DECIPHERING STEREOTYPICAL SOCIETY- IMPORTANT NOTES

DECIPHERING THE STEREOTYPICAL SOCIETY

Q1. What is a ‘Stereotype?’

·         The word ‘stereotype’ comes from a Greek word. ‘Stereos’ means ‘solid’ and

‘typos’ means ‘figure’, ‘image’, ‘form’,’ kind’.

·         The word ‘stereotype’ can be defined as ‘ to believe unfairly that all people or things with a particular characteristic are the same’

·         Stereotyping occurs because we see common patterns in certain categories of people.

·         A good basic definition is: an idea or image about an entire group of people.

·         Although the stereotype may be true for a few members of the group, it is assumed to be true for all members.

Q2. What Is Prejudice?

·         The word ‘prejudice’ comes from a Latin word. ‘prae’ means ‘before’ and ‘iudicium’ means ‘judgement’.

·         Thus, prejudice literally means ‘prejudgment’.

·         Prejudice is a kind of prejudgment or assumption about somebody before having sufficient knowledge to judge with accuracy.

·         Prejudice can be defined as an adverse opinion formed without sufficient knowledge.

·         Prejudice is an attitude about another person based on his or her perceived membership in a group.

·         So people use the perceived group membership of another person to provide a ready-made attitude about the person.

·         The research that have been conducted on prejudice show that much of prejudice is based on negative feelings towards people belonging to other groups but showing favour towards people belonging to one’s groups. This is possibly developed not due to hatred though but due to admiration and trust in one’s groups.

Q3. What is the difference between Stereotype and Prejudice?

·         Stereotypes are standardized beliefs about people based on some prior assumptions.

·         Prejudice is a kind of prejudgment or assumption about somebody before having sufficient knowledge to judge with accuracy.

·         Prejudice is based on negative feelings towards people belonging to other groups but showing favor towards people belonging to one’s groups whereas in Stereotypes this characteristic cannot be seen.

Q4. How to Overcome Prejudice?

·         DON'T pre-judge people. Get to know them as individuals before you decide whether or not you like them.

·         TREAT people the way you want them to treat you.

·         STAND UP for people who are being treated with prejudice. Don't go along with the crowd when people are being unfair to someone.

·         LEARN about other cultures, countries, and peoples.

Q5. What Is Discrimination?

·         The word ‘discriminate’ comes from a Latin word. ‘discriminatus’ means to ‘divide ’ or to ‘separate’

·         Discrimination can be defined as the practice of unfairly treating a person or a group of people differently from other people or other groups.

·         Discrimination is behaviour based on stereotypes and prejudices. If a person has negative beliefs and attitudes about a perceived group, he or she might act on those beliefs and attitudes in situations.

Q6. Write a short note on Mahatma Gandhi

·         Mahatma Gandhi resided in South Africa from 1893 to 1914.

·         Indians as well as blacks in South Africa were treated inferior to the South Africans due to their dark complexion.

·         He had undergone the humiliation while travelling in train, he was thrown out of the first class coach even though he had a first class and was asked to travel in the third class coach. As he was dark in complexion he didn’t deserve to be in the first class coach and was treated inferiorly and was discriminated on the basis on his colour.

·         He fought against this discrimination in South Africa with other political leaders.

·         He also tried to eradicate the practice of untouchability in India.

Q7. What is a Constitution?

It is a body of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is acknowledged to be governed.

The Constitution of India is the supreme law of India. It is a living document, an instrument which makes the government system work. It lays down the framework defining fundamental political principles, establishes the structure, procedures, powers and duties of government institutions and sets out fundamental rights, directive principles and the duties of citizens.

It is the longest written constitution of any sovereign country in the world, containing 448 articles in 25 parts, 12 schedules, 5 appendices and 98 amendments (out of 120 Constitution Amendment Bills). Besides the English version, there is an official Hindi translation.

Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar is widely regarded as the architect of the Indian Constitution.

Q8. What do you understand by the Right to Equality?

Ans. The Constitution of India provides Fundamental rights to all the citizens which are every individual’s basic right.

Under that we have the Right to Equality that states the following:

-          Equality before law: The State shall not deny to any person equality before the

law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India.

-          Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth:

(1) The State shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, and place of birth or any of them.

(2) No citizen shall, on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them, be subject to any disability, liability, restriction or condition with regard to-

(a) access to shops, public restaurants, hotels and places of public entertainment;

or

(b) the use of wells, tanks, bathing ghats, roads and places of public resort maintained wholly or partly out of State funds or dedicated to the use of the general public.

-  Equality of opportunity in matters of public employment:

(1) There shall be equality of opportunity for all citizens in matters relating to employment or appointment to any office under the State.

(2) No citizen shall, on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, descent, place of birth, residence or any of them, be ineligible for, or discriminated against in respect of, any employment or office under the State.

-           Abolition of Untouchability :

"Untouchability" is abolished and its practice in any form is forbidden. The enforcement of any disability rising out of "Untouchability" shall be an offence punishable in accordance with law.

Q9. What is Untouchability?

Ans. Untouchability in simple terms can be understood as a practice whereby a particular class or caste of persons are discriminated on the ground of their being born in that particular caste or on the ground of their being members of those social groups involved in menial jobs. The discrimination can be in the form of physical or social boycott from the society. For instance: the members of so-called higher castes such as Brahmin, Kshatriyas etc would not dine or sit with a person of Bhangi class.

It was believed that people of higher castes could become impure even if a shadow of an untouchable person touches him and to re-gain his purity he had to take a dip into holy waters of the Ganga.

Q10. Who Are Untouchables?

According to traditional Hindu ‘Varna System’, a person is born into one of the four castes based on karma and ‘purity’. Those born as Brahmans are priests and teachers; Kshatriyas are rulers and soldiers; Vaisyas are merchants and traders; and Sudras are laborers.

Untouchables are literally outcastes. They do not directly figure into any of the traditional ‘Varna System’ of Hindus.

However, historically persons born in lowest castes and classes of persons doing menial jobs, criminals, persons suffering from contagious diseases and tribals living outside the so-called civilized world were considered as untouchables.