Daily Prompt – Unequal Terms

Did you know today is Blog Action Day? Join bloggers from around the world and write a post about what inequality means to you. Have you ever encountered it in your daily life?

Inequality is, unfortunately, something I have had to endure pretty much my entire life, and it sucks.

5 Sept – After #Ferguson

As part of the healing process, please talk about how you processed the events of Ferguson.

As I mentioned in my previous post, the events of Ferguson were broadcast on the news, but are issues that aren’t necessarily relevant in Australia.

It’s sad that this behaviour still exists in other countries, particularly America, and surprising that more isn’t being done to change people’s perceptions. As I discussed in another previous post, stereotypes exist in society, due to the behaviours of a minority of people of a particular race. In America, a percentage of African-Americans conduct thigh-like behaviour or criminal behaviour, and therefore, they’re all viewed as being thugs / criminals. Granted, there are a number of contributing factors which lead to this behaviour, but I think that if they’re so upset about it, they really should be putting more of a focus on changing people’s perceptions about them – but in order to do that, it requires changing the behaviours of the people who are purporting this stereotype.

Until that happens, unfortunately these issues are not going to change. You can try educating people to a certain extent, however, it’s up to each individual to try and influence and create change not just in themselves, but also in others.

My heart goes out to those directly affected by the events of Ferguson.

4 Sept – Racism

Why do you think it is so difficult for people to talk about race?

The discussion of race is something that is taboo. Unless you’re talking about your own race, and I still don’t quite understand that. For example, if I make a comment about a person of race, regardless of whether it’s positive or negative, I’m labelled as a racist. But if an African-American is talking about other African-Americans, that’s completely acceptable. Why!?