Don't H8, Toler8 - Total cliche but do it anyway

My previous blogs have mentioned pet peeves that, admittedly, are really not that bad. Sure, talking during lectures is disrespectful, smoking is hazardous even to non-smokers and celebrity gossip should not exist on any planet but by far, discrimination is something that I can absolutely not tolerate.

Discrimination includes sexism and racism (there are definitely many, many, many more but these are the ones that immediately come to mind).

Let's start off with sexism. Many countries today are still stuck in the mindset that women are inferior to men. Why you may ask? I wish I knew, then I'd be able to try and change those opinions. Maybe it's the smaller muscles or the softer voices but many have the impression that because of anatomy, women are not equal to men. Okay, OBVIOUSLY women are not equal to men in terms of anatomy but I think you know what I'm hinting at. Women are judged by what they look like and because of appearances, they can be easily dismissed as being nothing more than 'what you see is what you get'. Women shouldn't be perceived as anything below the status of men; they deserve the same chances that men get to pursue careers of their choice and to have a voice that people will actually pay attention to. After all, smaller muscles are still muscles in the end that possess the potential to do anything that is desired by the body, and a softer voice is still capable of expressing an opinion. Sexism, I think, is derived from early religions. In Christianity, it just so happens that Eve, a woman, is the one that is tempted to sin and thus, damns humanity. I won't delve too much into religion (since understandably, I could get myself into sticky situations) but it seems to me that it's almost arbitrary that a woman HAPPENED to be the first sinner. I think that's something worth thinking about during the weekend...

Does the name Ku Klux Klan, also known as the KKK, ring a bell? This is one example of how extreme and appalling racism can be due to the fixed opinions or close mindedness that a group of people can have for another. What makes one race think that they are better than another race? As it is the case with sexism, everything goes back to appearances. Just because one group is darker-skinned than another doesn't justify one's motive to brutally murder the other in a horrific way. Sure, some of us may look a little weird, speak in strange dialects or worship things that others may consider to be 'the devil' but that's what makes planet Earth a colorful mosaic. Ecologists and people in the mainstream are always concerned with the loss of diversity in wildlife. What about human diversity? As time goes on and more racially-driven cults like the KKK form, people may eventually be reduced to one culture, one religion, one mindset, and one appearance. And what a shame that would be, to not have the rainbow of diversity that makes the world an exciting place to explore. In another extreme, forming more of these cults could lead to global wars and mass extinctions, pitting countries or even continents against each other, in the attempt for one race to reign supreme. Yes, there's your solution to overpopulation. I am utterly disgusted that groups like the KKK still exist today, extending beyond a mere cult and infecting an entire community. Someday, entire countries or even hemispheres may develop this paranoia to 'unify all races'. This sounds exaggerated, but is it really that far fetched? History is proof that intolerance to difference leads to eradication. Doesn't history exist so that the same mistakes won't be repeated? If so, why does the KKK still persist in certain parts of America? Exactly how much pain and torture must be exerted before people wake up and realise that these actions do not make us the superior creatures that we claim ourselves to be, and that we are behaving worse than animals? Animals kill other species for food and nourishment. Humans kill members of their own species because they can, and that is truly sickening.

Nowadays, there are many efforts that promote tolerance of others. Through media, people are encouraged to embrace diversity. Many days of the year are devoted to celebrating the wide range of cultures and lifestyles that different people define themselves by. Yesterday, March 21, happened to be the United Nation's International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Despite modern attempts to reduce or even eliminate discrimination, I'm still pessimistic that things will ever change permanently. We as humans are the only free-thinking creatures on Earth, giving rise to the freedom to think whatever we want, even in terms of how men are better than women or how Caucasians are holier than African-Americans, and this is our ultimate downfall.

In the end, is there such a thing as equality? Frankly, I sincerely doubt it and there may never will be as long as humans exist. That's the truth and damn, it hurts.