All people are basically the same, but there are differentiated by age, race and economic classes. Out of these categories, racial discrimination happens to be the major type of discrimination in America. Black people such as Black Americans, African Americans are discriminated against just because they do not have the color that other Americans have. Similarly, this kind of discrimination has been portrayed in the video about ‘True Colors’, and different discriminations have dominated (True Colors - Racial Discrimination in Everyday Life ½, n.d.). In the movie, a black man Glenn and a white man John are sent to perform various tasks at the same time and place under surveillance, and how people reacted towards them is recorded.
Prejudice
Prejudice is basically judging someone or something without clear justification that may prove the judgment to be correct (Kassin, Fein & Markus, 2013). In the movie true colors, prejudice has vividly been displayed. Glenn goes to the shopping center to do his shopping, but he cannot get any attention from the salespeople. When doing his selection of what he wants to buy in a shopping center, he is followed by a white salesperson who technically speaking, looks at him suspiciously like he wants to steal something from the shopping center. The white salesperson wants to monitor his every move, because he thinks Glenn wants to steal things from them, or perhaps, he thinks he cannot afford to pay for anything in that shopping center. This is in contrast to John, who went in the same shopping center and makes his selection without being followed by anyone.
Discrimination
Kassin (2013), defines discrimination as a negative behavior towards a person or a group of people. Glenn suffers racial discrimination in St Louis Missouri. In the first place, he does not get a rental house because he is black, despite the fact that John had confirmed earlier that the house was indeed available. When he goes asking for a job in a dry cleaner, he is given conditions that he will be monitored, and his job will be limited, even after John was given the full privilege for the same job. In the car dealership, Glenn can only get the car with a down payment of 20-25% while John can get the same car at 10-15% down payment. On purchase, Glenn can get the car for $9500 while John can purchase the same car at $9000, and when the car dealers are questioned on how they sell the same car at different prices, no one has an answer to that, but the fact is the difference in price is due to skin color.
Stereotypes
Stereotype is either the positive or negative impression that people have towards other people. (Kassin, Fein & Markus, 2013) From the video True Colors, American people especially people from St Louis Missouri have a negative impression of black people. Glenn and John decide to take a walk at night, but Glenn finds himself in trouble, especially when a guy from a car shouts at him that he is in the wrong place. Again, when they want to take a cab, the first cab leaves Glenn and picks John, who was some meters away from him, just because his Taxi cannot accommodate black people, probably because he thinks he cannot afford to pay for it or because he will bring trouble. Glenn even finds himself in trouble with the police, but John does not, just because even police have a negative impression about the blacks, who may even find faults to get him arrested.
References
Kassin, S., Fein, S., & Markus, H. R. (2008). Social Psychology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
True Colors - Racial Discrimination in Everyday Life 1/2. (n.d.). Retrieved April 23, 2016, from
https://youtu.be/YyL5EcAwB9c
True Colors - Racial Discrimination in Everyday Life 2/2. (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2016, from
https://youtu.be/gOS3BBmUxvs
