Revised as of
3 Sept 2022
I warn you . . . my own prejudices will surface in this post . . .
While bigotry, prejudice, and racism are closely related, there are distinctions.
Bigotry is practiced by small-minded people who believe their way is the only way.
Prejudice is practiced by people who form their opinion [and hostility] based on other people’s opinions.
Racism is strictly about the race of a person, their having distinct physical characteristics that set them apart from another “race”.
What I find curious is how many whites are racists, but they don’t recognize color when it comes to sports or music . . .
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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Bigotry | Prejudice | Racism |
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— |
— |
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Part of Grammar: | ||
Noun
Plural: bigotries |
Noun 1 and 2; Verb, transitive 1
Plural for the noun and third person present verb: prejudices |
Noun
Plural: racism |
Intolerant, narrow-minded, small-minded
Intolerance toward those who hold different opinions from oneself The actions, beliefs, prejudices, etc., of a bigot |
Has no actual experience with the issue/people
Noun: Preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience 1
[Chiefly Law] Harm or injury that results or may result from some action or judgment 2 Verb, transitive:
[Chiefly Law] Cause harm to (a state of affairs) |
Prejudging
Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior
Hatred or intolerance of another race or other races
A policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine
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Examples: | ||
There are a ton of difficulties in combating prejudice and bigotry.
“It needs to be said: bigotry in the name of religion is still bigotry; child abuse wrapped in a Bible verse is still child abuse” (Molloy). “No more allowing people to justify their bigotry by spouting a cherry-picked Bible verse” (Molloy). “Regarding Muslims, we have clearly seen in recent times an uptick in anti—Muslim bigotry” (Obeidallah). “But infidelity and bigotry are frequently next-door neighbors” (Goldsmith). “When the schoolteacher’s turn shall come, then let tyranny and bigotry beware” (Ballou). “True, bigotry barked there too, but culture went on its serene course” (Zangwill). “There’s a thousand years of prejudice and bigotry concentrated in you” (Service). Aborigines are the main victims of racism in Australia. |
Noun: There is a grave English prejudice against foreigners. They harbor such ingrained religious prejudices. Accusations of racial prejudice were hurled. Prejudice could result in a delay in the institution of the proceedings. The payment was made without any prejudice to her rights. Verb, transitive: Delay is likely to prejudice the child’s welfare. |
The government believes we need a program to combat racism.
There are some disgusting theories on racism. “Cosby conspiracy theorists share a perspective born of a long, pained history of American racism” (Williams). “One blames black Americans as a race; the other, racism as a social structure” (Poulos). “The rule of law, you see, buckles, bends and sometimes crumbles under the weight of racism, sexism, and classism” (Taylor). |
Derivatives: | ||
Adjective: bigoted Noun: bigot, bigotism |
Adjective: prejudiceless, prejudicial, nonprejudiced, prejudicedly, quasi-prejudiced Adverb: prejudicedly |
Adjective: racist, racialist Noun: antiracism, race, racist, racialist, |
History of the Word: | ||
Late 17th century, from bigot and reinforced by the French bigoterie. |
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1865-70, from the French word racisme. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Bigotry vs Prejudice vs Racism
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Apple Dictionary.com
Ballou, Maturin M. Aztec Land. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1890. <https://amzn.to/3KIVRfQ>.
Dictionary.com: racism
Goldsmith, Lewis. “Memoirs of the Court of St. Cloud, Complete: Being Secret Letters from a Gentleman at Paris to a Nobleman in London. vol. 5. <https://amzn.to/3AOV1ty>.
Molloy, Parker. “Dear Leelah, We Will Fight On For You: A Letter to a Dead Trans Teen.” The Daily Beast. 1 Jan 2015. Web. n.d. <https://www.thedailybeast.com/dear-leelah-we-will-fight-on-for-you-a-letter-to-a-dead-trans-teen?source=dictionary>.
Obeidallah, Dean. “Muslims & Jews Unite vs. Abercrombie & Fitch.” The Daily Beast. 16 Dec 2014. Web. n.d. <https://www.thedailybeast.com/muslims-and-jews-unite-vs-abercrombie-and-fitch?source=dictionary>.
Poulos, James. “No Gods, No Cops, No Masters.” The Daily Beast. 1 Jan 2015. Web. n.d. <https://www.thedailybeast.com/no-gods-no-cops-no-masters?source=dictionary>.
Service, Robert W. The Trail of Ninety-Eight. ISBN-13: 978-1985231283. <https://amzn.to/3RBEYWA>.
Taylor, Goldie. “What Would Happen if I Got in White Cop’s Face?” The Daily Beast. 30 Dec 2014. Web. n.d. <https://www.thedailybeast.com/goldie-taylorwhat-would-happen-if-i-got-in-white-cops-face?source=dictionary>.
Williams, Stereo. “Phylicia Rashad and the Cult of Cosby Truthers.” The Daily Beast. 8 Jan 2015. Web. n.d. <https://www.thedailybeast.com/phylicia-rashad-and-the-cult-of-cosby-truthers?source=dictionary>.
Zangwill, I. Dreamers of the Ghetto. 2011. ISBN: 1505506662. <https://amzn.to/3Qj0oXs>.
Pinterest Photo Credits:
NYC Pro-Muslim Rally Marching On Sept. 11th, 2010, <https://visualhunt.com/f2/photo/104008412/85a5fb934c/>, by Viktor Nagornyy, <https://visualhunt.com/author/a22167>, and Negro League, <https://visualhunt.com/f2/photo/104008412/85a5fb934c/>, by dbking, <https://visualhunt.com/author/3183c3>, are both under the CC BY 2.0 license and via VisualHunt.