Okay, Here we Go

*deep breath in and out*

Recently race has been a huge topic everywhere in the United States. And because, like it or not, the U.S. is so influential in the world, race has become a fairly big topic world wide. One of the biggest problems however with today's "opinioned" people, is that they don't understand the difference between "prejudice" and "racism". These two words periodically go hand in hand, however they are distinctly ugly in their own right.

The difference comes down to this. Prejudice is the presumption that all people of a certain specification are . Here's an example: "All Mexicans are rapists." That is prejudice. It is ugly and it is wrong. However, it is a fair bit different then racism.

Racism is the hatred of an entire race simply because they are that race. An example: Hitler hating everybody that was not Aryan. This is an example of extreme racism, and in such cases prejudice will inevitably play a big role. The biggest difference is this. People who are racist are prejudiced. People who are prejudiced are not necessarily racist.

And now for a personal example of the differences:

I live in a predominantly white neighborhood. I tend not to have problem with people of any color being around me. I am however, wary when I see people fitting the stereotypical "gang" look. And, really, can you blame me? I was born and raised in a white neighborhood and most of what I see about black people (as a primary example) is thugs and riots protesting how terrible white people are. These portrayals are not going to make me like black people if that is all I know. 

I personally want to love all all people, but that is a pursuit made difficult by all the bad news. Hence, we need more coverage of races as a whole. Not just the bad things that races do. Don't just record the blacks rioting, the Mexicans hauling drugs over the boarder, and the racist whites who hate everybody who's not white. All these things happen, but we should have equal coverage of Martin Luther King Jr, about the rich culture of Mexico (and it is really quite fantastic), and the white people who embrace the cultures of other countries.

One final thing and then I am done. America was a land of immigrants. That is what built the United States. However, that was before the U.S. was united. Now we are a country, we still except immigrants, but if you want to become American then you should be willing to accept the American culture. You need to become American, don't make America become the country you are leaving.