Defining Prejudice, Stereotypes, and Information Literacy

00:05 Prejudice is another concept.

00:07 People often misconstrue prejudice with racist.

00:11 We can have prejudice within the same affinity groups.

00:14 So it's preconceived judgment or opinions.

00:17 And they're usually adverse informed with insufficient knowledge or information.

00:21 So we become prejudice based on stereotypes and stigma.

00:26 Again, there's a cycle.

00:27 That happens when we think about these particular terms.

00:31 And then with stereotypes, it's a widely held image.

00:35 So we have assigned something to a person that's negative.

00:40 An image or an idea of either a person or something, but we label people.

00:45 And that's what a stereotype is.

00:47 And again, it feeds into that prejudice and marginalization of people.

00:51 So what can we do about that, especially with stereotypes? Information literacy is another one of the terms that we need to be familiar with.

01:01 Just being real about in today's world, so many conspiracy theories, so many different stories that oftentimes we're all confused and don't know what to believe.

01:11 So information literacy, encourages us to think critically, and make balanced decisions and judgments about information we find and use.

01:21 So if we hear something, we don't want to take it at face value and take that as facts and true.

01:26 We want to do our own research and critically think about it and think about how to apply it to all situations so that we don't continue to have divisiveness, especially in the space of talking about anti-racism, anti-oppression and equity.

01:42 It's important to think about the human side of that, again, I keep saying it, because that's how important it is.

01:49 Creating equity, including people does not mean someone else will lose out on something.

01:55 The goal or the idea is not to lessen one group to bring another group up.

01:59 It's just how can we create that balance, that I mentioned a few times? In all of this work, too, when we have people with the conspiracies or things that are not necessarily valid facts, those of us who may be a little bit further along in our journey have the responsibility of being upstanders.

02:20 So that means we have to speak up or act, and support of individuals or causes and intervene on behalf of the human being that's being attacked or bullied in any type of situation.

02:31 Or when misinformation is being spread.

02:33 It is our human responsibility, humanitarian responsibility to be an upstander in situations because all of us will always be a different levels.

02:43 And just because I might be bold in one situation, I might be more intimidated by another.

02:49 So I may not be able to be an upstander in a direct way.

02:53 But I can indirectly do something.

02:56 I can speak to someone who may have a little more courage or bravery in certain situations, or who do have power based on their titles, power to change some policies.

03:07 If it's in an organization, power to enforce some policies or procedures within that organization, so that we do maintain that sense of belonging that I mentioned.