It is a well-known fact that there are constant conflicts among different groups of people, and that people tend to blame their misfortunes on some outside other groups. What are the causes of group prejudice There seems to be little doubt that one of the principal causes of prejudice is fear: in particular the fear that the interests of our own group are going to be enered by the actions of another. This is less likely to be the case in a stable, relatively unchanging society in which the members of different social and occupational groups know what to expect of each other, and know what to expect for themselves. In times of rapid social and economic change, however, new occupations and new social roles appear, and people start looking jealously at each other to see whether their own group is being left behind.
Once prejudice develops, it is hard to stop, because there are often social forces at work which actively encourage unfounded attitudes of hostility (敌意) and fear towards other groups. One such force is education, and another is the pressure of public opinion.
Why is it that we hear so much more about the failures of relationships between communities than we do about the successes I am afraid it is partly due to the increase in communications which radio, television and the popular press have brought about. In those countries where the media of mass communication are commercial enterprises, they tend to measure ’success by the size of their audience; and people are more likely to buy a newspaper, for instance, if their attention is caught by something dramatic, something sensational, or something that amuses their anxiety. The popular press flourishes on "scare headlines", and popular orators (演说者), especially if they are politicians addressing a relatively unsophisticated audience, know that the best way to amuse such an audience is to frighten them.
Where there is a real or imaginary threat to economic security, this is especially likely to inflame (燃烧) group prejudice. It is important to remember economic factors if we .wish to lessen prejudice between groups because unless they are dealt with properly it will be little use simply persuading people not to be prejudiced against other groups whom they see as their , if not their enemies.
Prejudice is something difficult to eliminate once formed because it is often ______.