It’s no secret that everyone is different. I think we’ve all heard the slightly condescending and wildly cliche words of “don’t judge a book by its cover ” our entire lives from every parental figure we come across.
It may have been ingrained in our brains from the ages of six to twelve, but somehow, from that period to now, the concept seems to have come out of its cocoon with new, highly decorated wings and flown away, never to be seen again. All anyone ever sees anymore is gross generalizations that only lead to frustration on both sides.
We see it all over social media, Twitter especially. Rudeness towards any racial or ethnic group because of an unjust generalization that people are too blinded to understand is unjust.
Sorry, but people are not “ignorant” or “toxic” or “crazy” because of the color of their skin or the country in which they originate, and thinking that it does makes you the “ignorant”, “toxic” and “crazy” one.
I know I know, “You’re white, can you really talk about stereotypes and judgment?”
You’re right. I have never had to deal with harsh criticisms because of my race, I’ve never experienced large-scale discrimination, my ancestors don’t have a history of oppression, and for that, I am privileged.
However, hurtful generalizations have become so widespread that it has also become common to lump a whole group of people with their radical counterparts, further normalizing the habit of judging someone based on the color of their skin.
How a person appears should never be the source of an insult. It may lead to so many psychological issues including self-hatred and low self-esteem, issues that affect everyone, regardless of what they look like or how they identify themselves.
Now, this isn’t a cry for a specific group of people. No, this is directed at all races, ethnicities, orientations, and people. Not all gay men are feminine, not all Mexicans are “drug dealers and rapists” (I’m looking at you Mr. Trump) not all black people are ghetto.
People are people. Straight men can be feminine, most of the drug dealers and rapists tend to be white and your race shouldn’t have any correlation to your behavior or how others perceive you.
So I urge everyone to drop the stereotypes. There are without a doubt some very ignorant people in the world. But ignorance isn’t limited to a single race or ethnicity. That goes for every common stereotype as well because, once again, the only thing that determines a person’s intelligence, or actions, or beliefs, is themselves and how they were raised.
You can still get your point across without even touching those innocent of the claim.
