I was only
seven years old. Being told that I was moving to the great United States of
America with tons of opportunities, I was thrilled. When we finally arrived in
our new home in Florida, I can’t even explain the amount of sadness and
disappointment that I started to feel since that day. Within two days of moving
into the neighborhood, I already had enemies, ninety percent of them being
people who I had only exchanged no other word other than “hello” with. On my
way home from the new school on third day of moving in, a group of at least ten
Cuban kids jumped me for no apparent reason. All I could remember was being
kicked in the stomach repeatedly, blood dripping down my nose, and hearing them
call me a stupid “chino.” At the time, I didn’t know how to speak Spanish, or
even English for that matter. I just wished that I could communicate with them
so they could understand all the things I was yelling in Korean. When I came
home after being beat up, my worried mother started crying; I’m sure she too
felt deceived by all the wonderful things that she had heard of America prior
to arriving at our new home.
I developed trust issues and was
afraid of meeting new people ever since that incident. You can only imagine the
fear that I felt when a group of black kids approached me when I was shooting
hoops outside my house (which was the furthest I would travel from my house
ever since I was beat up). Automatically, I froze in fear until one of the kids
asked me what my name was. My mom, who
had seen the group of kids surrounding me, had run out of the house to prevent
anything from happening. I told them my name, shook hands with everyone, and
started shooting hoops together.
Growing up in a diverse
neighborhood with various races, I was exposed to the harsh reality of racism
found in America ever since I was a child. It seemed that everywhere I went,
there was violence amongst different groups of kids or gangs, all of those
being of different cultures. What perplexed me even further was the fact that
the first best friends I had ever made were black. If I, someone who stuck like
sore thumb within my group of black friends, could get along peacefully with
different people, why couldn’t everyone? I believe that I am the epitome of
what everyone in the United States should be like. I don’t think that I’m being
cocky when I say that, because since it’s the way everyone should be anyway,
its nothing to brag about. Everyone is different, and that being said, people
shouldn’t hold resentment towards any particular race because of one person. I,
being in Sigma Beta Rho Multicultural Fraternity Incorporated, personally have
brothers of almost every race, all of those who I love to death. On a final note,
I just want to summarize everything I said in three words: Racism is stupid.
Why do you guys think racism exists
in America? Have you had any personal experiences where you were discriminated
against because of your race or just because you’re “different?” What kind of
solutions can you guys propose to prevent racism and promote peace?
"New Law to Combat Racism and Xenophobia." Cyprusupdates. 2011. Web. 12 Mar. 2012. <http://www.cyprusupdates.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/racism-546x387.jpg>.
I think there's still racism in America because a lot of people are raised by parents who have maybe had racist parents too. Some of our parents grandparents were alive before the Civil Rights movement so some of the ideologies from those times could've carried over to the present day. It's really hard to say why people discriminate one another, but I find it unfortunate. Being Hispanic I have experienced discrimination from ignorant and bigoted people. Even though it can be rough to deal with, it has made me appreciate and take more pride in my culture and background.
ReplyDeleteRacism and other forms of prejudice are still very present in the minds of Americans. I would not say it very prevalent in a federal way, as in every man has equal rights and slavery was abolished a long time ago. It is a character flaw of human nature and it is one that is often overlooked.
ReplyDeleteI believe there shouldn't be any type of racism in the U.S considering the fact that the US is made up of different races. We all come together to make up the U.S, so anyone who is being racist towards someone of a different race than theirs should be apprehended. I think the reason why people are still being racist towards others is because they're uneducated. I can't recall major discrimination towards me for being Hispanic, and if I ever was, it must have been behind my back.
ReplyDeleteRacism is something that began with history. I personally believe that racism stemmed from fear; our fear of someone who was different. The way history chose to handle that fear was to judge and often to belittle someone. To be honest, I don't think there is any possible way to get rid of racism. It is so much of our society's culture. It is sad that someone must be judged based on a physical feature. People back then and nowadays are too close minded to accept something new and different, thus making them uneducated and unaware. I have never faced any problems with people saying racist comments.
ReplyDeleteRacism exists in America because people are not all the same. Due to this fact, people focus on the differences and convince themselves that they are better than "those people." It is a fear and a hatred, and there is honestly no way to stop it. People will always fear "the other" - it is just how we are raised to be. I personally have been discriminated against on many occasions and though it is looked down upon, it will always occur.
ReplyDeleteRacism is still in America because it existed when the country was formed and people are still trying to get rid of it. People are afraid of people who are different than them, and that fear turns into hate. I don't know how to get rid of the racism that still is in this country. People just need to be taught to be more open minded and more open to learning about others' backgrounds and accepting of them. It is ridiculous because even if we look a little different or come from different places we are all still humans and entitled to the same rights. I am part Korean, and haven't encountered any sort of experience that really compares with yours, but I went to an almost completely white private school was called "yellow" and other things like that by people. It was ridiculous and annoying, but I just ignored it because I am very proud of that part of my background.
ReplyDeleteI feel like racism exists in america because we have the mentality that we don't like things that are different from us. I have not personally been a victim of racism, but I have witnessed it before and it makes me sad. America isa giant meting pot and I don't understand why racism is still practiced.
ReplyDeleteThe argument I made for my blogpost was similar as well, and I wish I would have had your first had account when I wrote it. Many people commented negatively against my blog post saying that America was fine the way it was and rasism and oppression was just a myth of the liberal media. People are ridiculously blind sighted. Honestly, I joined a gosspel choir back in highschool and it was probably the most awesome thing I've ever been involved in, no lie. Every thursday we had practice and people would fry and cook crazy foods! It was so much fun and everyone was so friendly and open, even though I was literally the only white guy present either at church or practice. America is just very close minded as a nation, which is also why most countries have found disdain for us at one point in time or another. We will believe what we have believed no matter how false, rasist, etc. it is. It's terrible.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteRacism exists in America because of this country's history. I don't remember a time when I was discriminated against in America, but I found odd looks from people when I traveled to Australia. They thought it was different in the way that I speak with country slang. Other than that, no I do not have many experiences with discrimination because the most I ever get are weird looks. I don't think racism can be solved in America until years and years down the road. People learn to make decisions based on stereotypes and these stereotypes can lead to having racist tendencies.
ReplyDeleteI think that racism is a big problem today, but I don’t think that our discrimination is just limited to race. We have all at one point used a stereotype or some other type of prejudice that I would consider to be discrimination. I was made fun of a lot by my friends for being Polish. My friends would always call me “Pole” or “Pollack,” and yes I know that they were kidding, but still sometimes it did hurt. But not only was the whole Polish thing a problem, I had other things that I was made fun of for, mostly my hair color. You wouldn’t believe how many dumb blonde jokes I have heard in my life. And I tell them too, but I feel like I’m allowed to. I can make fun of myself, but whenever I would say something, my friends would say “oh, just ignore her, she’s blonde.” I think that this sort of stuff happens for two reasons. One, I think that most people are really starting not to care about people’s feelings. We’re all so insecure that we feel like we have to make fun of other people first, so that we won’t be made fun of. And second, I think that we all toss insults around and we think it’s okay as long as we add “just kidding” to the end. But I don’t that’s okay. The only thing that I can think of to fix this problem is to get people to realize just want their words and actions mean and the weight that they carry.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what started racism, but I think that it is something that has been carried down through generations. Kids grow up hearing their parents or grandparents making racist remarks so they start to believe that that is how they should act. I don't think that we will ever be able to completely stop racism, because many people will never change their mindset towards it. It is a terrible thing, but it is one of the harsh realities of life.
ReplyDeleteThat’s an awful story and im so sorry that happened to you. I think that little kids do that just to bully other kids. I am not racist and have never made fun of somebody for being another race, and from my experience mature adults wont stoop down to that level. Children are immature and that’s just their nature to point out things that are different. I bet that if It was only that one kid without the rest of his friends he wouldn’t have done that to you. The power of numbers has a big impact on confidence, and it definitely made a difference in your situation. In an ideal world racism wouldn’t exist, but unfortunately it does and I don’t think that we can ever get away from it. People will be mean and their opinions can be hurtful, but the best thing to do is ignore it.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI think racism exist in America because there are a lot of people in this world that think he or she is better than everyone. And if someone else looks different or does something out of the norm, he or she is shunned and therefore receives rude remarks (discrimination). I can't recall an experience that has happened to me, I know one has but I can't remember. However, I was watching a show on MTV and this girl was trying to get in the club and the bouncer asked her to step aside real quick and let other people go through. The reason why he asked her to step aside was because she was heavier than the rest of the clobbers. That is extremely messed up! I honestly think racism will be around forever. Yes it has gotten better since slavery but there is still discrimination and a lot of hate in this world.
ReplyDeleteI realize racism was behind the hate you received, but I would recommend taking a look at the bigger picture. I think the big part of your problem was gang violence. Most gangs will try to display their strength regularly and unfairly against defenseless by standards. And the fact that they were at a typical recruiting age for gangs, they may have been trying to make some sort of name for themselves. Also, Cuban gangs are notorious in South Florida, if that is where you happened to grow up.
ReplyDeleteI went to FAMU my first semester in college, and for the first time in my life I was a minority. It was awkward at first, but soon I made more friends than I have at FSU now. I miss going there and the people were a lot more friendly. Multicultural experiences are cool, and I defiantly enjoyed my time going to a historically black college.
ReplyDelete