Nowadays the word “racist” is thrown around an excessive amount. It is so overused that people have seem to forgotten its meaning. I have been called racist before simply because I am white. I am constantly hearing about discrimination against minorities, but I feel that it is time for me to speak up about the discrimination I have experienced.
I lived in California from when I was a baby until when I was in first grade. I didn’t think racism was a real thing. I never heard about it or experienced it where I lived. I thought it was something made up to go on television. I thought that it possibly existed long, long ago but didn’t anymore. I mean, who would be so stupid as to care about somebody’s skin color? I had never even noticed that people were different races. Then I moved to North Carolina.
My school was a subject to the busing plans, intended to make schools more racially and socio-economically diverse. Personally, I feel that students being bused-in harmed the school’s sense of community instead of helping it. The African-Americans that came from across town would only hang out with each other. They would not associate with “the white people.” They stuck to their own groups. There were quite a few times that I wished I were black. At my school, if you were black you were automatically popular. You were automatically let into “the group”. You could call people whatever you wanted and get away with it, simply because of the color of your skin. It was ridiculous.
When I was in fifth grade I heard a girl announce, “I wish I could go to a school without white people.” I was extremely taken aback. For some reason, it is okay for her to say that, yet if I said the same thing I would be called racist. I was so confused. Why did people care so much about their skin color? Why did people even pay attention to it?
I am a white teenage female who went to a huge, ethnically diverse, public middle school. On many occasions I would hear African-Americans call each other racial slurs, including the n-word. I was shocked the first time I heard the word used casually amongst peers. I would never dare to call anyone such a derogatory term. And if I did, I would automatically be pegged as a terrible, racist person. So, if it really is so offensive, why did the people at my school use it constantly?
I have heard people use the excuse of “because we were slaves” so many times. Yes, slavery is a terrible blemish in our nation’s past. And, no, I don’t think we should ignore that it happened or forget that it did. However, if we constantly dwell in the past, how is our nation supposed to move forward and create a brighter future? During the 2008 presidential election I overheard two African-Americans talking outside a gas station. One said to the other, “I hope Obama gets elected because then the whites will be our slaves, just like we were theirs.” I had people tell me many times at school, “my grandfather was a slave for your ancestors” or, even worse, “you put my ancestors in chains”, or something along those lines. I cannot express how much I despise being told this. I am only fourteen years old. Obviously, I never put anybody in chains. I am Caucasian, so I should be blamed for the whole institution of slavery? Where is the logic in this? My ancestors weren’t even slave owners. They didn’t live in America during the time of slavery—they lived in Germany.
In sixth grade, everyone was required to fill out a survey about what race and ethnicity they were. It was not optional. If you did not fill the form out, the teacher had permission to fill it out for you—by taking an “educated guess” after looking at your appearance. This was so the school could ensure that it had diversity. I was outraged. Why did race matter so much? How would a teacher know what background I am anyways? Isn’t that stereotyping, judging a book by its cover? My grandmother on my father’s side was from Mexico. Nobody has ever believed me when I say that I am a quarter Hispanic. I received my mother’s genes mostly, so I have blond hair, green eyes, and fair skin. A teacher would never know by looking at me, so if I hadn’t filled the form out they would have checked “no” for the Hispanic origin box.
The world we live in today is so overly politically correct. I have been called racist for saying “black” instead of “African-American.” How is that any different from being called “white” instead of “Caucasian?” I overheard a discussion one time between two students of different races. One asked the other who he was voting for, and the African-American boy replied “Obama, duh. He’s black, so I’m obviously voting for him!” That was not the only time I heard an African-American person say he or she was voting for the president based off of their race. What people don’t seem to realize is that voting for a person because they are black is just as bad as not voting for a person because they are black.
I honestly couldn’t care less what the color of your skin is. I have friends from all backgrounds, races, ethnicities, and nationalities. I choose my friends based off of their personalities, not their appearances. Isn’t that what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wanted us to do anyways? In our society, we place so much focus on the color of one’s skin. Every time I see a box on a form or the Internet that asks for my race I leave it blank. There is absolutely no need for them to collect this information. If we truly want a nation that is color-blind, why do we always focus on color? I think that the best way to eliminate racism, amongst any race, is to simply ignore race. The color of your skin does not matter. It does not make up who you are. People that work for “racial equality” have good intentions, but I think they are going about it the wrong way. Instead of preaching about racial, gender, or love equality, why don’t we just work towards human equality? The world will be a much better place when we forget about the labels we put on each other’s and our own foreheads and just live to be the best person we can be.
I lived in California from when I was a baby until when I was in first grade. I didn’t think racism was a real thing. I never heard about it or experienced it where I lived. I thought it was something made up to go on television. I thought that it possibly existed long, long ago but didn’t anymore. I mean, who would be so stupid as to care about somebody’s skin color? I had never even noticed that people were different races. Then I moved to North Carolina.
My school was a subject to the busing plans, intended to make schools more racially and socio-economically diverse. Personally, I feel that students being bused-in harmed the school’s sense of community instead of helping it. The African-Americans that came from across town would only hang out with each other. They would not associate with “the white people.” They stuck to their own groups. There were quite a few times that I wished I were black. At my school, if you were black you were automatically popular. You were automatically let into “the group”. You could call people whatever you wanted and get away with it, simply because of the color of your skin. It was ridiculous.
When I was in fifth grade I heard a girl announce, “I wish I could go to a school without white people.” I was extremely taken aback. For some reason, it is okay for her to say that, yet if I said the same thing I would be called racist. I was so confused. Why did people care so much about their skin color? Why did people even pay attention to it?
I am a white teenage female who went to a huge, ethnically diverse, public middle school. On many occasions I would hear African-Americans call each other racial slurs, including the n-word. I was shocked the first time I heard the word used casually amongst peers. I would never dare to call anyone such a derogatory term. And if I did, I would automatically be pegged as a terrible, racist person. So, if it really is so offensive, why did the people at my school use it constantly?
I have heard people use the excuse of “because we were slaves” so many times. Yes, slavery is a terrible blemish in our nation’s past. And, no, I don’t think we should ignore that it happened or forget that it did. However, if we constantly dwell in the past, how is our nation supposed to move forward and create a brighter future? During the 2008 presidential election I overheard two African-Americans talking outside a gas station. One said to the other, “I hope Obama gets elected because then the whites will be our slaves, just like we were theirs.” I had people tell me many times at school, “my grandfather was a slave for your ancestors” or, even worse, “you put my ancestors in chains”, or something along those lines. I cannot express how much I despise being told this. I am only fourteen years old. Obviously, I never put anybody in chains. I am Caucasian, so I should be blamed for the whole institution of slavery? Where is the logic in this? My ancestors weren’t even slave owners. They didn’t live in America during the time of slavery—they lived in Germany.
In sixth grade, everyone was required to fill out a survey about what race and ethnicity they were. It was not optional. If you did not fill the form out, the teacher had permission to fill it out for you—by taking an “educated guess” after looking at your appearance. This was so the school could ensure that it had diversity. I was outraged. Why did race matter so much? How would a teacher know what background I am anyways? Isn’t that stereotyping, judging a book by its cover? My grandmother on my father’s side was from Mexico. Nobody has ever believed me when I say that I am a quarter Hispanic. I received my mother’s genes mostly, so I have blond hair, green eyes, and fair skin. A teacher would never know by looking at me, so if I hadn’t filled the form out they would have checked “no” for the Hispanic origin box.
The world we live in today is so overly politically correct. I have been called racist for saying “black” instead of “African-American.” How is that any different from being called “white” instead of “Caucasian?” I overheard a discussion one time between two students of different races. One asked the other who he was voting for, and the African-American boy replied “Obama, duh. He’s black, so I’m obviously voting for him!” That was not the only time I heard an African-American person say he or she was voting for the president based off of their race. What people don’t seem to realize is that voting for a person because they are black is just as bad as not voting for a person because they are black.
I honestly couldn’t care less what the color of your skin is. I have friends from all backgrounds, races, ethnicities, and nationalities. I choose my friends based off of their personalities, not their appearances. Isn’t that what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wanted us to do anyways? In our society, we place so much focus on the color of one’s skin. Every time I see a box on a form or the Internet that asks for my race I leave it blank. There is absolutely no need for them to collect this information. If we truly want a nation that is color-blind, why do we always focus on color? I think that the best way to eliminate racism, amongst any race, is to simply ignore race. The color of your skin does not matter. It does not make up who you are. People that work for “racial equality” have good intentions, but I think they are going about it the wrong way. Instead of preaching about racial, gender, or love equality, why don’t we just work towards human equality? The world will be a much better place when we forget about the labels we put on each other’s and our own foreheads and just live to be the best person we can be.
RarelyJaded
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