Prejudice And Discrimination Are Widespread In Irish Society Today

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PREJUDICE AND DISCRIMATION ARE WIDESPREAD IN IRISH SOCIETY TODAY. DISCUSS "Prejudice is an ridged and irrational generalisation about an entire category of people" (Sociology-A Global Introduction, Macionis & Plummer). Prejudice can take many forms based on colour, ethnic background, sexual preference or religion, all of which I will deal with in this essay. It has been said, more so in recent times, that the Irish society in which we live today is both prejudice and discriminates against all of the above categories of people. Incidents of prejudice can be found anywhere in Irish society, including discrimination at the hands of the gardaí, in pubs, shops or even cinemas. I will try to deal with why this is so and how we as a society are coping with it.

The influx of black and ethnic minorities into Ireland over the past ten years has led to many changes in Irish society.

Surveys done by organisations such as "˜Amnesty International' has proved that the arriving of such ethnic groups has not been welcomed, and great hostility has been shown towards them. According to a report printed by "˜Amnesty International' abuse is a feature of their everyday life and occurs in a multiplicity of social situations. Of those interviewed, here is what has been found; 23.6% suffered abuse in pubs 19.5% from neighbours 17% in banks 19.6% on buses/trains 14.1% with regard to housing 14.1% at school 5% in the cinema However the most startling of all statistics was the finding that 44% of abuse took place on the street. Another disturbingly high statistic is that 25% of those interviewed felt that they had been discriminated against at the hands of the gardaí. Another 20% felt the same about their employer. The following graph shows how frequently those interviewed have experienced racist abuse:...