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This comes from a little personal realization of mine, and I'm wondering what you fine people of TL think about it. Is being uncomfortable around people who use drugs just because they use drugs just as bad as racism or sexism?
The arguments for both sides are this:
No, it is not prejudice:
Prejudices such as racism and sexism are based on fallacies, such as the assumption that black people or Asians or women or even majorities are in some way inferior to other demographics because of one or more innate flaws within them. This doesn't apply to drug users because drug use is a quantifiable phenomenon that causes a noticeable decrease of perception, critical thought, and the like, making discrimination against drug users justified.
Yes, it is prejudice:
People who are on drugs are committing what some call a "victimless crime," which some people may argue isn't a crime at all; the only one they are hurting are themselves. Assuming we only consider drugs which don't cause people to become more violent, such as marijuana or tobacco (which is a drug,) then there is no damage done to others around the drug user due to his or her drug use.
I personally am afraid that in fact it is a prejudice, and that my own personal discomfort associated with drug users, or even people who drink Alcohol in non-trivial quantities or use recreational Adderall, is just as wrong as other forms of discrimination. This is something I've begun dwelling on lately because my best friend has recently started dating someone who is addicted to pot, and I've managed to make her angry with me after expressing that I think she could do better. Am I in the wrong?
Poll: Is prejudice against drug users wrong?No (805) 66% Yes (393) 32% Other (Post below!) (29) 2% 1227 total votes Your vote: Is prejudice against drug users wrong? (Vote): Yes
(Vote): No
(Vote): Other (Post below!)
Poll: When an acquaintance tells you that he/ she uses illegal drugs...It negatively affects your opinion of him/ her. (649) 56% It depends on certain circumstances (explain in post). (224) 19% It does not affect your opinion of him/ her. (214) 19% It positively affects your opinion of him/ her. (65) 6% 1152 total votes Your vote: When an acquaintance tells you that he/ she uses illegal drugs... (Vote): It negatively affects your opinion of him/ her.
(Vote): It positively affects your opinion of him/ her.
(Vote): It does not affect your opinion of him/ her.
(Vote): It depends on certain circumstances (explain in post).
EDIT: In an effort to curb the argument over the definition of prejudice and what exactly we're discussing here, I provide the following definition of "prejudice":
"Preconceived opinion not based on reason or experience"
I would also like to note that my use of that word was meant to be synonymous with "judging someone based solely on their drug use."
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No. my mother and father were both big alcoholics. My best friend went completely wacked out on pot and almost got me in some bad places. I've seen drug use and abuse do nothing but hurt the people around me, and I certainly think very little of people who cannot find any other coping mechanism than to resort to warping their perception.
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There's a big difference between the recreational marijuana user and an alcoholic or crack addict. One of those differences is that the latter has a huge negative impact on your life and the lives of those around you.
A truly dangerous drug addiction should absolutely be cause to terminate an employee, end a relationship, refuse to do business with, etc. Of course, what constitutes a "dangerous drug addiction" is open to interpretation.
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I suppose that if someone tells me that they use drugs ( such as pot, meth, crack, or anything else ) i wouldn't want to be around them. and therefore I would be prejudiced.
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Some drugs aren't bad, some aren't when used responsibly, so I voted other. But a blanket prejudice is wrong.
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On October 17 2011 11:28 TheLOLas wrote:
I suppose that if someone tells me that they use drugs ( such as pot, meth, crack, or anything else ) i wouldn't want to be around them. and therefore I would be prejudiced.
Do you think it's prejudice? Or do you somehow justify not wanting to be around them?
If I said "I don't want to be around Mike because he's black," that's wrong. If I say "I don't want to be around Mike because he smokes pot," is that just as bad?
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On October 17 2011 11:29 UmiNotsuki wrote:Show nested quote +On October 17 2011 11:28 TheLOLas wrote:
I suppose that if someone tells me that they use drugs ( such as pot, meth, crack, or anything else ) i wouldn't want to be around them. and therefore I would be prejudiced. Do you think it's prejudice? Or do you somehow justify not wanting to be around them? If I said "I don't want to be around Mike because he's black," that's wrong. If I say "I don't want to be around Mike because he smokes pot," is that just as bad?
He can change being a pot head.
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I have an inherent fear of people who are actively high on PCP and Cocaine.
Something about a man who can steamroll me into a bloody mess AFTER I shoot him in the chest 12 times just doesn't sit right with me.
Clearly I'm a bigot.
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I didn't think it was possible to not realize that there is a difference between behavior and something you are born with.
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I wouldn't want to be around someone who felt uncomfortable with others who used recreational drugs.
Not because I find their prejudice misguided but because id find them to be a tad moronic.
Also, there is a difference between drug user and drug abuser.
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No it's not a prejudice, because it is based on reason. It's totally acceptable to judge someone by their actions. In fact, that's the only way to judge someone.
However, that doesn't mean you can't judge someone incorrectly, or place too much or too little value on certain actions.
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Yet to meet some one I respect or look up to who is a serious user...The people I have known who were addicts were pretty flaky and untrustworthy.
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On October 17 2011 11:30 Alay wrote:Show nested quote +On October 17 2011 11:29 UmiNotsuki wrote:On October 17 2011 11:28 TheLOLas wrote:
I suppose that if someone tells me that they use drugs ( such as pot, meth, crack, or anything else ) i wouldn't want to be around them. and therefore I would be prejudiced. Do you think it's prejudice? Or do you somehow justify not wanting to be around them? If I said "I don't want to be around Mike because he's black," that's wrong. If I say "I don't want to be around Mike because he smokes pot," is that just as bad? He can change being a pot head.
What about in the case of psychological or even physiological dependence on a drug? He sure can't stop then. Still not prejudice?
Please be aware I'm just curious what people think, not arguing one way or another.
On October 17 2011 11:32 Kingsp4de20 wrote:
Yet to meet some one I respect or look up to who is a serious user...The people I have known who were addicts were pretty flaky and untrustworthy.
That's interesting. Does your history with flaky and untrustworthy addicts give you ground on which it's okay to judge other users?
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United States7481 Posts
people don't choose to be black or female.
they choose to use drugs/smoke/drink etc
this is the critical difference.
to address your above post, at some point the person made the choice to start.
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On October 17 2011 11:34 Antoine wrote:
people don't choose to be black or female.
they choose to use drugs/smoke/drink etc
this is the critical difference.
to address your above post, at some point the person made the choice to start.
But does that decision give me right to discriminate against them anymore than their decision to, say, go to the bathroom at precisely 12:00 noon, or play with LEGO's at age 40?
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On October 17 2011 11:30 Alay wrote:Show nested quote +On October 17 2011 11:29 UmiNotsuki wrote:On October 17 2011 11:28 TheLOLas wrote:
I suppose that if someone tells me that they use drugs ( such as pot, meth, crack, or anything else ) i wouldn't want to be around them. and therefore I would be prejudiced. Do you think it's prejudice? Or do you somehow justify not wanting to be around them? If I said "I don't want to be around Mike because he's black," that's wrong. If I say "I don't want to be around Mike because he smokes pot," is that just as bad? He can change being a pot head.
It's not about whether he can change, it's about whether he chose to become it. A child murderer can't change from being a child murderer but he definitely chose to murder a child.
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On October 17 2011 11:22 UmiNotsuki wrote:
This doesn't apply to drug users because drug use is a quantifiable phenomenon that causes a noticeable decrease of perception, critical thought, and the like, making discrimination against drug users justified.
You're grouping all drugs together. I suggest doing more research before generalizing the fact that they all decrease perception/critical thought and the like. I could easily just make the same claim on religion.
All drugs are different, some do cause a lot of harm, while others do very little. Look at any primary research being done on marijuana, ecstacy, shrooms, lsd and compare them to alcohol, heroin, cocaine, ketamines. You'll see a huge difference, where in some research papers will say taking marijuana/lsd/shrooms in moderate doses will actually improve some aspects of life (e.g. intelligence and happiness).
And in your situation I'd like to know if the person she's dating is actually 'addicted' to pot and whether or not it is causing harm to others in that partner's life. Otherwise you're basing your choice on a very biased poll that isn't related to your specific situation.
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Making the conscious choice to harm your body using drugs or abusing alcohol =/= Being born a certain race or sexual orientation, so looking down on someone for making poor decisions is definitely not the same as looking down on someone for being born a certain way. The former way is justified; the latter is bigotry.
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On October 17 2011 11:34 Antoine wrote:
people don't choose to be black or female.
they choose to use drugs/smoke/drink etc
this is the critical difference.
to address your above post, at some point the person made the choice to start.
Prejudice mean to pre-judge. It doesn't matter whether the characteristic is chosen or not, you can still judge someone for it.
Personally, I don't find anything wrong with any kind of prejudice. Most prejudices have quite a lot of truth to them, which is why they exist in the first place. Prejudice doesn't say that 100% of X people are a certain way, just that statistically they tend to be a certain way according to a criteria.
For example, science has firmly established that there are distinct advantages that each sex has over the other. To be prejudiced, or "sexist" as it is incorrectly called, is absolutely rational, and in many cases prejudice is necessary for survival. Are you going to assume that berry is going to make you sick just because a similar looking berry made you sick in the past? I sure hope so, otherwise political correctness has completely eradicated common sense.
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On October 17 2011 11:26 Alay wrote:
No. my mother and father were both big alcoholics. My best friend went completely wacked out on pot and almost got me in some bad places. I've seen drug use and abuse do nothing but hurt the people around me, and I certainly think very little of people who cannot find any other coping mechanism than to resort to warping their perception.
And yet their are hundreds of thousands of people who can drink every day or smoke put every day and function just fine in society. Just because your friends fucked up doesn't mean it was all the drugs fault. Why do you just assume its a coping method? Lots of people do it simply because they enjoy it! Some people like to spend their spare time playing sports, some video games and other like to drink or smoke? Why hold it against them?
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EPT
