Yo, yo, yo, yo, yo. What's up, everybody? It's
Neogentrics from Food for Thought Thoughts, if
it were you. We're back with another episode,
another feature film section, talking about stuff
that either people don't think about, don't concern
themselves with, don't want to have nothing to
do with, or they just don't know that it even
is a thing. But common sense, it's not so common.
But again, that's a topic for another day. I
really want to do that podcast. I might do it
tomorrow. We'll see how things pan out from this
point moving forward. Every day from this point
forward, I'll be releasing podcasts like I usually
do at 3 a .m. And maybe a subsequent one during
the day. Look for that one. Those are bonus episodes,
typically. But they'll be included with the standard
set as regular episodes. But for now, we're going
to go ahead and move on with the next issue at
hand. It's 3 a .m. here in Houston, and the temperature
is 34 degrees. I promise you it's going to get
colder, but as long as you stay warm, everything
will be all right. So let's get started with
today's topic, shall we? Today's topic is bigotry.
Things of the like. What is it? Its definition.
Where did it come from? And then its differences
from its alternate wording and where else it
can be found and misconceptions about it. Now,
technically, this would fit into the category
of morals and self -behavior, but... This is
an attitude that most people have. So I'm going
to take a short break and we're going to get
started. All right, everybody, we're back. Let's
get started. First things first. I did say that
we'll talk about the definition of the word bigot
and what it means and what is it. So simply put,
the definition of a bigot is a person who is
obstinately or intolerably devoted to his or
her own opinions and prejudices. They don't care
what anyone else thinks or what they feel or
how they react. They only want what they believe
is to be true. and to stay that way. They want
you to fit in their little box, essentially.
Especially such people. There are people who,
a further extended definition of the word of
a bigot is one who regards or treats members
of a group, such as a racial or ethnic group,
with hatred and intolerance. Hey, hold on a second.
In the back of your mind, you're probably thinking,
wait, isn't that the same thing as racism or
being prejudiced? Maybe it is, maybe it isn't.
We'll cover that a little bit later. But essentially,
that's what it is. As far as I know, the word
first started being used in the 1660s. As far
as I can remember, at least. And with that being
said, the acts or beliefs and characteristics
of a bigot are further extruded by its pluralized
form, bigotry, which is, I guess, pretty much
the same thing. It's essentially the acts or
beliefs of the characteristics of a person or
of a bigot, such as racial bigotry, which is
a thing. Essentially, they're intolerable and
straight up go down with their thoughts. That's
essentially all they are. People who believe
that what they think is true is the only addendum
and that people should all stick to what they
believe. Well, now we can move into that topic
that I mentioned before that's a bit of a gray
area. That would be the difference between bigotry
and prejudice. To prejudice or prejudge something
as a verb is to give rise to essentially prejudice,
especially in someone or rather a decision or
an idea. It also means to make something or result
bias. In the field of law, to prejudge means
to cause harm to a state of affairs. For example,
prejudice, to prejudge children's welfare. That's
essentially the whole point of CPS. I don't condone
or discondone what they do. They're a necessary
evil. In some people's eyes, they just seem evil.
but in certain regards, removing the child that's
in whatever situation they're in is better than
leaving them there and watching them being tortured.
I don't know any human anywhere that actually
cares about society or people, for that matter,
that enjoys watching other people or other children
get tortured. So look at them as a good thing
or a bad thing. They're a necessary evil. And
again, CPS is a topic for future discussion.
It's something I'm planning to cover in another
podcast. Anyway, prejudice, when used as a noun,
is a preconceived opinion about someone or something
without basing it on actual experience, fact,
or reason. Essentially, you're prejudging them
based off the information you have rather than
learning more about them or what they know or
why they act the way they do. Essentially, your
thoughts are the only thing that you focus on.
I've been the target of a lot of prejudice in
the past where people think that I should act
and speak or do things a certain way based off
of the way they believe. And not once have they
stopped to consider, oh, he's probably a product
of his environment. Or this is just the way he
is. Or maybe he's doing this this way because,
because, because. That's never a thought. And
there is a thin line between bigotry and prejudicedness.
Okay? Bigotry is most often mistaken with prejudice
with the two being interchanged as various applications.
However, they have various meanings and applications
which give rise to their differences even though
the two may also be used in the same scenario.
They are dissimilar in their standings. So. Let's
go into the difference between the two and we'll
be right back. Okay. All right, everybody. And
we're back. So let's go ahead and talk about
the difference between prejudice and bigotry.
Shall we? First off. Definition of prejudice.
Prejudice can be taken as a verb or a noun. And
when used as a noun, it's defined as predetermined
judgment that is based on unverified facts rather
than reason and actual experience. Also, it can
be defined as the effective feeling one can have
towards another or a group solely based on that
person's relations. That's a good way to put
that. And then, you know, what is bigotry? Which
is the whole point of this entire podcast. Bigotry
is defined as the intolerance that one may have
against other people who may be holding different
opinions from theirs. It also refers to someone
who is intolerable or obstinately devoted to
their own opinions or prejudices already. See,
and that right there in itself gives a clear
difference between bigotry and prejudice, because
if bigotry is the fact that they stick to what
they believe in their own opinions and prejudice,
then it can't mean the same thing as prejudice.
But I digress. So moving into the difference
between the two. The meaning of bigotry versus
prejudice. Prejudice means a predetermined belief
towards someone or something based on unverified
information instead of actual experiencing or
reasoning. That's it as a noun versus its verb
form, which is defined as the act of giving rise
to prejudice towards someone or an idea or belief
to make the results of something become bias.
Bigotry, on the other hand, is defined as an...
intolerance or prejudice towards someone based
on that person or something or someone's associations.
So it has nothing to do with the way you think.
It's more along the lines of because he's associated
with them then now you have this preconceived
notion rather than actually trying to figure
it out. Let me give an example. So an example
of bigotry would be the choir leader expressed
their difficulties in combating the bigotry they
were subject to. The bigotry subjected to the
group led them to lose in the finals. Whereas
prejudice would be the ambassador expressed his
concerns over the prejudice subjected against
him. and his citizens. Male prejudices against
women are not anywhere near lessening. Just to
give an example of what I mean. Now, the other
names that mean the same as bigotry to give a
clearer definition of what I'm trying to say
is that bigotry is essentially being biased or
partiality, secretarism, partisanship, unfairness,
injustice, discrimination. That's bigotry. Whereas
other words that mean the same as prejudice would
be a preconception, preconceived idea, prejudgment,
preconceived notion, intolerance, or jaundice.
Inequality, inequity, sway, predispose, jaundice.
See the clear difference in the words used to
define each one? Like, each one of these have
their own meaning, but when you think about it,
They're their own thing. Okay? You know. The
judge's prejudice was clearly manifested during
the final performance. You know, their preconceived
notion of what they think it should be. Whereas
in bigotry, his wife's bigotry towards her stepchildren
suddenly became clear to him. Like, she didn't
like them. And now it's obvious. You know. Although
bigotry and prejudice are often interchangeable,
they differ in various ways as expounded. In
simple terms, both refer to strong opinions towards
other people or things. However, bigotry is a
stronger term and suggests narrow -minded intolerance,
while prejudice is more or less strong and refers
to a prejudiced basis but not presented on any
actual set of facts. Okay, so we now know the
difference between bigotry and prejudice. But
now let me ask you this question. Is prejudice,
bigotry, and racism the same thing? Well, no.
And there's actually a huge misunderstanding
about the three of them. A lot of people figure
that because of the way they mean and what they
mean, that they're the same thing. Let me go
ahead and point this out right now. Like I said,
prejudice is when a person negatively prejudges
another person or group without getting to know
the beliefs, thoughts, or feelings behind their
words or actions. And a person of any racial
group can be prejudiced against or hold prejudice
towards another person or racial group. But the
thing to keep in mind is that when it comes down
to prejudice, there is no power dynamic involved.
Bigotry is stronger than prejudice and a more
severe mindset and often accompanied by discriminatory
behavior. It's arrogant, mean -spirited, but
requires neither systems nor power to engage
it. Essentially, you hate something about somebody.
You don't know why you hate it. It makes you
upset. But rather than doing something about
it or trying to ease it and understand it, you
just get mad. Repeatedly, you're upset about
it. OK, now, racism, on the other hand, is the
system that allows the racial group that's already
in power to retain power. Since arriving on the
U .S. soil, just to give an example, the white
people from back then, not now, have used their
power to create preferential access to, like,
survival rights, resources, you know, such as
housing, education, jobs, voting, citizenships,
food, health, legal protection. Wow, I can go
on with that list forever, couldn't I? Anyway,
essentially, those people, while simultaneously
impeding people of color access to the same rights
and resources, that's essentially racism as a
whole. Now, though reverse racism is also a term
that's sometimes used, it has never actually
existed in America, unfortunately. Back then,
white people were the only racial group... to
have ever established and retained power in the
United States, thus making racism more prominent
here than reverse racism. Okay? So, to push forth
what I'm saying is, you know, there were a lot
of risks and hazards when it came down to it
as to why the three of them, why... These three
things have been considered the same thing for
so, so long. And again, like I said, they're
not the same. But they've been long since ingrained
into our society. And it's frustrating. You know.
But anyway. Like I said, there is a lot of things
going on that have... frustrated people for decades.
There's nothing that can be done about it. But
even for me, it's frustrating to hear people
argue about whether a person is racist when many
have not even considered that word as a whole
or what it really means. Many don't even think
about the meaning of the terms prejudice, bigotry,
yet those words conjure up intense feelings and
often get thrown around indiscriminately. The
sad fact is that prejudice is just a preconceived
notion, whereas bigotry is worse. And when it
comes down to bigotry as a whole, it's usually
accompanied with discriminatory behavior that
is mean -spirited, that includes insults, hating.
It doesn't require a system or power to engage
it, but it can create a climate that fuels other
people to feel the same way and retaliate. Have
you ever heard the phrase, you know, don't give
in to what they're saying, don't respond, don't
show that you care? Because when you feed that
notion, it makes it worse. The United States
has a long history of practices and policies
that advantage white people and limit others.
This has been a known fact for years. I'm not
condoning this fact, but the sad thing is that
this has been proven true. And it's an unearned
privilege that they have that comes with being
a member of the Advantage group and is manifested
throughout all our institutions. Racism is prejudice
plus power. That's essentially what it is. Bigotry
is racism and prejudice now with aggression moving
forward. That's essentially its whole... dynamic.
You know, as time goes on, the pro -ish take
note of their progress and it's easy to justify
their progress as hard work. Being totally oblivious
to the racism, that racist system that operates
it. I mean, it's easy then to assume that non
-whites are lazy or stupid. They are not. By
far not. There are some that work really hard
just to do what they do, not knowing that the
only reason that they're able to get through
is because the system is designed to allow them
to. You know, but when one lives surrounded by
an unacknowledged privilege and doesn't recognize
that the policies that limit access for people
of different race, that person is condoning racism,
you know, and therefore is racist. Or at least
that's the way society puts it. There's a lot
of times there are people who are in that system
who don't realize this is happening. And it's
something that a lot of people need to know.
Racism is a topic on its own that I would love
to cover, but that's not the main point today.
The main point of today's talk is essentially
bigotry as a whole and why it's related to this.
Okay. Like I said before, racism is enacted on
multiple different levels. Interpersonal racism
is when a person enacts discriminatory practices
on another person. Structural racism has to do
with policies and actions that limit people of
color. Cultural racism is ingrained in false
ideology that white people are superior to other
people of the world. Structural and cultural
racism is manifested whether intentional or not
based off of the situation that's there. And
it's so ingrained in the U .S. society at all
levels. You know, to not be racist, but one must
be an active anti -racist by recognizing the
system that's in place that limits others by
striving to bring forth change. I'm not saying
that BLM isn't one of those groups. But there's
a right and a wrong way to do it. You know, if
one is not actively striving for an equitable
policy for all people, regardless of race, then
to be fair, one is racist. And this applies to
both colored people of color and non -colored
people. Hey, recent media has discussed whether
people in the White House are racist. And, you
know, considering the definitions, prejudice
being that, you know, has he made negative statements
about other. others based on prejudgments without
communicating or making an attempt to understand
them? Or is it bigotry? Has he said insulting
or hurtful things about women, people of color,
faith -based groups? Or has that behavior fueled
a climate of further bigotry amongst the people?
And then racism. Has he lived in the position
of privilege and power that impedes access, you
know, lacks understanding of the society, economic,
psychological impact of repressive reality, history,
you know, things of that nature. These are the
questions people should be asking. These are
the stuff that people need to think about. You
can't just simply go around throwing those words
around or blaming people or pointing your finger.
It doesn't work that way. You know. It's one
of those things that, you know, it exists, it's
there, but very few people understand, you know,
what it truly means and how it goes about affecting
the people around them. The point, in fact, to
understand is that bigotry is a problem. It's
a public health concern if you want to look at
it this way. Okay? Anyway, I guess the whole
point of this is, you know, clarity, understanding,
reasoning, and belief. It all comes down to what
a person stands for, what they believe, and how
they wish to act on those beliefs. Is bigotry
still a problem in the United States? Yes. And
if not anything else, it's a major level concern.
You know. And... In some cases, I would definitely
agree with the health system that it is a concern.
You know. Bigotry leads to harm amongst different
people because it drives people to act on certain
feelings and or emotions towards another person,
whether aggressive or non -aggressive. There
are people who have been hurt as a result of
it, you know. It's not a metaphorical feeling.
It's not something that is easily removed or
ridden of. It's something that's implanted in
a person's mind and they have to either be brought
out of it or proved to believe something else.
You have to get them to believe that what they
think is true is wrong or convince them otherwise.
Otherwise, there is no way to save a person who
is stuck in this mindset. And it can hinder relationships.
It can hinder their growth moving forward. You
know, a lot of people don't realize that they
have these problems. They don't realize that
this can hinder them moving forward. If you've
always had bad relationships or you think that
guys should always be a certain way, then on
the side of guys, women hold bigotry towards
them. or a prejudice, if you will, because they
expect guys to act and be a certain way. They
expect them to always want sex. They expect them
to always want to touch them. They expect them
to treat them wrong. And as a result, there are
a lot, you know, going back to what I covered
way back in the beginning when I started podcasting
on relationships, it forces people to believe
that, you know, the way guys act, think, and
function is wrong and that they need to serve
women. Now, this isn't pushing feminism, whichever
it is. And that's a whole topic for another day
on its own. But it does bring about an example
of what I'm talking about. And the reverse is
true as well. Men think that women are incapable...
of doing certain things that they can't defend
themselves. They can't do this. They can't do
that. When in reality, women are fully capable
of defending themselves, thinking on their own,
and supporting themselves. Just look at how many
women have succeeded and survived throughout
history. Hell, a lot of really good books where
the main character is a female and they're doing
really well, or they're taking on the world,
those are written by men. So, you know... But
at the same time, there's so many things going
on in the world right now. So many other issues
and problems, one of which being the coronavirus
and then the other being extreme snowstorms across
the United States. I mean, who has time? Who
truly has time right now to be worried about
stupid issues like this? Yet, here we are, fussing
and complaining, whining like a bunch of little
kids. over stupid things that other people are
doing, rather than looking past it, ignoring
it, growing, and moving on. If you don't have
to deal with something, a situation, or a person,
then don't. Now, am I condoning staying at home
and hiding from the world? No, but if that helps
you get over it, then do it. Just something to
think about. Something to consider. Something
to look at in perspective with your own lives.
Thoughts? If it were you, put yourself in the
other person's shoes and consider the actions
or reactions of your actions. That'll be it for
today, guys. I'm sorry this episode didn't quite
cover what I wanted to on a straightaway note,
and I kept getting, you know, off topic a little
bit here and there. But again... You know, there's
so much information out there and I'm trying
my best to simplify what little I can so I can
get it to make it understandable. If it's still
not understandable in some regard, then I can
always go over it again in a later episode and,
you know, dumb it down a little bit more. Or
if you want me to go in more detail on certain
things, by all means, let me know. Thank you
for your time, your effort, your patience. And
again, I'll catch you guys later. this has been
neogentrics food for thought thoughts if it were
you enjoy the rest of your day