, for having a 'Fenian face'!! Even though I am a devout Pagan. Frankly, the Scots are kidding themselves over their 'we're so friendly' claims. They are friendly to their own kind - white and Protestant. They treat the rest of us like trash.
brian you said
"Let us be clear what we mean by prejudice. We mean unthinking hatred, dislike or suspicion of an individual based solely upon that individual鈥檚 membership of a particular social group."
I say that the law is prejediced the act of settlement of 1701 says that a roman catholic may not marry or be a catholic and nor can heirs to the throne. This law is prejediced against roman catholics. The monarch or his heirs can of course marry anyone from any other religious background including the moslem faith jewish bhuddist. I spoke to my MP about this one David Cairns who as you remember was a catholic preist. He said he was unable to do anything about this law. This is the man of course who got his own act of parliament in order to enter parliament.
I am English, and I live and work in Scotland. I pay my taxes, help my neighbours, try to do my bit.
I get grief every day (often from complete strangers) that goes way beyond 'friendly banter'. I've been attacked 4 times in Edinburgh for being English. My children have been attacked at school for being English on at least 8 occasions in the last 2 years.
Apparently we are directly responsible for all perceived unfriendly acts committed by the English royalty and governments over the last 300 years.
Scotland is not a friendly place.
I agree with the 1st poster.
Incidently, surely it's ok to be prejudiced against politicians. I know they're a minority group but it often appears that the majority of them are hopeless cases and worthy of scorn.
Post 15 thaks Karin, for the link, vey interesting. I came out with no bias either way.
24.At 10:13 AM on 12 Dec 2007, Mike wrote:
'I agree with the claim that the media in general display hatred and discrimination towards the SNP Scottish
Government...'
Exactly Mike, Absolutely bang-on. I'm aware of many, many people who - amazingly - are starting to label
much of the country's mass media as the new 'Pravda'.
The 'truth' according to the likes of the Daily Record, Scotsman and broadcasting veins in 大象传媒 Scotland.
It's an appalling and dangerous situation, and - given the reality of the current SNP govt. - says much of
what's going on in peoples minds, and what those people have to endure every day.
From memories of Daily Record 'instruction' on how to ensure SNP candidates lose, to the daily grinning
automatons on Reporting Scotland, to the latest anti-SNP Scotsman headline, enough is surely enough...?
Of course, this behaviour in itself will long be recorded, and in itself fashion an interesting side note in
future media textbooks. Along with those brave, but sporadic moves by the likes of the Sunday Herald.
Nevertheless, the dark underbelly of 'union at all costs' permeates pretty much everything.
Thankfully, new media means people can respond to 'non stories' etc., in real-time. To that end, I feel the
media agenda of the Labour Party [in particular] has only exposed the party for the corrupt vipers they are,
revealing their own duplicity, and making them look foolish and incompetent.
Which of course, they are...