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American Prejudice
America is unique compared to other countries for
many reasons. One of the most important reasons is that we have the freedom to express
ourselves and the freedom to practice our own ideas, as granted to us by
our Constitution.
Two hundred years ago, our fore fathers sought a place where they could
practice their religion freely and not be persecuted by those who
discriminated against it. Today
that freedom is very much still alive, but because of the norms of our
time, some people have conveniently forgotten their rights as citizens.
These people, including homosexuals and even Black Americans, are
always fighting for their freedom. We
are guaranteed freedom: but why do these rights disappear whenever someone
different is involved? We all have the right to be free, but our human
nature often gets the best of us.
Our world is made up of so many people who are
each singular in their ideas and values, but America has always been a
place where anyone could practice these ideas freely and without
intervention. However, it has
always been that some people, who have conflicting ideas, are
discriminated against. The
worst cases are homosexuals. According
to our Constitution, they should have every right to express their
sexuality publicly; but realistically, can they? I believe the answer to this is yes. People who are not the so-called norm will always be looked
at as different. Too many
times this has happened.
One
incident that has occurred is that of Matthew Sheppard, a homosexual. He was a student at the University of Wyoming, and allegedly
was tricked into believing he was going with a few strangers who he
thought were
homosexuals as well. Things
went wrong, according to reports, the teenagers drove Matthew to a
deserted part of a long road, and once there they proceeded to beat him
unmercifully and leave him there for dead.
Unfortunately, there was no hope in saving him with his skull bashed
in, his clothes ripped apart, and his bones broken.
Matthew had every right to express his beliefs, and every right to
have his own sexual preference, but that was all taken away because we
think that the constitution does not apply to those that are different. The sad part is that we as humans
have become so desensitized to these acts that no one will take any
action. We are too
afraid to be labeled as a homosexual ourselves, if we do try to defend them.
Therefore, in the end we have a country that promotes unity and the
ability to think freely, but the reality is that we have neither.
Another case study is that of Black Americans.
The most profound proof is that of a court case in 1896 concerning
the idea of Blacks being separate from us but equal.
In this case, Plessy versus Ferguson, the supreme court-the
part of our government that is supposed to interpret our laws-publicly and
forcefully stated that Blacks were separate from the Whites, but they were
technically equal. A part of
our government, which our fore fathers helped create, completely and
totally went against the Constitution.
The courts interpreted it a certain way, and because at the time
the norm was White people, the Blacks had to suffer.
Because of this ruling, so many institutions were set forth that
turned a once thriving and wonderful Southern United States into a death
trap for all Black Americans. Separate
facilities for white and blacks became a basic rule in the southern
society.
President Johnson made a famous speech about his
beliefs on Black Americans in which he stated that all men are thought to
be created equal, but many do not experience equality.
He also said that we as human beings have many unalienable rights
that cannot be taken away, yet many do not enjoy these rights.
Our ancestors fought bravely and encountered so many hardships so
they could create a place of hope and joy where you were unimpeded in your
efforts to practice your own beliefs: but what do we have here?
The very government that has given us so much-and when I say us,
it's hard to imagine with whom I am referring to, either Whites or
Americans in general-directly and openly took away the hopes and dreams of
an entire people in one swoop.
Thankfully, norms change, and the decision was
reversed. Today Blacks enjoy
a multitude of freedoms-but like homosexuals they too are often
discriminated against even today. I
relish in the fact that my options in life are limitless.
I can be anything I want and for the most part do anything that
brings me happiness and pleasure. However, even I realize that in
today's society, those that are different are shunned and deemed as
outcasts. Many choose to
conform to other people's beliefs rather than be alone in their own.
This tells us that somewhere along the way, we lost too many of the
strong ideas that helped create our country.
We say that we all have absolute freedom in this country.
No one wants to believe it, but human integrity
is just a small image today compared to what it was when this country was born.
We need to address the fundamental truths that no one wants to deal
with, because the problem never goes away by shoving it under the carpet.
How many more people must be beaten to death before our ideals will
change? If not soon, then
being human is going to mean many new things in the new century.
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