Ignorance

Ignorance is a perfect descriptor of the world we live in. It drove followers of Osama Bin Laden to high jack the plane on 9/11 and kill so many innocent people; it’s the foundation of the organization we know as the KKK; and it's the reason for racism in general.

There are signs of ignorance everywhere and the greatest perpetuator is the media/television. I remember a conversation I had with a Vietnamese friend my junior year of high school. She explained to me that her parents were afraid of Black Americans because of how we are portrayed on television. Sounds crazy, huh? When you think about it, it's not so crazy. If you're from a foreign country and never had interaction with a particular race, then you would be scared after seeing negative images on television. So what's the excuse for persons born right here in America? It boils down to one's environment and lack of exposure to other races. The combination of my parents and different school environments taught me to respect all people regardless of color and to be open-minded. If you're not taught these things at an early age, ignorance becomes a way of life.

I was looking at a youtube video late last week and started reading the comments below it. A young black boy was claiming to be Bristol Palin’s baby’s father. Turned out to be a hoax but it was interesting to see the political and racial dialogue that ensued. What I saw was disturbing and indicative of how although we as Americans have come so far, we still have a far way to go. There was a white man going back and forth with other users about how dumb, un-educated, and inferior black persons are to white people. He used the words n****r and Negroes so casually – pretty much as a replacement for black or African American. It’s sad that some still believe that because I’m black, I’m pre-disposed to some type of gene that makes me less intelligent than a white person. If anyone lacks intelligence, I feel it has more to do with their quality of education or aversion to learning. Other than physical attributes, the educated should know there are no significant differences between any race and ethnicity. It’s unfortunate that this type of racial prejudice still exists but proves that ignorance will always be present in society.

Fortunately, generation x and y have grown up in a more diverse society and are more accepting of cultural differences. An example of this lies in music. Hip hop & rap have have enjoyed mainstream popularity over the last 2 decades. Further proof of this lies in the political process. For the first time in history a Black American has been nominated as a candidate for the presidential election – definitely a step towards progress. Though the color lines blur more and more with time, you can be assured that there will be persons from all walks of life that will keep ignorance alive.