On Racism

    Recently a friend posted a video on FB regarding racial profiling. I was sitting in a coffee shop at the time and didn't have my headphones so I only saw the video without hearing the audio. The main focus was a black male who talked a lot, wore a flashy suit and had diamond earrings. I wanted to lighten up the situation, so I commented "I don't trust him, he's got an earring and a flashy suit. He might try to sell me a shitty car for a ridiculous high price"

   I made it clear that I was merely judging him by his attire, but you just can't help but cringe       since the comment was about a black male. A week ago, I found an article that blamed people's drop in tolerance on the economic crisis and I started to wonder. A friend, who I grew up with in Canada, one of the most multicultural countries, confessed recently that  the reason why he moved to a small northern town this year so his kids wouldn't grow up around non-whites. Taking into perspective that he bought a new house and drives 50km to work every day goes to show that his intolerance is not crisis driven.


 Why is it that in this day and age, when our fridges are filled with Mexican salsa, Thai green curry sauce, frozen pierogies and Indian take-out, and our Saturday nights aren't complete without a midnight shawarma or bowl of Vietnamese pho, we still have trouble expressing respect for other people. If our stomachs can handle each other, why can’t our hearts?

http://politics.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978505262
http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/the-long-lawless-ride-of-sheriff-joe-arpaio-20120802