Why are people so prejudiced?

I am mostly Irish and Spanish and have brown hair, greenish-grey eyes, and pretty white skin with freckles. And I trace my ancestry back to Ireland and Spain. Apparently people have such prejudices because I was riding the train to Manhattan today and my cell phone rang and it was my cousin from Spain (who happens to look the SAME as me) and she and I chatted for a few minutes in Spanish. As I was doing that I noticed a few (dark haired, dark eyed with tan skin) Spanish women stop talking and stare dead at me--As if I had done something wrong. Not that I consider myself Hispanic, but it annoyed me because it made me feel like such an outsider, like I wasn't allowed to be who I was.

Why are people so prejudiced?
Who knows. Maybe they were suprised you spoke Spanish so well. Stop worrying about what people think. It's their problem not yours.
Reply:frightend by what they don'y know
Reply:just be yourself,i got a friend from NYC and she's an Italian not mixed and her last name was Giovanni before she got married,she taught me and my son some Spanish and Itialian,be proud of who you are and where you're from.
Reply:YOU SOUND HOT BY THE WAY LOL. IGNORE PEOPLE LIKE THAT..... THEY CANT TAKE AWAY YOUR HERITAGE AND KNOWLEGE. BE YOURSELF AND BE PROUD OF YOUR HERITAGE. I WISH I COULD SPEAK SPANISH, BUT IM BETTER AT FRENCH.