In spite of the fact that the Declaration of Independence promises that “all men are created equal”, many Americans disagree on whether that promise is being kept or if it has been simply forgotten. Believing in that promise, many people see America as a melting pot, where everyone will be welcomed and able to acculturate to the United States; however, that is not always the reality due to many peoples’ lack of acceptance and abundant ways to prejudice minorities. In his article “Causes of Prejudice”, Vincent N. Parrillo, a professor of sociology at William Paterson University in New Jersey, author of multiple books, and writer and producer of two award-winning documentaries for PBS television, took upon reviewing some of the many theories …show more content…
With this remark, Ellis reveals that he felt as if it was his obligation to blame the black community because of his father’s example. By the time Ellis shared his experience, he had a better understanding about what was the right thing to do when it comes to dealing with minorities. Ellis’ experiences support the idea that the socialization process theory is one of the causes of prejudice, however; there are other factors such as the action-orientation level of prejudice that can also contribute to prejudiced behavior. In our daily lives, we are often exposed to different scenarios, ideas, judgments, comments, and criticisms, which can influence an individual’s perspective about people from another group. According to Parrillo, Action-orientation refers to the idea of when an individual has positive or negative predisposition to participate in discriminatory behavior against minorities or someone in specific (Parrillo 507). As an illustration, C.P. Ellis shares a perfect example when he talks about a time when he received a call from a white young boy asking for help after being robbed by a black boy. Taking his gun with him, Ellis took off to the streets. He approached to a small group of black teens and took his anger