Why do you hate me? :(

[Czas na Zywiec]

I just felt like started a very serious topic. Why do you think there is so much prejudice in Amercia? And it's not just these days, there was prejudice in America even before it became a country. The first prejudie was during the old Massachusetts Bay Colony days, as all of you probably know. People came to America to escape religious persecuton, and to live away from prejudice. Well when they got here, they started to hang and burn people who they thought were witches, but in fact they did nothing. Prejudice means "Pre-Judge." African-Ameicans, Hispanic-Americans, Native-Americans, Asian-Americans, Jews, Catholics, Muslims have all been persecuted, but this is just a small gorup of people. Fact is that every group of people on this earth has been at least once in our history been persecuted against. So, do you think it is just us Americans and our way of life that persecute against people, or is it just human nature?

[dawsongirl]

I think it's pure ignorance. People don't want to learn anything about the way other people live because it's "scary" and "weird." Unfortuantely, I think that's human nature.

[Kay Scarpetta]

Originally posted by dawsongirl
Unfortuantely, I think that's human nature.

So do I. I personally think it hapens in other countries too, and not just America.

[Chocoholic]

Originally posted by dawsongirl
I think it's pure ignorance. People don't want to learn anything about the way other people live because it's "scary" and "weird." Unfortuantely, I think that's human nature.

I feel the same way. We can educate people about different races, religions, lifestyles, etc., but it won't change a thing. I think there will always be hatred and ignorance in this world, no matter what.

I really hate to say this because I am a devout Christian, but I think the Bible tends to breed ignorance and hatred in people. Most of the narrow-minded, ignorant people I know go to Church every Sunday morning. It really bothers me when people use the Bible to promote ignorance when Christianity is supposed to be about loving and accepting our neighbors. Jesus hung out with the "undesirables" of society and loved them dearly and I think that's what He wants us to do too.

[Czas na Zywiec]

Originally posted by WingsFan


I feel the same way. We can educate people about different races, religions, lifestyles, etc., but it won't change a thing. I think there will always be hatred and ignorance in this world, no matter what.

I really hate to say this because I am a devout Christian, but I think the Bible tends to breed ignorance and hatred in people. Most of the narrow-minded, ignorant people I know go to Church every Sunday morning. It really bothers me when people use the Bible to promote ignorance when Christianity is supposed to be about loving and accepting our neighbors. Jesus hung out with the "undesirables" of society and loved them dearly and I think that's what He wants us to do too.

That's exactly how I feel. Remember the story of the Good Samaratan? Anyone who's a Christian should know it.

[Kitt]

Try not to take a defeatest attitude. The problem is all countries, all cultures all throughout history. But education absolutely does help. There is an organization that brings together Palestiian and Israeli young people in order to learn through their own individual face to face experience. I've heard them speak about, and with each other after spending time together. What they learn and what they say is very heartening. Hatred and misunderstanding stems from ignorance, and ignorance can be overcome.

[Swimfan85]

I agree with for the most part that everything that has been said, yet it is more complicated because people will controdict themselves by saying "Education is the key and accepting others for who they are" and then sometimes (not all cases so dont jump down my throat) they will be the ones who "unknowningly" descrimanate against others...in the school systems(least in my town) it has been enbedded in our minds that prejuices are bad(not just racial prejudices but all types) and but what we do not actually learn how to not to act...like even a something as small as a joke can be taken so offensivly...like karli I believe said, "it is all in human nature." which I believe it is and people not only need to learn that prejudices are bad but learn how to prevent it by doing things as thinking before we make a comment that can be taken the wrong, and sometimes a joke that one person may find amusing, it could seriously hurt another person


and the problem is not only in America, look for example how most all countries hate Americans

[Czas na Zywiec]

Originally posted by kittflynn
Try not to take a defeatest attitude. The problem is all countries, all cultures all throughout history. But education absolutely does help. There is an organization that brings together Palestiian and Israeli young people in order to learn through their own individual face to face experience. I've heard them speak about, and with each other after spending time together. What they learn and what they say is very heartening. Hatred and misunderstanding stems from ignorance, and ignorance can be overcome.

No, that's not what I meant. I only asked what others think, and that's what i meant.

[Plata]

Originally posted by WingsFan
[B
I really hate to say this because I am a devout Christian, but I think the Bible tends to breed ignorance and hatred in people. Most of the narrow-minded, ignorant people I know go to Church every Sunday morning. It really bothers me when people use the Bible to promote ignorance when Christianity is supposed to be about loving and accepting our neighbors. Jesus hung out with the "undesirables" of society and loved them dearly and I think that's what He wants us to do too. [/B]

I totally agree with you, Wingsfan. Sometimes I think religion is really twisted. There are days when I wonder about what those religious people really think they believe in.

[Kitt]

Originally posted by Ricky Ricardo


No, that's not what I meant. I only asked what others think, and that's what i meant.

I wasn't speaking specifically to you. I'm not sure what you're questioning in what I said. Some of the comments have been defeatest. I was addressing those.

[Kitt]

Originally posted by WingsFan
I really hate to say this because I am a devout Christian, but I think the Bible tends to breed ignorance and hatred in people. Most of the narrow-minded, ignorant people I know go to Church every Sunday morning. It really bothers me when people use the Bible to promote ignorance.

People's self serving interpretation of the bible is more the problem than the bible is.

[Bootsy Whoosh]

Originally posted by WingsFan
I really hate to say this because I am a devout Christian, but I think the Bible tends to breed ignorance and hatred in people. Most of the narrow-minded, ignorant people I know go to Church every Sunday morning. It really bothers me when people use the Bible to promote ignorance when Christianity is supposed to be about loving and accepting our neighbors. Jesus hung out with the "undesirables" of society and loved them dearly and I think that's what He wants us to do too.

I would tend to agree, though I would extend it to many more religions, not just Christianity. Religion does seem to breed hatred and intolerance in the world. Obviously not in everyone, but even devoutly religious people cannot deny the existence of fundamentalists. However, I agree with Kitt about people's interpretations of religious texts being the biggest problem with regards to religion.

Originally posted by kittflynn
But education absolutely does help.

I agree that education absolutely does help. I fear we will never rid ourselves of these problems, but we can chip away at them little by little. Also, sometimes nothing more than a little exposure to other races and cultures can help. Near where I live, legislators and school board members recently decided to end over 30 years of mandatory school busing, which was keeping the schools in the area mixed. I can understand why they wanted to end it, and in the short term, I think it may have been the right decision. The school system has been in a terrible state for years now, and ending busing brings in extra revenues to those schools that can be used to get better books, hire better teachers, and make some much-needed structural improvements to the school buildings. However, I can't help but wonder how this may effect the community 10, 15, 20 years from now, when we will again have children growing up never having interacted with members of a different race.

Originally posted by hockeybabe528
people not only need to learn that prejudices are bad but learn how to prevent it by doing things as thinking before we make a comment that can be taken the wrong, and sometimes a joke that one person may find amusing, it could seriously hurt another person

I agree with this statement whole-heartedly. I have always felt that there is not much one single person can do to end centuries of hatred in the world, but the one thing we certainly all can do is be sensitive to others feelings. I also think it is important to not laught at racial jokes, even if there is no one of the joked-about race around. Like if your friend makes a joke about a black person, even if there are no black people around to see you laughing, I think it is important to not laugh anyway. Not laughing sends a message to your friend or whomever made the joke that you don't appreciate that kind of humor, and they will very likey stop making those jokes, at least around you, and, you can only hope, perhaps around others as well.

[XoVanillaRain90oX]

We discussed this in school....this is what my teacher said, "If there wasn't any bad in the world, how would we know what was good? and if there wasn't any good in the world, how would we know whats bad?"

But what has been going on could of been prevented. People choose to hate, us, americans. and yea, it's nature.

[Kitt]

By education, I don't only mean going to school. Jerry Falwell is educated and he is a fanatical bigot. If you would like to read a tremendously uplifting example of what I mean, please go to pbs.org and read the interview of Laura Blumenfeld by Margaret Warner which was aired on The Newshour a few days ago. Laura Blumenfeld is a reporter for the Washington Post. She has written a book titled "Revenge: A Story of Hope". Her father was shot, but not killed, while in Jerusalem as a visitor in 1986. He was shot for no other reason than he is Jewish. Laura Blumenfeld found a way to confront her father's shooter and accomplish revenge with "an act of generosity".that transformed her enemy rather than destroying him. She began writing to him in prison without him knowing that she was the daughter of his victim.Through some dramatic events that gave me the chillls and brought tears to my eyes this story unfolds. I can't possibly tell it better than laura Blumenfeld has told it in the interview. You all would do well to read the interview under,The Newshour - Essays & Dialogues.

[ChickenLegz]

It must happen in other countries, look what just happened to a school in Germany yesterday or Thursday.

I think all of this crap about what people look like and what they do should not be taken so literal. Poeple just have to let other live. I hate that mentally challenged people get made fun of and people that dont wear Polo, Nike or Limited Too are called poor. This ****, im sorry but thats exaclty what it is, has got to stop before another Holocaust or school shooting or segregation\Civil Rights thing happens.

-ChickenLegz