Equality and race have been hot topics recently, and usually I would not dive into such a charged discussion; however, there's something that seems so prevalent to me and that other people seem to be ignoring. All of this starts with the separating of people in our mind, like into races- we make certain groups different kinds of humans. Yes, there are culturally differences and characteristics of people from certain parts of the world, but as diversity is naturally growing in the world, there is no reason to keep these stereotypes in our mind. It happens everywhere and to the best of people- people can judge a book by the cover or a person by their color without meaning to and tread on the thin ice, and here's why.
I was telling someone about my friend, who had visited Israel during the summer as a birthright trip. Now, to me, the natural conversation would go, "how was her trip?" Instead all I got was a pause and a very confused, "she's Jewish? She doesn't look Jewish." And then it was my turn to be confused, and slightly annoyed. It may be a characteristic of the younger generations, but I never thought someone could look Jewish, or that there was a certain way that most looked- it was just something someone could be, whether by choice or through tradition. Now, yes it is interesting to think about heritage and where a certain culture comes from, but that's different from making them into stereotypes.
The people and places around us create us more than any genes and chemicals that make up our appearance will- when it comes to our genes, we all have more in common than we think. I saw a quote from Bill Nye, "There really is no such thing as race. We are one species. Each of us much, much more alike than different... We all are of the same stardust. We are all going to live and die on the same planet, a pale blue dot in the vastness of space. We have to work together."
A student who speaks primarily Spanish may have a language barrier, but that doesn't mean that they'll be the one to misbehave, or that they aren't bright, unless someone tells them so. A girl who has blond hair and wears short shorts is not necessarily a dumb blond who parties, unless she is always told that she is or should be. An athlete is not necessarily a good student, unless they're told their work as a student is unimportant. An African american is not more likely to commit a crime, unless they are unfairly judged, accused, or told that is their place.
It's a common idea nowadays- let people live their life, and you live yours, and everyone is better off for it. Don't judge. It's getting harder and harder to do when you are sharing, watching, and having people watch your entire life in social media- it's hard to not judge things or to avoid being judged. It's a perfect situation that can't be reached, because everyone has feelings; there are always going to people who are offended. But next time you make a snap judgement, even among friends, think about if its because of the person you see or the human they are.
