The Flip Side
The Flip SidePrejudice- an opinion formed without knowing the facts or by ignoring the factsRacism- a belief that race is the primary determinate of human traitsStereotype- a way of thinking about a person, group, etc. That follows a fixed common pattern, paying no attention to individual differencesThese are words that we hear each and every day. People use them to talk about the need for tolerance and change. However, this essay is not about Martin Luther King or Malcolm X. Nor is this about Adolph Hitler or Mussolini. This essay is about the flip side of the story. It's about the way in which the minority stereotypes the majority. It's about the racism and the prejudices that are placed on the white middle to upper class culture. I feel it is necessary to take the time to look at the perspective of the accused. The type of prejudice I speak of is the type of prejudice that goes unsaid. This prejudice exists deep in the hearts and minds of many once oppressed people. The question you ask is, "if it goes unsaid, then how do we know it is there?" The answer is that it reveals itself through the actions of the people who hold it. It appears when I walk down the streets of Birmi
Many minorities have selected a special group who has become the scapegoats for humanity. All I can do is hope that people will give me a chance and take me for who I am. That is just as wrong as the crime that took place to begin with. However, this critiquing, if you will, of the majority by the minority has become a pattern. Each and every social injustice falls on the shoulders of this group of people. I struggle with the thought that if they choose to show me no respect why should I even waste my time. Show them that I am not filled with hate and sexism. These prejudices exist because the minority needs someone to blame. Slavery was abolished because the minority cried out and said, "no more!" This is an example of a time that there were positive effects as a result of the critical eye of the minority. Just like it took time to reverse some of the backward ways of thinking about the relationship between blacks and whites, so will it take time to cool of the anger and resentment. Until then I will do my part in righting my ancestors' wrong. I am not saying that white, protestant, middle class men are perfect, and I am not saying that there is not a time and a place for revolt. It appears when I open the door for a young lady and I can tell by her face that she blames me for over a hundred years of oppression. I am not trying to negate the horrible discriminations that have occurred in our country whether they are racial, sexual, or economic. I struggle every day with how I should respond to this.
Common topics in this essay:
African American,
Hitler Mussolini,
Flip Prejudice-,
Racism Stereotype,
type prejudice,
goes unsaid,
middle class,
pattern set,
white middle,
minority blame,
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