What best describes the attitude of Jason's coworker who assumes he was hired due to Affirmative Action?

The attitude of Jason's coworker, who assumes he was hired due to Affirmative Action, best aligns with prejudice. This is because prejudice refers to preconceived opinions or judgments about a person or a group that are not based on reason or actual experience. In this context, the coworker is making an assumption about Jason's qualifications and abilities based solely on his perceived race, gender, or background and the policies surrounding Affirmative Action, rather than evaluating Jason based on his own merits and qualifications.

Prejudice often manifests as a bias that can lead individuals to judge others unfairly, and in this case, it reflects an underlying belief that Jason is less qualified and was only given a position due to external factors rather than personal capability. This negative assumption can strain workplace relationships and perpetuate a lack of understanding or respect among colleagues.

Other concepts such as stereotyping involves making generalized beliefs about a person based on group characteristics, discrimination refers to actions that treat individuals unfairly based on their characteristics, and marginalization relates to pushing certain groups to the edges of society or social processes, none of which quite capture the coworker's judgment as succinctly as prejudice does in this context.