It might not be your fault. See, you might have been raised in a community that thrives on a fairly rigid belief system, where right and wrong are defined in a cultish manner, and there is no room given for compassion and understanding.
The challenge now is for you to recognize your bigotry, and rise above these unreasonable beliefs so you can change into a better person.
You are not alone. These past few weeks, people like you have made headlines in the United States. Most recently, contestants of the reality show Big Brother have been exposed to be massive bigots. Two houseguests in particular have been shown to be abrasive racists: Ginamarie Zimmerman and Aaryn Gries. There was no day in the house when the two have not mocked fellow contestants for their race.
The video below shows the latest incident instigated by the two, where they mock the behavior of African-American contestants.
The video below shows the latest incident instigated by the two, where they mock the behavior of African-American contestants.
Aaryn had also been confronted about her actions but she refuses to acknowledge the criticism. Her answer to the criticism? "I'm not even gonna acknowledge it, because it's the biggest joke."
This shows that people can be massive bigots, but still fail to acknowledge that they are in the wrong.
This shows that people can be massive bigots, but still fail to acknowledge that they are in the wrong.
So how can you avoid being a bigot?
First, you need to know what constitutes this unfair behavior. Here's a list.
1. You cannot point out and mock characteristics that come with circumstances that people cannot control. For instance, you cannot laugh at a Chinese woman's eyes, an African-American's skin color, that a crippled man moves slowly, or that a poor mother has to rely on food stamps to feed her children.
2. More on those circumstances that people cannot control: they can be circumstances that people can be born to: race, sex, gender preference, disability, socioeconomic status, and at times, religion. They can also be circumstances that people are forced to be in, like disability and socioeconomic status. They have no choice on this matter, so they should not be mocked for it.
First, you need to know what constitutes this unfair behavior. Here's a list.
1. You cannot point out and mock characteristics that come with circumstances that people cannot control. For instance, you cannot laugh at a Chinese woman's eyes, an African-American's skin color, that a crippled man moves slowly, or that a poor mother has to rely on food stamps to feed her children.
2. More on those circumstances that people cannot control: they can be circumstances that people can be born to: race, sex, gender preference, disability, socioeconomic status, and at times, religion. They can also be circumstances that people are forced to be in, like disability and socioeconomic status. They have no choice on this matter, so they should not be mocked for it.
3. You can point out these characteristics and circumstances if and only if you are very close to the person you are talking about it with. Do not talk about these to strangers or mere acquaintances, like colleagues or passing friends. And do it nicely in front of the person, not behind their backs.
4. You cannot also talk about stereotypes. Like Aaryn up there, you cannot typecast African-American people as uneducated, because not all of them are. The other day, someone at work called me "gay" just because I go to the gym often, and because I always tease her for her long frizzy hair. First off, it is a harming stereotype to say that all men who go to the gym are homosexuals; I personally go there because it helps me focus and beat my BPD and clinical depression by giving me goals to look forward to. And that statement about long hair? WTF, that does not even make sense.
5. There is also the issue of reverse racism, or misplaced nationalism. This is most apparent in the Philippines from the way the media promotes contestants of foreign reality shows just because they have Filipino blood, even if its only a sliver of it, or that person has not acknowledged the Philippine heritage before joining the contest. In this case, Filipinos are encouraged to support that contestant, and supporting the opponents are called anti-nationalistic. [See: TV: On Jessica Sanchez and Pinoy cheating]
6. When can you criticize other people? Topics outside the "circumstances that people cannot control" are fair game, like fake tans, hair length, fashion choices, weird diets, and even weight and bad health, if that weight and bad health are due to consciously bad eating habits, and not because of an illness, mental or otherwise. Of course, this also includes criminal activity and other cruel behavior.
6. When can you criticize other people? Topics outside the "circumstances that people cannot control" are fair game, like fake tans, hair length, fashion choices, weird diets, and even weight and bad health, if that weight and bad health are due to consciously bad eating habits, and not because of an illness, mental or otherwise. Of course, this also includes criminal activity and other cruel behavior.
In this day and age when convergence is only a click away, there is no excuse for insensitivity. Being connected to each other 24/7 just means that there are more ways to share kindness to other people. Using these channels as an opportunity to spew hate should be frowned upon. Be a better person and stop bigotry now.
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