Like so many, I have been impressed and enlightened by the imagery and history presented via the media during this special month, all of which contributes (hopefully) to a better understanding of the injustices that have failed to deter our demonstrably strong, versatile and talented brethren of color.
I have, however, written extensively in the past about discrimination against the Black race in general from a "White boy's" perspective, having witnessed it while growing up in my hometown of Dresden, a racial controversary hotspot in the 1940s and '50s, to be sure.
*See https://dicktheblogsterremembers.blogspot.com/ for eventual reference purposes if you wish.
Much to my disappointment, reaction to that very personal piece of journalism, produced on my web site 10 years ago and developed over an extended period, was minimal. Perhaps "dismissed" or "ignored" would be better words to describe the lack of discernible impact. I even went so far as to submit letters to several local newspapers advocating public apologies that ultimately went over like a lead balloon.
Very few Black friends acknowledged my efforts, preferring I suppose discretionary arm's length, and resentment was palpable among Whites of my acquaintance, a number even going so far as to suggest it (discrimination) was really not that big an issue, or they were not aware of it being a problem in their experience. "Why stir up the past when things are not that way any more?" was a common sentiment and may still be, for that matter.
Be that as it may, prejudice and discrimination are two things many of us are still exposed to every day, and the effects can be devastating.
With constant racial unrest in the world, and with all the ongoing protest rallies, attacks and fighting over the past few years, I can't help but think that many people still do not know the difference between prejudice and discrimination.
Discrimination is an action that denies the rights of a person because they belong to a certain group -- sex, race, lifestyle and so on. Prejudice is the feeling about a person, based on a group to which they belong.
Confusing? Well, prejudice and discrimination can be separated and dealt with individually.
Prejudice is an idea or a negative opinion that is not based on facts or experience. For example, having a hatred or intolerance for certain kinds of people. Blacks, whites, aboriginals, homosexuals, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, you know the list. Negative attitudes or mindsets have been formed against these groups without necessarily having interacted with them. In many cases reconciliation efforts have been pitiful examples of lip-service.
Consequences of everyday prejudice and discrimination can go as far as people being assaulted by judgments based on skin color, social class, gender, religious affiliation, and political views. They are often ridiculed, embarrassed, made to feel like unworthy second-class citizens and all-too-frequently find themselves on the wrong side of the law due to unfortunate happenstance.
Some are able to stand up in defense of themselves, while unfortunately, others suffer resentment and humiliation that they simply "cannot take anymore." I need not expand further on that school of thought. You know the story!
Suffice to say, all reasons for bigotry are wrong. On the other hand, practice in discriminating between right and wrong, it is certainly a positive action. It helps us discern between the positives and the negatives of a situation and then to act in the end upon what is deemed to be right and humane.
A focus on bigotry, science believes, has origins in human evolution. Several hundred thousand years ago, an animal that looked different from man was generally perceived a dangerous predator and thus prehistoric ancestors learned to dislike and avoid that which was different from themselves. Call it discrimination in an evolutionary context.
Once upon a time slavery was commonly accepted not just in the North America, but the world over. Today there are international laws against it. Sensibilities have changed gradually over the passage of time.
Ditto, less than 50 years ago segregated lunch counters in the Jim Crow south, as in Canada, were as accepted as a handshake. Now they would provoke outrage and are actually banned in law.
Thankfully, progress has been made but my point is that there is still a long way to go.
"Finality is not in the vocabulary of politics," said Benjamin Disraeli. As in politics, so in life. Trends will ebb and flow. Indeed, in some ways the irony is that the zeal to eliminate bigotry has, from time to time, produced its own bigotry. The best of intentions do not always conduce to the best results because, again, humans are not known to be perfect angels.
The more things change, the more they have a habit of remaining the same.
The cognizance of viewed difference is imbedded in humanity, much to the detriment of all. You can legislate human rights, but you cannot dictate what goes on in human minds that in many cases still wallow in the dark ages of ignorance.
Sorry to leave you hanging like that dear reader!
Would that after most of us are long gone from this earthly existence, self-awareness, education, engagement and flexibility will have eventually won out.
As I said in the aforementioned blog site: "Prejudices will continue to be with us until we finally come to the realization that we are all one. Artificial barriers are totally inconsequential, it is the whole human being that counts."
Over to our children and their children's children who just may be more in tune discriminatorily than we realize. God bless them!
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