In prejudice and discrimination, what are the cause of it and how to solve it based on anthropology. tq?

Question

In prejudice and discrimination, what are the cause of it and how to solve it based on anthropology. tq?

Answer 1

Prejudice and discrimination all come from the fact that we don't have the time or the inclination to sit down and talk to everyone to get to know about their lives, where they come from, what they feel, and who they are.  So we generalize and stereotype people usually based off of their appearance when lacking the time, energy, and willpower.  

If one enters a room full of strangers one might be drawn more to ones with the most in common (or so one thinks) based of of physical features or clothing or other visual cues because one may consider it more socially awkward and risky to spend time and effort to converse with someone who might not have had the same experiences and likes and dislikes as you.

Since biological features such as skin color are difficult if not impossible to change or hide,  "race" (a constructed category about the biological outward appearance of entire groups of people) usually becomes the basis for how people divide up the peoples of the world.  Some people use these stereotypes and perpetuate it or add on negative traits to profit from it either emotionally or economically.

As acts of violence and segregation occur through time a history develops where these categories become more strongly reinforced as something "real".  Occurring parallel to that is the development and continuation of minority culture that shies away from integration and views itself as separate and distinct.  

Prejudice and discrimination does not necessarily only happen to entire groups of people.  It can happen on a one to one basis.  Perhaps in a situation where one made a bad "first impression" one may find that one is treated differentially based of merely one conversation.  

As long as there are differences in s*x, physical appearance, clothing, language, personality among a billion other things there will always be misunderstandings and there will always be generalizations and stereotypes.  To one degree or another there will always be prejudice and discrimination whether positive or negative.  The only way to completely stop prejudice or discrimination is if were exactly the same like cookie cutter people and that would be just boring.

There is no solution; only negotiation. All a person can do is speak up for themselves and interact with people to break out of the mold.  If enough people do it then maybe over time some negative stereotypes may go away or be replaced by positive ones.

Answer 2

In group and out group psychology evolved in our remote ancestors. The evidence is strong in evolutionary biology for this hypothesis. To solve it, Pete Singer has pointed out how we are ever expanding the moral circle to include all people in the world within it. A slow process that is not acceptable to the ideologues that still have to much influence in anthropology.