Racism? Is it becoming a problem?

   

Even though the topic of racism is not directly related to the importance of your mother tongue, I think it’s a really important issue that should be discussed.

As an Asian American, I've had my share of teasing and discrimination whether it’s been direct or indirect discrimination. I'm not sharing this to gain any sympathy or remorse; I'm stating this to let you know that I've personally gone through racism. I'm not mad at the people who tease or have teased me because it’s a part of human nature. Racism is a problem that can get out of hand and often unbearable for many people. It doesn't matter what color, race, or even how you look. People will tease you if you don't look different or if you're just a certain race. I see it every day at school, in public and around the community. When I hear inspirational speeches about stopping racism and spreading awareness, it’s just not possible. It’s like trying to stop global warming but you can't because all you can do is slow it down. Oftentimes, racism happens because people are not educated or open to different cultures. This is where the importance of your mother tongue comes in. People who know more than one language are often open to different cultures and people rather than people who only know one language. When people learn another language, they also learn the culture of the country. A language's grammar and talk is influenced by a lot by the culture. I know many people may disagree with me on my views on racism saying "oh, what are you talking about? I don't see any of the things you point out."

Another reason why people may discriminate others is personal. If a person didn't have a very good experience with a person of a certain race than that often creates racism and discrimination. But that doesn't mean you should treat all people of that race badly in any way. I'm not saying that I don't discriminate people too because I do too. I'm not going to deny it. Everyone is a racist. Racism in the ideational sense is when people draw up stereotypes and label people a certain way by the color of their skin or what their ethnicity is. Racism hurts everyone and it will just get worse if this generation or the next is not educated or informed about this. The older generation often times passes on their opinions and views to the next generation toxic feelings towards one another. I'm sure all of this probably doesn't make any sense so here's an example. If you know anything about the history of Korea, you know that Korea was often invaded by China and Japan for centuries. From 1910-1945 Korea was under Japanese rule as part of Japan's 35-year imperialist expansion, a period that many older-generation Koreans don't like to look back on . During this dark time in history, Koreans were forced to take up Japanese names, learn the language, and stripped of anything Korean for that matter. I used this example to explain how the opinions and views of the older generation who bring up the next generation can influence their views and spread racism. 

“Racism is man's gravest threat to man - the maximum of hatred for a minimum of reason." -Abraham J. Heschel 

Racism is the deadliest weapon human kind can possess but we can change that by spreading awareness one step at a time.