Is it Morally Sufficient to Reject Prejudice Privately, Or Must One Act Publicly Against It?
If you want to stop discrimination, do you need to speak out loud about your beliefs, or can you just keep them to yourself? There are pros and cons to both approaches. Let's look at each one more closely.
Keeping Your Beliefs Private
Some people believe that they don't need to publicly oppose prejudice if they privately reject it. Here are some reasons why this might be true:
1. You may feel like you can make more change privately than publicly. You might have a friend or relative who is racist, homophobic, or sexist. If you openly disagree with them, you could cause tension in your relationship. But if you continue talking to them quietly about their attitudes behind closed doors, you might eventually change their minds without making things worse.
2. You may think that expressing your views too loudly could backfire.
Suppose you live in a conservative community where most people hold bigoted opinions. If you start speaking out against those beliefs, you could face a lot of criticism and even physical danger from other residents. In such cases, staying quiet could protect you and your family while still allowing you to vote for candidates who support equality.
3. You may not want to draw attention to yourself. If you're a minority group member yourself, you may not want to call attention to the fact that you're different from others around you. You may prefer to blend in and avoid conflict rather than stand up and risk being targeted by the majority.
4. You might worry that challenging stereotypes will only reinforce them.
If you tell someone that all men aren't sexist, they might just argue that women are inherently inferior. By keeping your views private, you don't give anyone an excuse to dismiss you as a feminist extremist.
5. You could simply be scared. Being vocal about your beliefs can put you at risk of being fired, kicked out of your home, or even attacked physically. It takes courage to speak out publicly, and some people just don't have it.
Acting Publicly Against Prejudice
There are many good reasons why you should take a more active role in opposing prejudice:
1. You'll inspire others. If enough people speak out against discrimination, society as a whole can change its attitudes. The civil rights movement in America started with small actions but eventually grew into massive protests that changed the law.
2. You'll help shift the conversation away from prejudiced opinions. When everyone is comfortable expressing their bigoted ideas without repercussions, those ideas become normalized. But when people challenge these ideas loudly and often, it forces others to think twice before making racist jokes or homophobic comments.
3. You'll make yourself part of a community fighting for change. Many marginalized groups feel alone and isolated. By standing up for what's right together, you can build solidarity and support each other through tough times.
4. You may save lives. People who openly reject prejudice show that they care about equality and justice. This makes them targets for hate crimes and violence. They might get hurt or killed because of their stance, but their courage can inspire others to do the same thing.
5. You may want to be a model for future generations. If children see adults actively combating bias, they're more likely to follow suit. And if they grow up in an environment where everyone respects diversity, they'll be less likely to repeat old mistakes.
Whether you keep your beliefs private or speak out publicly depends on many factors. It's important to consider your personal safety, your goals, and how much impact you want to have on society. Some people will choose one approach over another based on their values, while others will try both at different points in life.
We all need to work towards ending discrimination by any means necessary.
Is it morally sufficient to reject prejudice privately, or must one act publicly against it?
There are many reasons why people may choose to either openly oppose or discreetly discard their biases. Some individuals find that expressing these sentiments in public can be detrimental to themselves and others around them, while others see it as an important way of standing up for what they believe is right. On the other hand, some argue that remaining silent on such issues does not necessarily equate to approval or acceptance, but rather resignation.