Knowing the difference between discrimination and prejudice is very important.

One is bad, one is sometimes good, sometimes bad, and sometimes doesnt even matter at all. Knowing the differences between these terms can help us learn to recognize when each is occurring. Discrimination is unequal treatment to a group of people because they are in that group. Just the fact that we have male and female restrooms is an example of discrimination. Being in high school is a wonderful example of discrimination. Being involved in sports and other extracurricular programs leads to seniority. Because of this, often times I am on JV, or picked second. However, this isnt necessarily looked down upon or even a bad thing. Prejudice is looking down negatively towards a group of people and treating them differently in a bad way. A good example of this is treatment towards Hispanics. Many, many Hispanics come to this country legally, but are treated badly because of the people who came here illegally. Looking at both of these from a Christian perspective can be challenging. As Christians, I believe we need to look at all people and all groups equally. We should be careful not to have pre-dispositions towards any people or any groups. God made all people as His children, and we should treat them as such. References Sullivan, Thomas J., Society: Concepts and Applications in a Diverse World. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 2009