The Greatest Hate
People tend to fear or dislike what they do not know or understand. Then why, after all of these years, do people still hold onto their feelings of racism? Society is at an all-time high of diversity, and television has taken a reflection to this fact. Many new programs have African-American stars and themes. Most of the commercials have black-inspired music in the background. The population-numbers have shifted, and still people find a reason to dislike those different than themselves. These feelings of hatred and narrow-minded thinking come from many different places. The most common thread in most cases is the beliefs of the parents. The innocent, fragile minds of the children are at the mercy of the corruptive minds of the parents. However it is taught or learned, racism takes on many faces. But are the parents really to blame? Society constantly reminds us of the atrocities of slavery and the post-Civil War South. Black-Americans are surely never going to forget the harsh treatment of their people during the Civil Rights Movement. Even today, many blacks are treated like second-class citizens. Cabs fly by, whites cross the street, and many stare at the black man who has just entered a room of mostly whites. If race doesn’t matter, why do nearly all job applications have the famous race box? The application says it is for research purposes, but there is no research I can think of that requires the race of a specific applicant. I have seen the results of the years of racial hatred towards black people. After so long, if a particular group appears to hate another, that other group will eventually have animosity towards the first. Many blacks have been pushed into a racially-motivated corner. Some feel that it is all the white man’s fault that everything is like it is; they show deep-down hatred towards the Caucasian race as a whole. Others are fully aware of the past but know that dwelling on it will not change the present or the future. Still, some African-Americans have come to hate their own skin and heritage based on the common belief that blacks will always be inferior to whites. Wherever this great hate started, it needs to be stopped. It will never be a short battle, considering how long it took to build up these intense feelings. Everyone breathes the same air, drinks the same water, and spills the same blood. People have more in common with each other than they have differences. The sooner the world comes to this simple understanding, the sooner it will be a much better place for people of all colors.
