If you are white, middle-aged, and attend tea parties you are a probably a racist. If you don't agree with Obama's healthcare plan you are probably a gun-toting conservative. On the other side of the aisle Democrats are considered to be hippy, pot-smoking, kool-aid drinking liberals for their stand for Obama's healthcare proposition or for the revision of immigration rights. Are you serious? In a nation that says they are tolerant of others, why is that we can't tolerate those within our own country?
I don't know about you but my mom and dad taught me that it was wrong to talk about people and to not call people names. Have people gotten to the place that name-calling and stereotyping is now ok.
All month long at Linn-Benton Community College I had the wonderful privilege of attending many workshops held by the Diversity Achievement Center. One such workshop, the "Illumination Project", helped me to see the effects of stereotyping and the pain and violence that is brought about by such prejudices. During one of the skits a young white man remarks to his African-American friend about the neighborhood that he grew up in, "my mom smoked crack too", to which the the African-American replies, "my mom doesn't smoke crack".
Stereotypes. They are everywhere and coming out of our ears. The wars between MSNBC , CNN and Fox News have shown us since this last election (at least it seems more pronounced) that it is an acceptable thing to low-blow those that disagree with you politically by calling them names and stereotyping.
Keith Olberman said in a special report about racism called those that went to the tea parties throughout America the "Tea Klux Klan". The tea party movement is about lowering taxes and limited government control but according to Olberman they are racist and only attended by whites.
According to the Media Awareness Network a stereotype is:Stereotype: A fixed, commonly held notion or image of a person or group, based on an oversimplification of some observed or imagined trait of behaviour or appearance.
Photo courtesy of pajamamedias.com
In the words of the late great Martin Luther King in his "I have a dream" speech ,"there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred."
It's ok to disagree with people but it should not be ok to mark these people through stereotypes. Let us as American's stand above the prejudices and discriminations that come our way and judge righteous and good judgement toward our fellow man.
At a glance:
Who: Media outlets and throughout society
What: Stereotypes and racism are exploited while generating more stereotypes and racism
Why: To put to not the disagreeing group
How: Through media and diverse forms
Where: All over America
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