You see it everyday. Words and actions against a person due to race or religeon. You probably don't step up because you are offended only subconciously, as racial comments are implemented so deep in American media. A "Nigger" here and there on respected television shows and songs, a Jewish joke on America's favorate sitcom, [Yes, it is a religeon, but some people like to classify 'Jewish' as a race. I wonder why...] and even fights that break out on the streets and in schools due to such things as language barriers and a lack of respect for our fellow men and their culture.
Here I am now as the solutionist. The liberal mind. The opinion of the common person. A white male. Why should that matter now? Well, it may produce bias. Bias is really not liable in heated discussions like this and like it or not, that is the truth. Fortunately, I am not biased in race, as I love my fellow man. I have black, white, asian, and hispanic friends and the last thing I would want to do would be to jeopardize those friendships with racial attacks.
Here we go, or here I go, that is.
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The first thing to do in order to completely wipe racism from America is to stop the stereotypes. Not all blacks try to act "gangster", and not all latinos are poor and illegally in America, and not all Asians are trained to hate America. This means that television, music, and the rest of the media needs to stop fueling the stereotypes with bandwagon bandwagon psycology and the association effect. This mountain of burning hate caused by the media is almost too large to douse with knowledge and understanding. Children do watch those MTV videos and one-sided right-winged newsstations and they do encode racial stereotypical thoughts. This segways to my next idea to destroy racism. Quit associating yourselves with stereotypes. Pull up your goddam pants. Stop reading and pull them up now! Done? Ok, read on. Wearing pants that are 5 sizes too large with no belt, so they hang down to your knees is hardly cool. I'd call it disgusting and improper. Oh noes! Bias. Hardly. Some professionals believe that fashion and proper etiquite is universal in all cultures. Would you think having your ass stick out would attract women? The female is very attracted to well-clothed males. Now, watch as she looks at your ass sticking out...hot? Not. I have talked to many females, black and white and the answers are all the same, "I grew out of liking that look when I grew up". Do you think your friends think you are the man for doing it? Chances are that unless they too are slaves to stereotypical fashion, they probably think you are a tool and a bottom-barrel ass-hat. Its gives a bad reputation with atthorities because once again, the associative property is at work and atthorities match sagging pants with long shirts, baseball caps, and bandanas used as "colors" with "violence" and "drugs". Keywords that get countless innocent teens pulled over for what cops assume could be happening. I have had an experience. I have been considered white trash for wearing a sleeveless shirt with a baseball cap in summer night and pulled over, only to have to stand straight up next to a tree while the cop scanned my license. There is no trust, it seems.
Jewelery...ahhh jewlery. Why guys like to wear diamond ear studs and long neck chains confuses me. I associate those things with a totally different and somewhat more appropriate stereotype that I happen to love...WOMEN! There is nothing sexy about wearing types of jewelery that in America, are most of the time worn by the opposite sex.
You may live in one of the most wealthy counties in America, but as soon as you dress like the only thing you own is your image, you become cool, right? Hardly. Your words and actions are what define you as a person in society.
Last thing we need to wipe from our society before racism can offically be swept off the minds of Americans is the language. Words are weapons and provide excuses for violence. When I say "Stop all the words", I am not just refering to the people using them to offend others. I am also refering to a person who uses a word they would find offensive in normal conversation. Take the work "Nigger". People have gotten hurt and killed for saying the word to blacks in ways meant to be offensive. If a race finds a certain slang word or jargon offensive, why do they sometimes use it as often as they do between each other, even at times being a compliment? Listen, if you want to stop the circulation of the word, stop using it yourself. You can't hurt another person because they say a word that you use daily. It is not your race's word. That is descrimination and if it is because of someone'e race, it is racism. Full circle, huh? Interesting. Read on.
Am I saying that everyone should be able to use the words? Of course not. In order to extinguish the words from our vocabulary, we first need to stop saying them. So, if you don't like the words being used, try and stop the words from being used in your own community.
Well, those are some surefire ideas on how to cease racism in America. "Cease rasism". Now that is an oxymron. While there are ways to prevent it, there will always be racism. People like being superior to others and they don't all grasp the concept of equality and at times, use race as a scapegoat to be superior to another. It is primal and instinctive. Can people change from this way of thinking? Not unless we give every racist a labotomy. Racism will always be present in American and in other countries. It has started wars and has killed thousands, even millions of poeple from hate crimes to genocide. There are countless forms of it and because it is too diverse, it is going to be hard to halt. But we cannot simply ignore it. Do what you'd like to prevent racism, but don't ignore it. That is the worst mistake you could make. Worse than the act itself.
