Prejudice Against U.S. Military Service Essay

Introduction

Prejudice refers to a feeling or an adverse opinion towards a group member or an individual which is mainly based on their group membership without having a justifiable ground. It could be unfavorable feeling towards a person or people due to their beliefs, gender, age, sexuality, occupation, nationality or other personal characteristics. The prejudice that people already have can be reinforced or be increased by the media. There are three levels of prejudice which are the emotional, cognitive and action orientation.Details of the Experience

The experience of being prejudiced by the media or the public as a militant can be humiliating and demotivating. High levels of prejudice against an individual could as well result in suicidal cases. For example, Danny Chen when he was 19 years old during the basic training he faced a lot of prejudice because of his name since he was a Chinese despite being born as well as raised in the New York. It was humiliating to him since he did not know how to respond to some of the questions that he was asked. Chen was subjected to racial slurs and physical abuse for being the only -Chinese American which caused him to commit suicide.

Cognitive Level of Prejudice

Cognitive level of prejudice is the belief that a group is non-threatening or threatening, equal or non-equal. The public has the belief that the character of the U.S military should be associated with killing and lack of showing compassion towards the civilians. The cognitive level of prejudice is that the U.S military are individuals who are rigid to following of rules, obedience to authority and low acceptance of people who are not in the military like themselves

Emotional Level of Prejudice

The emotional level of prejudice refers to an emotional attitude which is mainly based on stereotypes. The U.S military have been prejudiced as people whose parents practiced harsh discipline and hence the development of the authoritarian personality during their childhood. The U.S military have been prejudiced as individuals who were raised in an environment full of frustration. There are high levels of ethnic and racial prejudice against the military. The African -American who serve in the U.S military has highly been prejudiced. The African-Americans are considered as being militants who served as slaves and fighting men. Most of the African -Americans who serve in the U.S military are considered to be slaves who were promised their freedom for serving. The African-American were never allowed to serve in the Army despite serving in the Navy faithfully. The women in the U.S military have faced prejudices as the public considers the position as being for the men. The women have been opposed to joining the military since the media and the public argue that the male soldiers will spend most of their time trying to protect their female counterparts. The military personnel has been prejudiced in the media and the public as being the cause of the problems and frustrations that other people face. The media tend to blame the military when the economic conditions of the country get bad or even when their war efforts fail.

Action-Orientation Level of Prejudice

The action-orientation level of prejudice is the negative or the positive predisposition to engage in behavior that is discriminatory. The public tends to discriminate the militants who are not Americans and aggressively act towards them. The public fear involving the U.S military in their businesses as they consider them as people of a different class from them. In the United States, some hospitals, shops, and other public institutions do not offer their services to armed personnel forces who are in uniform. For example, the members of the public abused patients who were from the armed forces rehabilitation Centre which results in them being restricted to wear their uniform while in public.

Justification of the Prejudice

The justification of the prejudice against the African-Americans from serving in the Army is that the 1792 law did not allow the blacks to serve in the Army. The media and the public justify their actions by considering the military as people who asked for it, or they deserve to be treated harshly. The African Americans in the U.S military are considered as being immigrants who want to take jobs away from the Americans, and hence they face the hostility since the Americans think they are a threat.

Conclusion

In conclusion prejudice against the U.S military can occur in different forms. The prejudice can either be emotional, cognitive or action oriented. The acts of prejudice have a significant impact on an individual since it is humiliating and can cause depression or stress towards an individual. The U.S militants have been prejudiced as individuals who acquired the authoritative traits from their strict parents. They are also people who are believed to follow the rules strictly. Racial prejudice against the African -American U.S military has been experienced since they are believed to have been slaves who want to take the American jobs. The public and the media try to justify their prejudice actions by saying that the militants deserve to be treated in that manner.

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