There are three words that have a great impact on American society and they are Race, Class and Gender. They have caused tension in our country and unnecessary criticism towards people. When these topics come up for discussion, many people choose not to even take part in them, due to the hard feelings and awkward moments that accompany the issue. As bad as it may seem that these problems exist, it is something that should be changed because it constantly destroys America as a whole. Prejudice and discrimination are common words in the vocabulary of the average American, but due to lack of knowledge, most do not know the differences in the meaning of these two words. Prejudice means that a decision on the topic has already been made in advance. Someone is considered prejudicial if they have made up their minds about a matter before any reasoning is made about them. The sad part is that, normally, reasoning won't change their opinion on the topic, however sometimes it does. Some common examples of prejudice that I see in today's society would be when someone says, "people in fraternities and sororities drink and do drugs all the time" or "women have to be in the kitchen." Fraternity members actually have a higher graduation rate than the non-Greek student body. There are actually even more male chefs in today's society. Prejudice can even become discrimination. Discrimination is usually determined by a judgment for or against something based on a specific racial and/or ethnic group to which individuals belong. Discrimination is such a distorted perspective because not all people in a specific group are the same as each other. Human beings should be valued based on their individual worth or qualities. Both race and gender are...... center of paper... finished? We should consider more important characteristics of people such as their hard work ethic, credentials, temperament, or their dedication to something. In my opinion, this is a more logical way of thinking and I believe it would lead to a more peaceful and productive society. Our ideas come from the past, and although they led to the creation of the greatest country on the planet, they also negatively affect our society. Moving away from old ways of thinking and changing is the only way to advance in life. If you keep doing the same thing, you will get the same results. It is time to change society's vision on some issues to advance our country as a whole and for the good of man. It's time for a change. Life will never be completely fair, that's a simple fact, but that shouldn't discourage us from changing and making a difference..