Throughout history the human race has plastered our world with racism and discrimination, which has led to hate.
Are we really that ignorant? Both the past and the present prove that we are.
To hate someone because of their race, ethnicity, color, religion, culture and so on is probably one of the most stupid things I have ever come across in my 23 years of life.
Racism was an issue that bothered me all summer; the kind of racism that was imposed on Arizona’s residents by Gov. Jan Brewer.
I was so deeply impacted by what Brewer was doing to these residents that I broke down and could not stop crying for nearly three hours.
She claims to be trying to combat illegal immigration. However, she was not combating illegal immigration, but rather attacking individuals because of their race, ethnicity and color. In other words, attacking individuals that resemble millions of Americans like me.
I’ve hoped for many things in life, but changing racism and discrimination is sadly something I have lost hope in, at least for the moment.
Racism and discrimination will probably never be destroyed, which extremely saddens me. A world with such a cancer is pretty repulsive to live in.
I feel that if we were all one color we would simply find another reason to hate one another. If we were all rich we would find out who had the least money and humiliate them.
Racism and discrimination are the main reasons why we, as both a country and as the world cannot succeed.
A recent crime due to discrimination occurred on Tuesday, Aug. 24, when a New York City taxi cab driver was stabbed because he stated he was Muslim.
It didn’t seem to be something a healthy person would do. It’s as bad as if I were to go around stabbing everybody who was Catholic just because I was Mormon. It just didn’t make sense.
Another incident of racism occurred just a few weeks ago. A Mexican-American man was severely beaten in Staten Island because he was a “wetback.”
I could not believe that this happened in what we consider to be the “land of the free.”
When I think of hate crimes that are committed against people because of how their creator made them it makes me feel sad, angry and most of all, disparaged. It’s insulting because before any race, ethnicity, culture or color, I consider myself human.
Diversity is what makes the United States a beautiful country.
If we, the educated, don’t break down the walls of racism and discrimination then it will never be done. Education is the key to begin the elimination of racism and discrimination.
The only thing we should hate is hate itself.
Let’s learn to accept and love one another for who we are.
Oscar Perez is a sophomore Mass Communications and Journalism major and contributing writer. Perez serves as senator at-large for Associated Students, Inc.
Caileen • Sep 23, 2010 at 12:19 am
I completely agree, though sadly this isn’t the only discrimination we face. In my immediate family everyone is deaf,except for me of course. While growing up I would see how the outside world would stereotype and label MY brothers and sister, and MY mother. I hated it, they were labeled Deaf and Dumb, retarded because they couldn’t hear. but that’s not all… considering i am puerto rican, the stereotypes for my family and i doesn’t decrease.
America hasn’t changed, nor do i believe it ever will…. it has not made progress, sure a few laws were changed and people decided to shut their mouths for a bit. But will this little law protect me from the ignorance? the name calling? the dirty looks? The sorry i cant help you at stores i love to shop in? or even im sorry can you show me your papers??!!! Ha! no… it wont.. So Oscar, im right there with you, my hope and faith for this place we call “land of the free” is shot… done… and dead….
Anonymous • Sep 4, 2010 at 8:46 pm
I kind of feel sad that sexuality was left out of the conversation (if it wasn’t intentional then I may be off base here), but I guess hating someone because of what they enjoy doing behind closed doors with other consenting adults makes more sense than hating people because of their race, ethnicity, color, religion or culture.
Melissa Mata • Sep 3, 2010 at 2:18 am
Unfortunately, pockets of racism still exist in America. However, this opinion piece does not give enough credit to the way in which race relations in America have improved. A clear example of this is our very own campus, which peacefully hosts a number of cultures every day. It is not prudent to say that we are all ignorant because of the decisions of a few radical extremists.
In regards to Arizona’s SB 1070, both President Barack Obama and George W. Bush strategist Karl Rove agree that it is a poorly written law. Given that powerful figures on both sides of the political aisle have reservations when it comes to the law it is again rash to say that we live in a widely discriminatory nation.
With all of these things in mind, I would venture to say that America has come a long way and will continue to make progress towards improving race relations.