Overcoming Prejudice

Prejudice isn’t something we’re born with—and if we learn it, we can unlearn it. The first step in that process is to study it objectively, as this video does through candid interviews, dramatizations, and expert commentary. Offering a practical definition of prejudice, the video explores its basis in ignorance and fear of outsiders, the qualities it most frequently targets (race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, physique, social class, and political beliefs) as well as its principal results—namely, discrimination, racism, and oppression. The program focuses in a teen-friendly way on prejudice in American society, with discussions of the “melting pot” concept; how such diversity, while unquestionably desirable, carries with it the potential for racial, ethnic, and cultural conflict; and how individuals, communities, and our nation can benefit from more dialog between cultures, religions, races, and other demographic groups. A viewable/printable instructor’s guide is available online. A Cambridge Educational Production. Part of the series Combating Conflict with Character. (30 minutes)