I’ve a confession to make: I am a bigot. Here are just some of the ways in which I am bigoted.
I’m a racist. The latest example of my racism is from this morning. I caught a snippet of news on Sky about the shooting in Milton Keynes and the first thought in my head was “I wonder what colour the victim and perpetrator were.” In my head, that information would have put the shooting into one of a number of available pigeon holes.
I also have the tendency to assume that all Muslims are homophobes, and that Muslim men with beards are extremists.
Sometimes I think very Tory thoughts (and yes, I’m bigoted about Tories too) about the disabled – especially when I meet disabled people I work with. Then I think “Why can’t all people who have this particular disability also work?”
I am incredibly bigoted about class and especially education. I find it difficult to engage with people who do not come from the same privileged background as me.
Religion is another one of those things I’m bigoted about. In my head religious people are all alike, and that generally means all like the most exasperating examples of religious people I’ve come across (think the rapture people).
And these are just the bigoted thoughts I catch myself thinking. There are probably countless other small things I think and do in my life that reflect prejudice and stereotypes living in my head.
Most of the time though, my brain does a double-take after that initial impulse and goes “What the fuck – that’s racist/sexist/etc.” And sometimes I’m lucky enough to meet someone who will gently challenge my prejudice – sometimes just by being the person they are, sometimes by calling me out on bullshit. Occasionally, I’m challenged quite rudely – and that’s great too.
I suspect deep down inside we all have our little bigotries. And I think it’s incredibly important that we recognise them, acknowledge them, and then try to do something about them. So, what’s your pet prejudice?