Elliot Golan / Roundup
It occurs to me that the issue of prejudice is not improving in this country.
Regardless of endless discussion and countless amounts of legislature designed to help curb the spreading of this plague, we still have a problem.
Nobody has hinted that the issue may not be entirely free of the minority groups that get victimized.
African-Americans, Latin-Americans, Jews, Women, deaf and many other mistreated demographics must change their thinking as well.
As the child of proud Jewish immigrants, I was taught to fear certain things at a young age. Taught to fear Muslims. Taught to fear Germans. Taught to fear the more conservative areas of Middle America.
therein lies the problem.
We cannot look at ourselves differently because we are a minority.
We are human beings. The children and grandchildren of historic oppressors are also human beings.
It is our weariness and lack of comfortability that proliferates this dilemma.
And our overcompensation has done little to rectify the problem.
Take the Arab-Israeli conflict for example. Many, myself included, have little faith in resolution.
Why?
The issue is inbred hate. Prior to learning how to read, write or ride a bike, these people are taught to hate.
The parents of societies around the world pass on these hates and these fears from generation to generation and empower the continuation of the cycle.
Though persecuted groups like those listed have reasons to feel entitled to protection, they must rise above these short-sided generalizations and take people for who they are.
Should someone cross the line, there must be consequences and repercussions for their actions. That goes without saying.
On the other hand, living under assumptions and expectation of wrongdoing, as I see many do, creates a reality in which the innocent are often penalized without reason.
Isn’t that the foundation of prejudice? Guilt by association?
I have friends and colleagues from all walks of life, fitting in to countless demographics, but I will not allow this to concern me.
All these individuals are nothing more than human beings. And I will treat them as such.
More importantly, I will take the leap all minorities must.
I will expect that they will do the same to me.