Response to Question O

            I have always known that oppression, racism, white supremacists and systemic discrimination have been a continuing problem in our society.  Yet, after taking this course the individual issues have become more apparent to myself.  I definitely feel as though I can do more to help solve these issues on an everyday basis.  One thing I will do now, more than I have done in the past, is speak up when someone uses a racist term, or judges someone for any stereotypical reason.  By speaking up and telling the person that that is not ok to talk about someone like that, maybe they will think twice the next time they say something of that sort.  Sometimes people simply follow stereotypes to sound cool, more powerful, or because they don’t even think about it and are just joking.  By someone standing up for the judged person, or group the other person is making fun of might make an impression on the person to think before they speak next time. I think by speaking up it could affect the people in my sphere, and hopefully they will change their ways as well.

            Essentially we all need to pay more attention to how we treat others, and be more compassionate towards every other human being.  It’s the little everyday gestures and kind words that can make someone feel more welcome in our society, and not oppressed.  We are all not that different from each other, male or female, black or white we all need each other to survive in this world.  We should start looking less at people’s physical appearances, and focus more on who the individual is as a person.  Stop judging someone for his or her age, clothing styles, culture, or traditions and get to know the person.  A lesson I have learned from this course is to stop and listen to more people, and I know I will learn a lot about others by doing simply that.  There are thousands of amazing people in this world, and even in a small community, we all just need to take the time to listen and appreciate each other.