Consciously, I think that the main prejudice I have is relating to men and muggings. Being a teenage girl I generally don't feel very safe walking alone at night in St. John's Wood. I don't think it's fair to associate people of color with muggings and ignore the fact that white men steal just as much, especially in this area of London, so I wouldn't say that my prejudice is a racial one but rather a gender one based on personal experiences and stories I have heard. I have always been taught to stay cautious and aware of my surroundings, and I generally will become worried if I am by myself at night and there is a man on the street near me. I realize that this is a bad prejudice to have towards any group of people, but it is what I have grown up learning and I have confidence in the aspect of being safe rather than sorry. I am sorry to admit that I also have a prejudice towards girls and science. I have somehow convinced myself (perhaps due to influence or the society I am a part of) that boys are always going to be better at science. This is greatly represented at ASL; the students in the highest level math and science classes are almost all males. I think that this opinion I have may have effected my learning experiences in my math and science classes since I was in Middle School; I convinced myself that it was okay that I wasn't too good at math because I had strengths in other academic areas, primarily in humanities. I always wonder if the stereotype that boys are better at math and science didn't exist, would I enjoy math more and be better at it than I currently am.
This article talks of the stereotypes surrounding this prejudice.
How strong are your subconscious attitudes toward race?
“At a subconscious level, I would guess I have a neutral preference toward a group that shares my skin color.”“At a subconscious level, I would guess I have a mild preference against a group that has different skin color than my own.”
