Lately I’ve been hearing a lot of talk about racism in the media, between building a wall to keep Mexicans out of the U.S.A and bans on Muslims flying in. People seem to have forgotten that The American Dream was built by immigrants and people searching for freedom of religion. Unfortunately the cost was slaughtering and stealing land from the Native Americans. Didn’t we learn anything? I thought we were finally advancing forward as a society. We elected an African American President and had a woman run for the position but now it seems we’re taking steps backwards.
I’ve been witnessing an uprising of hatred in my day to day life as well. Racists are more than willing to share with me their ignorance. Just because we have the same skin color, doesn’t mean we have the same beliefs. All whites aren’t racists, just like all Muslims aren’t terrorists. The other day, in an elevator at a local casino, a white couple decided to make comments to me about an African American man after he exited. I was only half listening and was almost to my car before I realized what they were saying was racist, not just drunk ramblings.
Racism bothers me a lot and I know that evil exists in this world, I was raised in a household that was just as prejudice as it was homophobic. What disappoints me is when people I know and like say negative things. Family, friends and co-workers have been spewing some ugly slurs recently making me uncomfortable and causing me to lose respect for them. It puts me in an uncomfortable situation that I don’t want to be in.
However, I am very thankful to live in the north east because I think it’s worse in other parts of the country. New Englanders aren’t known as the friendliest of people but we’ve been warming up this winter. People are turning their sneers into smiles and holding doors open for others instead of slamming them in one another’s faces. The best way I can think to battle other people’s hatred is to increase my own kindness and I think others are doing the same. In my gay opinion, when you can’t count on your government to do the right thing, you have to look to one another to make things better.
