Racism Vs. Bigotry: Personal Experience

In todays day and age it genuinely baffles me that racism and bigotry are still so prevalent, but unfortunately both are, and that kind of blind ignorance is the one thing that really ticks me off. When one human being assumes a negative prejudicial disposition against another human being just for the way they look, it saddens me. However when someone takes their obtuse judgments and uses them as an excuse to treat another human being with disrespect, it truly frustrates me.

Now, I’m not going to lie and say that I’ve never in my life judged a person based on their clothes, or makeup, because I have. Even though I don’t like to admit it, on many occasions I’ve met someone for the first time and assumed different aspects about them based on ones outside features. But just because I associate their appearance with certain behaviors or attitudes, doesn't mean that I stick them in a stereotype box and that's all they ever are to me.

Instead, I get to know people. I learn about their life, about their passions, and aspirations. I get to know
My brother Dylan is African American and through him I have seen and felt the hate people inflict. One specific incident happened when he was only 8. He was up at the basketball courts, shooting hoops, and minding his own business, when a boy in my grade, 7 years older than my brother came up to him and said something inexplicably rude. He had said, “Hey Dylan, How’s Kony?”. During this time Uganda was going through some troubles with a man named Joseph Kony, an African cult leader that allegedly ordered children to be abducted and used as sex-slaves. This fifteen year old, boy had decided that he was going to relate my brother to this man just because of their similar skin colors. He decided to compare this innocent eight year old, boy to an evil man. My little brother had come home and asked my parents who Kony was and why this boy had asked him about this unknown