As I delve into the depths of what segregation means- I have found some additional biases on my part that are second nature to the point of almost passing them by as truth instead of bias.
My most presumptuous bias had to be pointed out to me be my peers. I believe in my heart that segregation is still a major issue in today’s society. Some would say that it is not an issue- we all have the choice to do whatever we want- but I disagree. When was the last time you saw a teacher look at the worst student in her class and say, he is going to be very successful in life? How about the last time you saw a person’s initial reaction to having a disabled person be one of joy? Or the last time you heard someone look Hispanic and speak Spanish without thinking subconsciously “Are they illegal immigrants?” And the kicker- when was the last time you saw a group of males in dark hoods in a back alley and think they must be playing a nice game of twister. These automatic reactions to people put them in categories….they are (fill in the blank) which is the first level of segregation. Segregation to me means any form of putting a group of people aside from the rest of society…they are different in this area….we have confident ideas about these people in this area.
I have been a powerless observer of segregation for sixteen years- I have watched the “experts” pompously inform us of the best action, tell us what can and can’t be done, and try to push us out of the way when we become annoying to their comfortable life style in which they are the masters. To say segregation isn’t an issue in today’s society seems unfathomable. We can pretend the issue is resolved, after all that is the easiest thing to do, – but anyone who has dealt with the monster of segregation knows the issue is far from being over.
2 comments:
I thought you made solid comments on the segregation issue and I do think that those hypothetical situations you created are true for a lot of people. My question is how does the "segregating" or separating people into categories based on stereotyping lead to more prominent forms of segregation. You say that is the first step, but what if no other step is taken? Is this form of categorizing people as bad as actually segregating people based on race or income? Also, with pretending that segregation doesn't exist today, what kinds of consequences does that lead to?
Tarheel brings up some interesting points.
With your logic, I think you need to make the point that doctors are also discriminated against. You can't just say that we pass negative judgement. We also have some positive thoughts that are also discriminatory.
I want to see you ask the questions:
What do I not understand about the issue?
What am I missing?
I think these helpful questions will be appreciated by your reader. This will show that you are not trying to convince, but rather, go on a journey, even if you are going by yourself.
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