Well, here goes with a topic that is sure to gain me the enmity of all those whose respect I have so carefully cultivated:
"Is it possible for an educated, liberal, kind person to be prejudiced against others on the basis of race, religion or culture?"
I confess to being prejudiced against Middle Easterners, for want of a better term. Only with respect to one thing and one thing alone, to wit: I can't rely on their veracity. I haven't met people from all over the Middle East, just, say, people from Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan.
I didn't use to feel like this until I became a lawyer and started a) representing them in Court; or b) having cases in which they were on the other side.
I feel terrible about it.
And I am not the only one!!!! I don't know one single local lawyer who doesn't feel the same way. Those of us who are more socially tolerant speculate that there is some cultural element involved, for instance, that they don't have to tell the truth to a non-Moslem.
Why am I telling you this? Because I suspect that each and every one of us has at least one irrational prejudice, we just are too smart to let on. Maybe if we think about our own weaknesses, it will give us insight into the weaknesses of others. |
