Is sexual/physical attraction prejudice in disguise?
 

I've been trying to Google up information about this, but all the hits I'm getting are stupid links that deals with gays and lesbians. What I'm trying to find out more on is if sexual attraction or preferences (like is a guy only likes or is interested in skinny girls, fat girls, asian girls, girls with blue eyes, redhead girls, or whatever) could be deemed as a prejudice.

I'm not sure if it can be termed as prejudice, since you aren't coming up with any conclusions on who that person is, well, I can think of one, but it's pretty stupid, and that's is the person might be a good lay, or perhaps it is prejudice when dealing with our unconscious biological tendency to find the best possible mate? I've asked people what they thought, but just like myself, they've never really heard or thought about the question before and were confused and couldn't come up with an answer.

What do you think? Is being sexually or physically attracted to a particular type of person (skinny, fat, muscular, slender, blonde, brunette, redhead, short, tall, white, black, asian, etc) or whatever else you can think of considered prejudice in your book? Maybe it would be easier to think of it in terms of people you aren't sexually or physically attracted to, is that considered prejudice? For example not wanting to go out on a date with them or getting romantically involved because they're just not your cup of tea.

Hmmm... I guess it could be a type of prejudice: Here is a definition of prejudice:

A positive or negative orientation toward groups of people (or a person) without regard to all the facts.

But in another way, I would say that it isn't. Although appearance can be a quick judge, I think many times that judgment gets erased quickly. Prejudice is also the hardest to control. We are all brought up in society a certain way, but we all also all have certain preferences that we grew up with. Sometimes you give people a chance sometimes you don't.

I think prejudice is something that can be easily changed as well. As you get to know someone, your prejudice erodes away, then you can make a judgment based on more facts as to what your preferences are. Its all about chances.

It's prejudice about as much as me liking orange juice and not grapefruit juice is prejudice. Tastes and prejudices aren't really the same thing. The word prejudice is just thrown around so much in our society that it immediately springs to mind when people examine any situation involving someone of a certain group taking precedence for something over someone from another group.

Indubitably.

I don't think sexual/physical attraction is complex enough to be termed prejudice. It's not really a conscious or unconscious decision to be attracted to someone, which basically just goes off of what Brent said.

Though I would argue taste and attraction are different concepts.

If you argue on the primal side of human nature, then we can say that man simply strives to secure the best mate for himself, be it conscious or not. Therefore whether you consider it a form of prejudice, which is essentially a man-made concept, is not of much consequence for I think there can be absolutely no reason why we can say this form of prejudice is unethical. What I feel we are dealing with here are linguistic definitions rather than emotive connotations associated with the word "prejudice".

I think that if you make a conscious decision to only date people of a certain race, body type, etc. then it's a prejudice. If your attraction (or lack thereof) to certain groups is an unconscious and completely uncontrollable thing, then it's not.

For example, if a girl just doesn't experience that "click" of physical attraction when they go out with overweight people and knowing this she chooses to only date fit guys who give her that tingly feeling inside, but she has overweight friends, then it's not a prejudice - it's a preference.

Brent hit the nail on the head. However, taste and prejudice are like confusing the words bare and bear (respects to Mr Ellison).

I get what you're trying to say Maico, but no.

In many ways, yes.

Actually, the more I think about it, the more I do think it's prejudice.

But then, it's just our genes at work selecting best mates for ourselves, so just call it, 'survival of the fittest(sexiest)'

Lol. Erm, what is taste except for a type of preference? Prejudice is also a preference, I believe.

I once wrote in an essay that prejudice was purely a form of preference stripped of its linguistically negative connotations and my english teacher frowned upon my argument, adding that it was an "unreasonable" form of bias/preference. I guess it's tough for people to isolate purely conceptual issues from their emotions.

The word Prejudice usually indicates an irrational preference, or a preference based on unfounded assumptions. Physical attractiveness isn't based on irrational preferences or unfounded assumptions. Physical attractiveness isn't a prejudice, What it is, though, is a discrimination.

What form of preference would you consider rational or substantiated, then? Every reason elicits another reason as justification for itself and this process goes on, ad infinitum, until we realise that all we have are baseless assumptions - guesses - that it is by God's will that a certain observation is so.

For example, I prefer orange juice to apple juice because orange juice has a sour taste that I claim packs a punch. How vindicated is that? It is true insofar as most orange juices have a higher acidic (citric) content than apple juice, giving it its predominantly sour characteristic. Why is the acidic content higher? Well, simply because orange contains certain molecules that contain specific functional groups. Why then do the atoms in the orange arrange themselves in such a peculiar arrangement? The list of reasons keeps lengthening until in frustration one has to inexorably conclude on a baseless assumption that it is simply "God's Will" that such is so. Faith is essentially an assumption in itself, a baseless premise on which logic is built, and that is the modus operandi of this world. How then can preference be classified as rational or founded if all behaviour is based upon a rudimentary irrationality?

If there is no rational preference, then there cannot be irrational preference.

This was my counter-argument to my teacher's comment.

However, you're asserting a Cartesian dilemma where none truly exists. You can, with certainty, say that you prefer orange juice because it does have a higher content of citric acid than apple juice. This is observable.

You have a preference based on observable, reasonable qualities of an object.

Sexual attraction can be the basis for "prejudice" or "discrimination," but I wouldn't necessarily call it a prejudice. A bias, certainly, based on both conscious and subconscious desires. I tend to find certain traits in people attractive, some of the I'm conscious of, others I'm probably unaware. Then again, I can't really just decide to find the opposite attractive.

I wouldn't call sexual attraction a prejudice in any sense of the word. Lust is a primary instinct, perhaps based soully in the id of the mind. It's unconscious in the sense that you don't think about who you are attracted to, it's not something you question, it's something you feel without having to put any thought in at all. For instance, sometimes people have a particular prejudice against a certain group of people, yet one day find themselves lusting after someone from that same group. The prejudice is the learnt, conscious part of the mind rejecting the subject of the prejudice, and the sexual attraction is much deeper, in fact so much deeper that it overrules conscious thought.

I'm not attracted to black girls. I've been called racist for it, although those who said it were really joking. I'm not going to pretend to have sexual interest in a certain appearance, just because it might be deemed more socially appropriate. I'm not saying it's impossible, I'm just saying it hasn't really happened yet.
Sure, it's prejudice. But prejudice isn't strictly a negative thing. It's just something that people do. We have preferences. That's the way we are.

Worst part? Black girls hit on me all the time. It's ridiculous and awkward.

Well, prejudice is normally discrimination based on ignorance or simply (usually false) preset beliefs on a person based on something upbringing or whatever. I don't think anyone really gets to choose which physical traits they are attracted to. I don't strictly think that's discrimination; if anything, it's a part of their personality that they cannot help. Having a real prejudice would require having a bad experience with an (insert race here) person and taking it harshly and then assume all the people in that catagory is bad, or any reason based on ignorance. That can be helped through making a choice to educate themselves. Attraction doesn't work like that. It's just some aspect that a person cannot help having, and it usually can't be unlearned just be making a choice.

I say it's not prejudice.

I would say prejudice, your looks or sex appeal is the first thing people notice. the personallity comes later apperently.

if you hire someone (or don't hire them) based on any of that stuff, then it is, but personal lust...I think is different. Though I do wonder what the courts would say if some disgruntled partner sued with that kind of reasoning. I'm shure that there would be a layer out there that would take the case..

They would get the Billy Madison verdict, and rightly so.

yes it is but the real question is, is this our falt? or are we "programed" to think that way even as we grow up?

You would 'lash out' on behalf of your prejudices, either aggressively or passively agressive. On behalf of preferences, you would merely 'latch onto' selectively, either aggressively or passively aggressive. The nuances in levels of aggression coupled with the nuances of sociological gravitation can easily blur the lines when it comes to our perception of our level of consciousness in contrast to our subsequent and inadvert judgements. There's no wrong way to eat a Reese's. Just don't eat the cupcake wrapper with it. That's sick.