Prejudice and Assumptions
In Hollywood movies there's a stereotyped depiction of people in former times who have 'progressive' ideas, that is, they conform to the views of the twenty-first century even though they are depicted al living in a different age. A recent movie with Julia Roberts depicts her as an enlightened woman living in a bygone age. The implication is that people in those days were simply following fashion and were incapable of thinking rationally. If they could think for themselves, this thinking goes, they would obviously have the same ideas as people do nowadays. This is the basis of all prejudice, which says that people who think differently are irrational. If this was not the case then any minority could be reasoned with. So there wouldn't be prejudice against say, aboriginals, if simply by reasoning with them we could bring them round to our 'enlightened' way of thinking.
This is apparent when we look at prejudice against, say, aboriginals or homosexuals but this attitude runs through all sections of the community. The reason for this is that if you can dismiss the views of those who disagree with you as being irrational then you don't need to examine the ideas. After all, if they are irrational then they can't be examined rationally. And if this is the case then the only way the ideas can be stopped is with force or legislation. So, for example, socialists attempt to stop by force speakers who they consider racist. I've mentioned before about a movement in the UK to prevent 'racists' having airtime. Once these organisations have been declared racist they can't even go on TV or radio to deny it.
These ideas are rarely brought out into the open and examined. If they were it would be apparent that they are simply assumptions but it is part of the human condition that people will not question their assumptions unless under extreme duress.
Other examples of this attitude are:
- In Australia, the assumption that everyone who opposes mass immigration is a racist. The idea that there may be rational reasons for opposing mass immigration isn't even considered.
- Sceptics who consider that anyone who's ideas differ from the views held by the majority of scientists is irrational
- The idea that all women are irrational (held by some men) or that all men are violent (held by some women)
- I've examined previously the assumption that we live in a democracy
Of course, this is a somewhat skewed sample of assumptions. We all make them. Chinese people make different assumptions from people brought up in the West. People brought up in poor, working class families make different assumptions from people born into wealth, and so on.
People desire stability. Some people even fear change but it is the pressures from change that cause us to question our assumptions. When the rich person comes crashing down or when the Chinese person emigrates they come face to face with their assumptions.
