There is concept which has floated in my mind for some time now. Imagine the following: a person's action leads to your irritation. For me this occurs mostly while driving, but the example is universally applicable. Many resort to expletives toward, or degradation of, the offender. The insult hurled occasionally correlates with the physical appearance of said offender. This is precisely where ignorance takes hold.
If the offender appearance is like our own, epithets are relegated to stupidity, silliness, or not paying attention. If the offender's appearance differs from our own, racial slurs tend to occur during heated exchanges. This is racism as opposed to the previously mentioned example of jerkism. The cause of this is, of course, ignorance and perhaps lack of exposure, which relates back to ignorance. It is appalling that so many individuals have failed to learn the lessons of World War II, despite the prominence of the events occurring therein. The abbreviated message was best articulated in 1963 by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.:
(Individuals) will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I guess I'm just too young because I can not conceive of a world where certain peoples are marginalized because of color or creed. It's all about character. Haven't we learned anything?
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1 comment:
I think you're missing the boat on this one. Basically everyone that doesn't look, think, and act like me is inferior and therefore deserving of my scorn and harassment. Run on sentences are okay when I do it.
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