Prejudice and racism are two elements that have been extremely common in history. However, they have been mainly discussed in America where racism was most prevalent. Parillo puts across that there are two main classifications of causes of prejudice: sociological and psychological. However, each of these two classifications is explained in terms of what may be referred to as Parillo theories of prejudice. Psychological prejudice levels are cognitive, action oriented as well as emotional. He argued that prejudiced individuals use self-justification as well as frustrations as bases for racism. He further identifies three main sections of sociological prejudice: social norms, economic competition and socialization. In his life C.P.Ellis encounters complex sociological and psychological rudiments of prejudice as outlined by Parrillo. With time he discovers he was terribly wrong in his current stand and seeks to transform his thought as well as his identity.
Ellis who was a white was brought up in an exemplary poor family. His father was a causal worker and he could not support his family for excellent livelihood. After long struggle with life his father died from heart failure when Ellis was in his eighth grade, making Ellis drop out of school. He was the only help that was left for his family which consisted of his mother and sister. Ellis always worked hard to ensure that his family was leading some life. He could secure some low paying jobs which could only assist him pay for the basic commodities for his family (Studs, 2004). Out of the frustrations that he went through he could not settle to blame his father for the pain that he went through. It is at this point that his frustration with life that he affirms the theory of prejudice by Parillo on frustration that it provokes racism (Vincent, 2004). Ellis passes his blame to blacks who were the minority race in America. He argued that these were the people who exposed him to adverse challenges of life. He believed that without the existence of these individuals in the community, his life could have been better as he would secure better activities in life that would help him sustain his family as well as allow his father live longer life.
Socialization enhances the ability to believe in something. This is one of the prejudice theories that Parrillo uses in definition of what may cause racism (Vincent, 2004). After Ellis working for some time and he could not fully support his family he opted to look for a loan and open a gas station. While operating his business, some members of Ku Klux Klan (KKK) started visiting his business where they could discuss extremely sensitive issues concerning the different groups of people in America. One of the main topics that cut deeply on the veins of Ellis was on how poor white individual could never relax, as well as how African Americans, Catholics, Jews, and communists could have been blamed for all ill activities that were taking place in America. On his own, it could have been extremely difficult for Ellis to affirm that small races in the country were the main cause of the troubles that he went through in his life. Following this topic, Ellis got hooked into the KKK group, which was well known of his campaign against the influence of small racial groups in America (Studs, 2004). This is a justification to the prejudice theory of socialization by Parrillo. Extensive discussion of an issue usually leads to conviction which is a major role for socialization (Vincent, 2004). It is on this bases that Ellis was convinced that small races were responsible of his pain in life and he could no more blame his father as he believed that his father equally encountered these problems.
Low self-esteem engulfed Ellis livelihood. In his analysis, Parillo defines low self esteem to be under the category self-justification Vincent, 2004).This is a theory that was developed by Parillo as it had effect on increase in prejudices. Although, Ellis was poor he always wanted to be somebody in his life. However, Ellis experienced internal tag of war as he was not proud of anything that he had achieved in life. This was an extremely dehumanizing experience in his life. He decided to pass his blame to the black people as he believed that they were the people who denied him happiness (Studs, 2004). Therefore, Ellis completely avoided black people. He satisfied his feelings through extending mistreatments on black people and he owed no one apology on this issue.
Desire will sometimes change an individual’s destination. Ellis success desire saved him from racism after some time. He realized that there were equally low income white individuals as there were blacks. After this realization, he agreed to work together with Ann Atwater who was a black on a grant project. This made Ellis realize that self esteem would cause negative impacts in one’s livelihood (Studs, 2004). It is at this point that Ellis concurs with Parillo on the fact that self esteem would incite individuals to hold prejudices (Vincent, 2004).
Ellis is an individual born in the definition of poverty with his life surrounded with extensive prejudices which define racism in his life. He approves some of Parillo theories of frustration, socialization and self-justification. Ellis approves self esteem as a major determinant of how individuals perceive life. However, after long hatred for black people Ellis realizes that whites and blacks face similar challenges and there was no need for blaming each other. He changes his attitude and faces his success with a grant project with a black woman.
Work Cited
Studs Terkel. “C.P. Ellis.” Rereading America (2004): 591-601
Vincent N. Parillo. “Causes of Prejudices.” Rereading America (2004): 577-590
