Thursday Thirteen - Prejudice

I am greatly troubled by prejudice. Prejudice is a baseless and negative attitude toward any specific group. Baseless means there is no reason for the person to hold these negative thoughts toward whatever group they are targeting.

Unfortunately, our media today enforces prejudices on many levels. Prejudices also enforce stereotypes. While some stereotypes can be good (women are warm and loving, for example), most are not (teenagers are lazy and never do anything but play video games, for example).

I experience prejudice every day, and I know you do, as well. The problem is we don't often realize it is happening, because we're so used to it that we see it as normal. Some prejudices are easily acknowledged, and as a society we have attempted to eradicate them. Racism is a good example. While the U.S. Supreme Court may think racism is not relevant today, I think most of us know that it is indeed a terrible fact of day-to-day life.

My experiences have led me to try to be as non-judgmental as I possibly can and to try not to label groups. Still, I do it. When the media constantly beats things into your head it is hard to shake it off sometimes. We categorize unknowingly.

So here are a list of 13 common prejudices. There are many, many more, which is really quite sad. 

1. Gender/sex. In particular, I find many men are quite prejudiced against women. I experience this in the medical field more than anywhere else. Doctors automatically assume women have issues that are "all in your head." I can't tell you how many times a male doctor has dismissed my concerns.

2. People who are obese or too thin. I am overweight and I have found that most people underestimate my abilities greatly because of this. Most think I am not as smart as I am. I am not sure how being overweight equals less intelligence but that seems to be the case.

3. People who dress differently. I dress fairly normal but I have seen people shy away from those who prefer less conservative garb. I live in a conservative area and so people who have eccentric tastes tend to stand out significantly. I am always amazed at the reactions of people.

4. People who think differently (the media is really pushing the differences here between liberal/conservative thought, but generally speaking, when I sit down with someone who thinks differently than I, on many issues we are in agreement. But the media doesn't want to look at those; they are into divisiveness.)

5. People from different countries.

6. People who are handicapped or mentally ill. Lately I have been using a cane. For some people, it makes me more visible and they are polite and open doors. For others, it is as if I have vanished completely and there isn't a person standing there anymore. The cane symbolizes that something is wrong, and that means I am no longer acceptable.

7. People who are richer or poorer. Again, this is media-driven. The recent quotes from politicians who blame the poor for their own poverty are maddening. I firmly believe our system is set up to create a set of people who are poor, and economic forces are against them and are put in place to keep them on the lower rungs of economic stability.

8. People who have had a stroke of bad luck, such as losing a job or an injury. When I lost much of my freelance writing work in 2009, thanks to the recession, I felt like people started avoiding me. Obviously there was something wrong with me or I would still have my byline in the newspaper.

9. People who practice a different religion. Around here, it is common to ask people where they go to church. It's an ice-breaker question, and one I fail at because I do not attend a church at the moment. I was baptized as a Brethren, by the way. Sometimes I feel obligated to throw that in, even though it really is no one's business.

10. People who are elderly. Since I have gray hair now, and am aging, I am experiencing this more and more. Old people are invisible in our society. When I was young, I was taught to respect and honor the seniors among us. Apparently that is no longer the case (though of course I am generalizing, which is what I am preaching against in this blog entry).

11. People who are younger. I am probably guilty of this one. When did eight-year-olds start checking people out at the supermarket?

12. People who are a different race or color.

13. People who are smarter or less intelligent.

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 354th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

Hubby Update

After a three-hour visit to the doctor's office today, I am happy to report that my husband is doing well.

You may remember he mashed his arm in a hay baler on July 5. He had two surgeries and spent five days in the hospital.

The stitches came out today and sterile strips put in their place. They also removed the hard cast and replaced it with bandages and a sock-like thing. I will have to change the dressings on the top part of his arm where the baler belt rubbed all the skin off every couple of days. I am no nurse, so that should be fun.

He will begin his physical therapy on Monday.

He has feeling in his hand and fingers but things are very tender. He has swelling, too, so will have to continue with elevation. The doctor said that the tingling and pain should begin to subside in the next few weeks.

Activity remains limited.

All in all, a good report.

Thanks again for the good wishes, prayers, calls, emails, cards, food, and love. We are blessed even if we are calling each other Crip 1 and Crip 2 at the moment (after Thing 1 and Thing 2 in Dr. Suess, don't you know).

Cow Daze

Fawn

This baby looks like it is several months old, probably born this spring. We have one that is much smaller and more newborn running around here but I've not been able to get a photo.

Foxy Loxy

This fox was in the front yard Sunday. It was about five feet from my bedroom window when I took this shot.

Hot Fudge Sundaes

Summer Meme
From Sunday Stealing


Favorite summer flower: Rose. 
 
Favorite flavor of ice cream: I don't eat ice cream. But when I was young, I liked hot fudge sundaes.
 
Favorite mode of transportation: I like to drive.
  
Favorite music: Adult contemporary
 
Favorite food: Chocolate
 
Favorite game to play: I really liked the Might & Magic Series, which was a popular line of RPG video games about a decade ago.
  
Earliest childhood summer memory: Sitting on the back porch at my grandmother's with my grandfather while we watched the lightning dance on the mountain.
 
Favorite drink: A&W Root Beer
 
Favorite Snack: Lay's Oven Baked Potato Chips

Favorite place to read: Anywhere.
 
Most annoying: Um. Most annoying ... what?
 
How I handle the heat: I stay in the house where the air conditioner is on.
 
Pet Peeve: Questions that don't make sense to me might qualify.

All-time favorite bathing suit: Can't say that I have one.

Best Time of Day: From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Most romantic: Um. Most romantic ... what?

Favorite summer movie: Grease.

*******

Husband is doing well. He's still in a cast but moving around a little better. I have him dusting and running the vacuum. He needs to be up moving around and housework is always there. He is growing bored and wants to be back outside with his cows. Maybe I should moo . . .