A Poem on Discrimination

          A poem by David Taylor brings to light a lot of interesting points on the heated topic of racism and discrimination in this country. He asks the questions that everyone has on their minds: "Fighting wars because God?" and "Racism? There is just one human race." I can not agree any more wholeheartedly with this statement. The fact that racial, gender, and social discrimination still exist in our society today after it has existed and thrived on this planet for as long as it has is a fact that bewilders me to no end. Taylor states that "equal opportunity" is a phrase of our own making, our "incantation". We have created this saying and given life to it, therefore it is expected in our every day lives. There should not be equal opportunity, but rather, simply, "opportunity for all". There should not be inequality in the first to give reason for the creation of "equal opportunity". 

          Unification is crucial to our survival as humans on this Earth. It is this blogger's best wishes that we all look past our myopic view on how one type of human should look at another human. Our way of demeaning idiosyncrasies of other races of people will ultimately be our downfall. The key for survival is teamwork and without this, we would be utterly doomed to failure. 

The Chinese Story

          As far back as the 1700s, the Asian race has been a target for racial discrimination. They have been made a comic relief on stage and in movies and have also been subject to social indignities such as slave labor and physical abuse. This all can, without a doubt, be traced back to a handful of stories passed about from American citizen to citizen, spreading the false image like a plague across the country. Though unjust and inaccurate, these racist stereotypes continue to be spread even to this day, causing a mass collection of harsh judgments and accusations to spiral in many different directions like twisting tree branches.
         There are numerous different types of stories that have culminated in the last 200+ years putting the Asian race to shame. Though they were portrayed harshly in stage plays in the late 18th century, the typical Asian stereotype did not come into more popular use until the California Gold Rush of the 1850s. American workers in charge of the Asian immigrants that were shipped over for mining labor used such terms as "Yellowface", as in reference to the supposed yellow tint of their skin, and "Coolie" which was used to prevent unskilled workers from getting involved in skilled trade, saying that the Chinese slave work was "Coolie" work, referencing yet another racist term for a different race entirely. These harsh labels became more commonly used and continue to spawn more negative treatment for Asians seeking happiness in America.
          Though, today, people are far more accepting of those of all races and backgrounds, this is a prime example of how a single story can spiral out of control and even still be effective over 200 years after its start. Hopefully, as the years go by, our race as humans can unite as one and move beyond petty judgments such as these.