Why modern society needs to transcend from “Bigotry and Prejudice”

While brainstorming for the next topic to cover on my blog, this was probably the last thing on my mind. But in light of some recent events, I just felt that this needed to be said. I figure the origin of chauvinism/jingoism/racism/xenophobia/sexism/ and every other close-minded issue that characterizes people based on stereotypes, emerged when stereotyping won the age-long battle between stereotypes and idiosyncrasies. When we started to see people as their stereotypes instead of looking at them for what they were, unique living organisms each with their own dreams and purposes in life. We started to hate people collectively for what we presumed they were before we ventured to find their idiosyncrasies and love them for it. Well, the people can’t really be blamed for it, we were misled by the great leaders who we trusted. They fed us this bullshit about how being different was a crime. A different combination of melanin, different private parts, different origins, different careers, different thoughts, and ideas. Being different has been criminalized and has been ingrained as such in the hearts of the people by men with false ideas and the power to make their words heard by the masses.

Well, of course, I’m not going to mention their names but I’m pretty sure you guys will figure out who they are just with their words. Recently an Indian Minister, a representative of the people in the ‘house of the people’ made a racist comment to an African envoy to deny their claims that India was racist.

“If we were racist, why would we have the south? Why do we live with them? We have black people around us.”

Good job Mr. Minister, you just proved their point. Well, he did try to make amends later but seriously Mr. Minister the mouth speaks out of the abundance of the heart.

And we need no introduction to the orange faced hypocrite ruling halfway across the world.

Bertrand Russel accurately explains this issue in our society.

Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd.

We fear the unknown and it has been the same since the dawn of time and it will be the same till the end. The only possible way to change is to look past the surface, delve deeper to find the truth before forming opinions. Casting aside any prejudice, to stop making hasty misconceptions, to shatter stereotypes, talk to people who are different from you. Every single person is unique, for every aspect you share, there are probably hundreds you don’t. So try to accept the differences and try to understand other perceptions it’s the only way true change comes about. Stereotypes formed by those men who fear the unknown need to be shredded by taking a leap of faith forward and starting to trust someone and trying to understand their point of view. It’s the only way to see the entirety of the truth.

Change sure is going to be hard. Looking at something different from the way you’ve looked at it for so long sure is going to be really hard, but if not now then the situation might devolve further to the point of no return and are we ready to take that ride with our humanity on the line? And let’s be honest when has anything good been easy to obtain?

I’ll end with a passage from “To kill a Mocking Bird”

“Atticus, he was real nice.”

“Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them.”