Racism
It started out as a joke, and then words were spoken which should not have been said. What at first began as a normal lunch break turned into a fiasco of slandering, prejudices and newly born racism.
Person A said that Yugoslavia isn’t so far away because person B’s wife comes to work on a bicycle. B answers; “We’re from Croatia, there is no Yugoslavia anymore!” A says in return; “ Yugo, Kroete, (purposely using the German word for Toad), they’re all rats with a different name!”
So it ended up that two colleagues walked away from each other, each filled with anger and bitterness. The same two people who laugh, talk and seriously get along with each other on a daily basis at work. The irony is that Person A is an Italian, ergo also a foreigner in Germany!
I touched on the subject of racism before, but it can never be mentioned often enough. Not as long as it’s still lurking somewhere on the sideline waiting to spring forward and fuel new aggression, we shouldn’t leave it alone! Why do people need to utilize racist remarks in their daily conversations, as though they have nothing else to chat about? It stems from their insecurity complex. A psychological sickness in which they wish to be on the pedestal at all times, at the cost of belittlement against others. Whereby they prove that they themselves are the mentally unstable ones. Racism is not ingrained into our DNA, it is taught to us from our parents, other adults in responsibility positions, and even the children we grew up with. And with racism comes its little brother, Bullying. Seems that the two come hand in hand. Most people who start racist bullying veer off to bully others when their favorite person is currently not available. Their hair is too long, they’re Hobos, don’t really matter who it is at the moment. As long as they have their satisfaction.
So as one can see, it doesn’t have to be a police officer accused of racism, or one of the many other examples found on the Internet. It’s right here at our doorstep, and to ignore it is silent participation.
[Tweet “To ignore racism is to be a silent participant.”]
Living over here in Germany, I missed the reason that the Confederate flag is suddenly getting bashed! And, for what reason? As children we played Yankees and Rebels in the woods, and it was super cool to be the one to carry the flag of the south. Remember that this was in the ’60’s in southern Michigan. The Confederate flag of the south wasn’t something you picked up at the store before going home! I don’t remember who had it but isn’t it strange that after playing Southerners with the flag, I’m not a racial bigot? Please! What does a flag which represents a part of our past and current culture in the south have to do with racism? Absolutely nothing! So why are they being banned by Amazon and Co., where at the same time I can purchase one of the “Allah Akbar” ISIS flags? The Government is already getting mixed into the charades while others are starting to attack the CAR from “The Dukes of Hazard!” We live in the 21st Century!! But this is turning out to be like burning witches at the stake!
And what they are doing is being racist, against the Confederate Flag!
PS: And don’t even start on the American Flag!!