What Is Prejudice? Whiteboard Animation

[Parale]

Whiteboard Animation: What Is Prejudice?

 

Published 27 July 2023

 

https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/teenagers/whiteboard-animations/overcome-prejudice/

 

TRANSCRIPT: What Is Prejudice?

Spoiler What Is Prejudice? Whiteboard Animation Don’t let prejudice infect you! Follow the Bible’s advice to protect yourself from it. Have you been infected? No, no, not with an actual virus, but with something that has infected people throughout history, something that no one is completely immune to — prejudice. ‘Whoa! Whoa!’ you may think, ‘Prejudice — me? That can’t be right. I like all kinds of people!’ The truth is that all of us are capable of or even guilty of prejudice to some degree. But it can be hard to recognise in ourselves. So, what is prejudice? To overcome prejudice, you have to understand what it is. Prejudice often means having a biased opinion, either good or bad, of someone you don’t even know. We can be prejudiced against people and even treat them badly simply because of their age, where they’re from, what they look like, how much money they have, or because of other things that make people different from us. But judging others based on appearances or superficial traits before getting to know them would be unfair and unreasonable. It would be like hating a food before you’ve even tried it. Prejudice can lead us to give special treatment to some people and exclude others. It can make us act like we’re smarter or better than people who are different. But that can be dangerous. The Bible says at Proverbs 16:18 that “pride is before a crash, and a haughty spirit before stumbling.” Having a superior attitude can keep us from having real friends. That can take the joy out of life. If you recognise prejudice in your heart, what can you do? Try these steps: Learn more about those around you. What have they experienced in their life? What are their talents? When you appreciate others’ strengths, it can be a powerful antidote to prejudice. Next, take a look at your friends. Do they all look, think, and act a lot like you? If so, follow the Bible’s advice at 2 Corinthians 6:13 and “widen out.” Make friends with people who are different from you. But what if you discover that some of them practice bad things? In that case, stay away! Their bad conduct can make you act badly. In this world, prejudice is everywhere. But we don’t have to let it control our thinking. We can overcome prejudice if we [one] avoid reaching negative conclusions about people before we get to know them, [two] make an effort to learn about others, and [three] try to make friends with people who are different from us. The more we know about the people around us, the more we can appreciate the things that make us different.

 

Edited July 29, 2023 by Shawnster

[Qapla]

 

I know this is off-topic, but it has provided an opportunity to demonstrate something that occurs from time-to-time. I use dark mode - not sure how many others do. This is what I see in the above post:

 

If that text in the white had been "pasted as plain text" instead of just "pasted", it may have killed the formatting of the title and any bold or italics - but it would have appeared as readable without having to squint-with-one-eye- an-look-sideways or highlighting it.

 

OK - done with this point

 

Good animation. It answers the question - what does prejudice look like

Spoiler

 

[Parale]

On 7/27/2023 at 5:55 PM, Qapla said:

I know this is off-topic, but it has provided an opportunity to demonstrate something that occurs from time-to-time. I use dark mode - not sure how many others do. This is what I see in the above post:

 

Interesting, thanks. I think it's an issue with the custom/bespoke 'dark mode theme' being used on this website @Brother_Bliss?

 

TRANSCRIPT: What Is Prejudice?

Spoiler What Is Prejudice? Whiteboard Animation Don’t let prejudice infect you! Follow the Bible’s advice to protect yourself from it. Have you been infected? No, no, not with an actual virus, but with something that has infected people throughout history, something that no one is completely immune to — prejudice. ‘Whoa! Whoa!’ you may think, ‘Prejudice — me? That can’t be right. I like all kinds of people!’ The truth is that all of us are capable of or even guilty of prejudice to some degree. But it can be hard to recognise in ourselves. So, what is prejudice? To overcome prejudice, you have to understand what it is. Prejudice often means having a biased opinion, either good or bad, of someone you don’t even know. We can be prejudiced against people and even treat them badly simply because of their age, where they’re from, what they look like, how much money they have, or because of other things that make people different from us. But judging others based on appearances or superficial traits before getting to know them would be unfair and unreasonable. It would be like hating a food before you’ve even tried it. Prejudice can lead us to give special treatment to some people and exclude others. It can make us act like we’re smarter or better than people who are different. But that can be dangerous. The Bible says at Proverbs 16:18 that “pride is before a crash, and a haughty spirit before stumbling.” Having a superior attitude can keep us from having real friends. That can take the joy out of life. If you recognise prejudice in your heart, what can you do? Try these steps: Learn more about those around you. What have they experienced in their life? What are their talents? When you appreciate others’ strengths, it can be a powerful antidote to prejudice. Next, take a look at your friends. Do they all look, think, and act a lot like you? If so, follow the Bible’s advice at 2 Corinthians 6:13 and “widen out.” Make friends with people who are different from you. But what if you discover that some of them practice bad things? In that case, stay away! Their bad conduct can make you act badly. In this world, prejudice is everywhere. But we don’t have to let it control our thinking. We can overcome prejudice if we [one] avoid reaching negative conclusions about people before we get to know them, [two] make an effort to learn about others, and [three] try to make friends with people who are different from us. The more we know about the people around us, the more we can appreciate the things that make us different.

Edited July 29, 2023 by Shawnster

[Ishaya]

I think one of the root cause of prejudice is the spirit of competition that is so prevalent in Satan's world.

 

People in  Satan's world  always want to be ahead of others, they want to have the feeling of having an advantage over others and feeling superior to others.

and they don't want to loose this advantage because for them their happiness depends on being better that someone else.

 

But does happiness really depends on being better than someone else?

 

Well some people have based their happiness on that and it makes them to not want others to have a better life and opportunities like them,and it makes them to not want to even view others as equal to them as it will amount to having nothing to give them happiness,this spirit is worldly and the source is Satan.

 

On the contrary,Jehovah's spirit teaches us two things

(1) be willing to share what we have with others.

 

and

 

(2) to not think of ourselves more than is necessary.Romans 12:3.

 

The best way to avoid this trap is to always  imagine yourself or visualise yourself  in the position or condition of someone you think you are better than.and then remind yourself that you did nothing to be in the privilege position that you think you are in.

 

Anyone could have been anything,so there is really nothing that makes any of us any special in life.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 28, 2023 by Ishaya

[Ishaya]

I discovered that there is no place where prejudice is so pronounced as in choosing a marriage mate.

Although we have freedom to decide where to marry from but often times our view of this freedom has been wrongly applied and it is so easy to justify this,unfortunately.

 

Its so hard to really admit to ourselves that most choices of marriage has been influenced by prejudice,but the truth is that they have.

 

 

[Parale]

FWIW the Governing Body published a 16-page Awake! magazine about prejudice in 2020

 

https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/awake-no3-2020-nov-dec/

 

[Parale]

For those wishing to print out the transcript - below is a PDF, formatted to be printed as an A5 booklet using A4 paper, or simply full-size on A4 paper, if you like a larger text size

 

What Is Prejudice.pdf

[Hope]

16 hours ago, Qapla said:

 

I know this is off-topic, but it has provided an opportunity to demonstrate something that occurs from time-to-time. I use dark mode - not sure how many others do. This is what I see in the above post:

 

If that text in the white had been "pasted as plain text" instead of just "pasted", it may have killed the formatting of the title and any bold or italics - but it would have appeared as readable without having to squint-with-one-eye- an-look-sideways or highlighting it.

 

OK - done with this point

 

Good animation. It answers the question - what does prejudice look like

  Hide contents

 

It is why I stopped using dark mode after a few days. 😧  This is the only site I have to keep light; formatting isn't good... no prejudice, though 😇🥰

[Qapla]

3 hours ago, Parale said:

using A4 paper

 

For those of us in the US, that would compare to "letter size" (8.5"x11") - though the sizes are not exactly the same

 

 

Edited July 28, 2023 by Qapla

[Cushi]

I really appreciated this video 😊 One form of prejudice I thought of is to prejudge based on the color of one’s skin. I like how the video said we all are affected by prejudice to a degree. That’s why I hate it when people try to assert their own righteousness by saying things like “I don’t have a racist bone in my body” or “I don’t see color” and “I have plenty of friends that are _” 

 

These aren’t good arguments for not being racist because we all, including myself, have prejudice in us to a degree. And having friends from another race doesn’t mean you’re not racist or prejudiced. A person could even be married to or have grandchildren by a person of another race and still be prejudiced towards that race. I’ve seen it myself. Until you admit that there’s at least the potential for prejudice in your heart, you’ll never change.

Edited July 29, 2023 by *Jack*

[Tortuga]

7 minutes ago, *Jack* said:

I really appreciated this video 😊 One form of prejudice I thought of is to prejudge based on the color of one’s skin. I like how the video said we all are affected by prejudice to a degree. That’s why I hate it when people try to assert their own righteousness by saying things like “I don’t have a racist bone in my body” or “I don’t see color” and “I have plenty of friends that are _” 

 

These aren’t good arguments for not being racist because we all, including myself, have prejudice in us to a degree. And having friends from another race doesn’t mean you’re not racist or prejudiced. A person could even be married to or have grandchildren by a person of another race and still be prejudiced towards that race. I’ve seen it myself. Until you admit that there’s at least the potential for prejudice in your heart, you’ll never change.

So true. I find it difficult at times to be around non- witnesses that are a different race or culture because I don't know their value system. I'm not sure how they think and how they will react to what I do or say. Is that being prejudiced?

[Hope]

15 minutes ago, Tortuga said:

So true. I find it difficult at times to be around non- witnesses that are a different race or culture because I don't know their value system. I'm not sure how they think and how they will react to what I do or say. Is that being prejudiced?

yes.  because what is it about someone being the same race assures you that you *do* know their value system?

 

what does someone's race or culture have to do with it at all?

Edited July 29, 2023 by Hope

[Cushi]

23 minutes ago, Tortuga said:

So true. I find it difficult at times to be around non- witnesses that are a different race or culture because I don't know their value system. I'm not sure how they think and how they will react to what I do or say. Is that being prejudiced?

I guess that would be being biased.

[Amygdala]

Quote

 

1

: injury or damage resulting from some judgment or action of another in disregard of one's rights

especially  : detriment to one's legal rights or claims

2

a(1)

: preconceived judgment or opinion

(2)

: an adverse opinion or leaning formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge

b

: an instance of such judgment or opinion

c

: an irrational attitude of hostility directed against an individual, a group, a race, or their supposed characteristics

 

 

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prejudice

 

Intolerance or negative bias. Not limited to race, but to gender (example Taliban’s treatment of women), social standing and fear of man (classing ones as important or not important in the congregation. Example at one time the ap.Peter), age, handicaps,, upbringing (superiority of culture. Ex. Russia vs. Ukraine).

[Shawnster]

I guess @Tortuga might want to explain what he means by values 

[ChrisW]

7 hours ago, Tortuga said:

So true. I find it difficult at times to be around non- witnesses that are a different race or culture because I don't know their value system. I'm not sure how they think and how they will react to what I do or say. Is that being prejudiced?

Sometimes we have to sit in that feeling for a while to understand it. When you are experiencing that feeling ask yourself why you're feeling what your feeling. Are you expecting the people to do something or say something harmful or aggressive? The world is so scary at times and we may be generalizing actions(which is prejudice) we expect. 

[Brother_Bliss]

Moved Topic to the public Encouragement for the Worldwide Brotherhood forum. Any discussions about literature on JW.org, such as new printed materials and audio/video releases published by the organization as encouragement for the worldwide brotherhood go here.

 

On 7/27/2023 at 5:55 PM, Qapla said:

I know this is off-topic, but it has provided an opportunity to demonstrate something that occurs from time-to-time. I use dark mode

 

Keep bringing it up and we will remove Dark Mode for everyone.

 

On 7/27/2023 at 6:15 PM, Parale said:

Interesting, thanks. I think it's an issue with the custom/bespoke 'dark mode theme' being used on this website @Brother_Bliss?

 

Sort of. It's an issue with pasting Rich Text.

 

I can eliminate the issue by removing the ability to paste as Rich Text, thus automatically converting anything pasted into the Editor as Plain Text. But then I get an outcry from members who compile their posts offline in an Office app like MS Word and who spend all sorts of time formatting it correctly.

 

As such, creating Dark Mode is a major regret of mine.

 

 

[Qapla]

3 minutes ago, Brother_Bliss said:

Keep bringing it up and we will remove Dark Mode for everyone.

 

 

Nuf Said - even though it has been a long time since I have posted anything about formatting and Dark Mode - I will try not to mention it again.

 

[Parale]

16 hours ago, Brother_Bliss said:

Moved Topic to the public Encouragement for the Worldwide Brotherhood forum. Any discussions about literature on JW.org, such as new printed materials and audio/video releases published by the organization as encouragement for the worldwide brotherhood go here.

 

Cool, I don't think I realised you could post in that section, as it always seemed to want me to drill down to the next level, but I've had a try and see how it works, thanks

 

16 hours ago, Brother_Bliss said:

Sort of. It's an issue with pasting Rich Text.

 

Ah right, cool, I'll do my best to remember

 

And thanks for your time and effort in maintaining the forum back end too

[Ishaya]

On 7/29/2023 at 5:47 AM, Tortuga said:

So true. I find it difficult at times to be around non- witnesses that are a different race or culture because I don't know their value system. I'm not sure how they think and how they will react to what I do or say. Is that being prejudiced?

 

I understand that situation Bro Richard.

 

The first time I saw a white brother in our hall here in Nigeria,I was very excited to see him around but I was so unsure how to interact with him.I'm not sure what to say and how to have a smooth natural conversation and how to know what to talk about with him.

I was overwhelmed with so much unsureness that it prevented me from interacting with the brother even though I really wanted to.

 

What I understand is that it is naturally not easy to get along with people of other races that we are not used to being with.It is one of the reasons why I decided to look for a pro-jw online forum that will enable me to widen out and get used to interacting with brothers from other races and parts of the world.

In my daily life here in Nigeria we don't commonly get to see the whites or people of other races so its naturally a big challenge being able to interact with them when we eventually meet them.

 

But my experience at Jwtalk has helped me to clearly understand that people of other races and from other parts of the world are really very similar to me and the people I see everyday in my community.

We share a lot of things in Common,we all desire happiness and good friendship and peace.

We all share similar problems, financial problems and health challenges and family challenges.we have all experienced disappointments in life and we are all in a struggle to achieve a better life and peace and happiness.

 

If I understood things this way back then,I wouldn't have had a challenge interacting with the white brother back in those days.

 

So to your question,IMO I wouldn't think you're being prejudiced by simply not knowing how to interact with people of other races probably because you don't understand their belief system or way of life.Its an understandable situation,

however you should realise that you need to make an effort to break free from that fear of the unknown and really get to know people of other races so that you can broaden your horizon of friendship.

 

Your willingness to break free from this fear and get to know other people from other races and become friends with them is what really determines whether you are prejudiced or not.

[Ishaya]

When we were growing up as kids,we used to think that all white people are rich and don't suffer any problems like we do here in Africa.

 

but I later realised that that understanding was wrong.It helped me to see that we all need help and we all need each other for comfort and consolation.

So please don't be afraid to get to know people of other races or to interact with them,you need them just as much as they need you for comfort and support.

We all share very similar experiences and challenges in life than you can imagine.

 

[careful]

i just watched this.....why is there not even one picture of a person of color.?????

[Shawnster]

11 minutes ago, careful said:

i just watched this.....why is there not even one picture of a person of color.?????

Is this comment a joke? Was it meant to be funny? It's a whiteboard animation. All the characters are white with black outline. 

 

Perhaps I'm not understanding what you mean? 

[Jwanon]

On 8/1/2023 at 1:05 AM, Shawnster said:

Is this comment a joke? Was it meant to be funny? It's a whiteboard animation. All the characters are white with black outline. 

 

Perhaps I'm not understanding what you mean? 

 

You are too serious brother, it's obviously a joke 😅 

[careful]

kinda rude

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