Racism in America

[SomeRandomGuy]

Differences don't create racism. Ignorance and fear create racism.

I agree with this. Racism (or any other prejudice) is rooted in ignorance and fear.

If a Black man achieves something that no other Black man has achieved, and we choose to celebrate, then so be it. If a Chinese man became president of the U.S., they would celebrate too, and that's fine. When a White guy won the dunk contest I'm pretty sure there were some pretty happy White people, and that's fine too.

I agree with what you're saying, but I personally do not think it is ok. By labeling the Chinese or White man as such we are calling unnecessary attention to those differences. As I have said before, I think being different is great. I do not, however, think that being different is what forms who we are. Bringing race into unrelated topics, such as politics or basketball, just reiterates the point that the person being described is different. What if we were talking about religion or sexuality instead? Would it be ok for people to be talking about "that Methodist who was elected president" or "the homosexual who won the slam dunk contest"? Do you see what I'm saying? while those descriptions might be accurate, what point is there is even using those labels other than to point out that the people are different?

The point is, people will always have differences. We should accept those differences. It's all about respect and love. Once we can begin to love and respect one another, everything will be ok.

I agree with this point as well. I want to live in a society where there is no prejudice. I want to live in a world where we are all equal, and everyone is given the respect that he/she deserves. Martin Luther King Jr. said "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.". I would take that one step further. My dream would be a world in which not only are people not judged because of the color of their skin, the color of their skin is not even noticed, or is noticed no more than the color of their hair.

I believe that your stance is that something along the lines of "I am different, but should not be treated differently". Is that accurate? Unfortunately, the reality of the world we live in today is that there are people who look at people different based on things such as skin color. Until society evolves beyond that, being different is going to be a cause, in some people's eyes, for treating people differently. The more focus is placed on those differences, the greater the culture clash, the greater the prejudice from some people is going to be. I don't think that the black community needs to become more like whites, or needs to leave behind their culture and style if they are happy with those things. What I do think is important, however, is to understand that drawing attention to these differences is going to result in being treated differently by some people. That is not fair, it is not right, but it is the reality of the world we live in.