"Positive" Prejudice

One thing in the reading that I found interesting, but already knew about, is the fact that even if a prejudice seems like a positive one, it is still negative because it can offend some people. I found this topic interesting because the author provided reasons and examples in the form of hypothetical situations to explain why this is the case. For instance, the prejudice that whites are better off in society than other groups, therefore no white people need any special financial assistance. I had never thought of this scenario when thinking of “positive” stereotypes. Another example in the text was about how Jews are very helpful to one another. In the scenario, a man, who is not a Jew, gets a flat tire while traveling and nobody stops to help him fix it. Then, remembering advice he heard from his grandmother, he puts on a kippa, a head covering that Jewish males wear; and soon, a group of Orthodox Jews stop to help him. This example seems to portray a positive prejudice that Jews are very helpful, however it is also stating that Jews only help other Jews, which makes this prejudice extremely harmful.