How does prejudice affect justice? Is any human being truly capable of putting their preconceptions aside to judge a situation without bias? Is justice truly just if it is influenced by human nature? Subconsciously, we all know the answer to these questions. More difficult to understand is how and why prejudice and human nature affect the justice system.
Throughout history, prejudice has come in many different forms. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, set in 1930s southern United States, we see the mindsets of many different types of people. There is the idea that black people are inferior to white, and also the pride of the black people as much as many white people feared and hated them, they feared and hated whites. We see the idea that a white mans word over a black mans must be the truth, or accepted as truth. Prejudice is directed at the Ewells because they are white trash, Scout because she is a tomboy, and Atticus because he is, in the eyes of the town, a nigger-lover. Today, prejudice is just as widespread, and just as destructive. We are given the impression that Maori people are dole-bludgers, that people who wear black are depressed, suicidal Goths, and that all men are paedophiles demonstrated exceptionally by Air New Zealands new policy, which states that men cannot be seated next to children who are travelling alone.
The Essay on Telephone Conversation Black People White
Unwritten Rules "Just five decades ago, most black Americans could not work, live, shop, eat, seek entertainment or travel as they chose (Jaynes and Williams 3)." This statement reflects the plight of African Americans during the time period described in " Incident" by Countee Cullen and "Telephone Conversation" by Wole Soyinka. These two poems show how black people were treated during a ...
These stereotypical views of groups who are different to us are neither fair nor accurate. Many Maori hold down jobs as well as white people, some people wear black because they are cold or all their coloured clothes are being washed, and the majority of men certainly dont fiddle with small children! And yet, we as humans set a stereotype for almost any group of people we may meet, simply because we find it easier to have a preconceived idea of what to expect from them. But is this right? Or is it damaging to those who do not fit the idea of their race, gender, or religion?Justice is, in many ways, a matter of opinion it all depends on your viewpoint.
For example, it may seem perfectly right and fair to many Catholics that divorce is prohibited by their religion; however, a Catholic woman who suffers constant domestic abuse at the hands of her husband may not see this rule as just. It works exactly the same way in a court of law. If you are innocent but convicted, you are likely to suffer severely for the mistake of a few. Conversely, the victim of a person who is guilty but set free will live out their days in fear. The justice system that we have in place is good, but it is not foolproof and therein lies the problem.
We cannot push our nature aside simply because we are asked to do so. If it is our nature to automatically suspect a black person, or a Muslim, or any other group, then that inclination will follow a jury server into a courtroom, no matter how hard they may try to disregard it and focus on physical evidence. This prejudice can then taint the proceedings and possibly even have an innocent person convicted. A prejudiced judge is even more dangerous. A judge who hates Asians, for example, is likely to give a harsher sentence to an Asian prisoner than to a white person convicted of the same crime. So if justice can be so easily influenced by human nature, then it isnt really just, is it?Justice can be affected by prejudice very easily.
No human being is truly capable of putting their preconceptions aside to judge a situation without bias. Justice will never be just if it can be influenced by something as trivial as human nature. In the novel, Jem says, Maybe we oughta do away with juries and perhaps he is right. If the outcome of a trial could be determined by someone, or something, who felt no emotion, and made a decision based purely on physical evidence, maybe our society would be a much safer place to live.
The Essay on Prejudice People World Hate
Prejudice is an irremovable aspect of human life that can be caused by almost any kind of experience because it is spawned by the very freedom of taught that mankind covets above all else. Prejudice is spawned by the things we are taught, the learning experiences we have, and the choices we make. Prejudice is also spawned by such things as the races we are born into, and among many other reasons, ...
References
“To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper LeePublished by William Heinemann, United Kingdom, 1960
