Parrillo

Blog – What is the “socialization process” according to Parrillo? Do you agree that prejudices – or really any beliefs – are instilled in this way

According to Parillo, the "socialization process" describes the predisposition to prejudices that affect the development of kids. I agree that prejudices are instilled this way. But, as Parrillo wrote, this is not the only way that beliefs are formed. The "socialization process" is definitely a major factor in the development of prejudices. This is evident in discrimination that occurred across generations. For example. slavery in America lasted over 200 years. Clearly the easiest way for people to justify this cruelty was through beliefs instilled by the generation before them. If they believed that blacks were less important than them, or if they believed that they were giving blacks a better life by "exposing them to Jesus", then it was obviously easier for the slave owners to justify the fact that they owned other people. On the other hand, there are examples of times when the "socialization process" has not been effective. Take, for example, the civil rights movement. Even after the abolition of slavery America had been an extremely racist country. The Jim Crow Laws weren't even repealed until 1965. But around that time, something changed. Something enabled the civil rights movement to occur and change the way blacks were treated in society. Something overrode the predisposition to prejudice that so many white Americans had. While it is clear that the "socialization process" can determine one's beliefs, it is clearly not the only cause of those beliefs.