Prejudice: can prejudice ever be a good thing?

I will say that this video got my gears turning. I always thought of prejudice as being bad. It's always had a stigma and negative connotation swirling around it. For that reason, I've kind of steered away from talking about it. Depending on the context, it's quite controversial. In the beginning of the video, I thought to myself, "where is this going? This dude is bold for making such an unheard-of statement." But, as Dr. Bloom continued his presentation and elaborated on his interpretation of prejudice, I totally saw where he was coming from. Prejudice is this natural instinct that all humans have. When used to stigmatize, belittle, and spur hatred,  prejudice is a nasty concept. When used to make general associations and serve as a general guideline in decision making, it can be quite a useful tool to us. A point that Dr. Bloom brought up was that if we weren't able to make guesses about new situations, we wouldn't survive. He quotes William Hazzlet who states "without the aid of prejudice and custom, I should not be able to find my way across the room, nor know how to conduct myself in any circumstances, nor what to feel in any relation to life". This statement has a lot of power behind it. When used correctly, prejudice helps us make associations. We are all naturally prejudice in some way. We may show partiality to our friends and family. We may show partiality to certain sports teams and people who love the same sports teams as us. The list goes on. But just like any other tool we have access to, it can easily be misused. Prejudice has been used for horrific cases such as terrorism, antisemitism, racism, etc. It's imperative that we understand that although prejudice is natural, it's not an excuse or scapegoat to be a horrible person or to do horrible things. We as humans easily have the capacity to override our natural prejudice. We have evolved the capacity for reason. We can use our reason to override passions and even become more understanding and kind. Reason is what controls our impulses. Reason develops as we develop. As we gain more experience, become more educated, and become more self aware, we start to notice our natural biases and prejudices. Noticing them is the first step in correcting them when they are unhealthy and misdirected. I think the best takeaway from this is that as humans, we are incredibly lucky to have such complex brains. We have the power to override natural instincts and see the bigger picture. Having this level of intellect is a gift. It's also a responsibility to do right by one another and the world. I actively correct myself when I have unkind thoughts, and as I've done so and continue to do so, my way of thinking has changed for the better. I feel like a better person. Goodness is contagious just as hatred is. We need to actively work towards spreading goodness, kindness, and love.