Can you distinguish between instances of prejudice that were intentional – i.e., the film maker or writer wanted to show it as prejudiced – and unintentional or unconscious prejudice?
Intentional prejudice occurs when the filmmaker or writer deliberately portrays a social group in a prejudiced manner to highlight discrimination or make a social commentary. Here, the prejudice is conscious and purposeful – the creator wants the audience to recognise it as prejudiced.
Unintentional or unconscious prejudice happens when stereotypes and prejudiced portrayals are used without conscious intent. Such prejudices may seem 'natural' or 'inevitable' due to the everydayness of social inequality. For instance, in both English and Indian fictional writings, entire groups are often classified as 'lazy' or 'cunning' without the writer realising they are perpetuating colonial stereotypes. Many such stereotypes are partly colonial creations that persist unconsciously in creative works.
To distinguish between them, we must examine whether the portrayal challenges prejudice or merely reproduces it without question.
Explanation
The textbook context discusses how stereotypes become so common that they appear natural, and how colonial stereotypes persist in writings. This helps explain unconscious prejudice. The question itself appears in the textbook as a discussion prompt, asking students to think critically about how prejudice is depicted. The answer draws on the concept that stereotypes are 'fixed and inflexible characterisations' and that the 'everydayness of social inequality' makes exclusion appear natural – key markers of unconscious bias in creative works.