Everybody can be prejudice.

I always hold a person belonging to a minority to be more understanding of other minority. Why? Simple logic would dictate that most minority has experienced some sort of discrimination from the majority so they know how it feels to be oppressed. Hence I feel they would be more understanding and less prejudice of others cause they know it is not nice. But evidently, some oppressed can be oppressors too.

One of my client at work is an elderly black woman. Being elderly, black and a woman, I am sure she has seen all forms of discrimination from ageist, racist and sexist, respectively. And one would think that she did not like being at the receiving end of prejudicial words or deeds. So she would have learnt to be less prejudice herself. But I discovered today that this elderly black woman has her own prejudice that she throws out there to the psychologically disturbed people who are not exactly on the well groomed side. I took her out today to the outdoor ice cream social of residents at my work cause she mentioned yesterday, while we were outdoors practicing her walking, that it would be nice to have ice cream outdoors on a warm summer day. And most of the resident that participate in the outdoor ice cream social activity are from the psych and dementia floors. Many of them are not well kept physically. While we were out in the garden sitting with the other residents eating ice cream, my client noticed some of the unkept people and made a negative comment about their appearance. So I told her that some of those people have psych problems that is why they may look that way. After a few minutes of her observing the people around her, she began muttering that it was disgusting to be out there with "those" people. And that she did not belong there with "those" people. So I tried to explain to her that we were not out there cause I thought she belonged with psych residents. I reminded her that it was she who wanted to be outdoors and have some ice cream. But she continued to be displeased with her situation so I just asked her if she wanted to go back in. We did end up going back indoors where she would feel better and away from the psych residents. I did not expect this blatant prejudicial behavior from her. Honestly, I was mildly surprised. But I guess I should have expected it cause one of the diagnosis of this woman is actually "Altered Mental Status". In an ironic way, she did belong out there with "those" people.  Perhaps she was on the defensive side about her stay at the nursing home hence exposing her true prejudice.