Who Is Jonathan Rauch In Defense Of Prejudice

Prejudice has stood out in society in multiple forms since the beginning of time. Many know the word “prejudice” in one of its various forms: racism, sexism, homophobia. These social prejudices affect our society greatly, and many Americans, as well as other citizens around the world believe that we as a people should do anything we can in order to eradicate it. Jonathan Rauch, an award-winning journalist and activist enthusiast, expresses his own opinions about prejudice and its eradication in his essay “In Defense of Prejudice”. He voices his opinions about prejudice and feels that people should come to terms with prejudice instead of eradicating it, ultimately stating that “the realistic question is how to make the best of prejudice, not how to

Early on in his essay, Rauch brings up freedom of expression, something every American is proud to have, by stating that “Where there is genuine freedom of expression, there will be racist expression.” By doing this, he makes people truly think about why they believe that eradicating prejudice, especially racial prejudice, will still allow them to have their freedom of expression. He does not mollify the truth either; racist expression, even if it is degrading to one group or another, is freedom of speech, and by taking the ability to be prejudice, you are restricting people’s rights. Later on, Rauch articulates his exact dislike for the idea of “eradicating prejudice” by calling it a “fool’s errand” and saying that the public should be “correcting and criticizing it” rather than trying to eradicate it. These phrases also relate back to the author’s overall pretentious persona because, due to his support of prejudice ideas being upheld in society, he is calling all others “fools” if they think prejudice should be eliminated, and sees himself as above being