Essay by: Bryan Harrison
Subject: Predudice, Racism, Sexism

Prejudice Hurts

    Our history is full of inhumane occurrences between humans and other humans. The effects of racism, sexism, and religious distinction have put an enormous black spot on our civilization. More people have died because of these prejudices than in all the wars combined. This is because many of these wars were brought about by such discriminations. People just seem to have an urge to belong. The sad thing is that attached to this urge is a non-tolerance for all that are not like the social group one is in. The Microsoft Encarta mentions that "…prejudiced attitudes often have been proven to be extremely difficult to eradicate, even when integration is enforced by law." There are many conflicts that arise even between the people and their nation or community because of the strong powers of favoritism.

    Racism has been around ever since anyone can remember. It is puzzling to think of why this racial behavior exists. How did racism come about? It may have been started by a battle over land. Or, perhaps, an obscene remark was the culprit. Maybe it is just the nature of man to be illogical and fanatical of others.

    Sexism has more recently become an issue because of new ways of doing things. Sexism has been around forever, but has not always received as much opposition as it does today. Within the last century, women have discovered that they are as capable at some things as men are. They fought, and are still fighting for the right to work and earn a living for themselves. There are still some occupations that women have not yet conquered. For instance, there are no women in professional football because most of them lack the physical strength necessary to be competitive against the more powerful sex. Despite the fight most women would give the last statement, it has been scientifically proven that men are capable of participating in more physical demanding conditions.

    Religion has been a major cause of contention between the human race. Millions of people have been killed "in the name of God". More have also been killed just because they believe differently than others. For instance, the six million Jews that were murdered by Hitler died because they were not of Hitler’s "Aryan Race". They were different, so they died. The Catholic clergy created the "witch" in order to bring people together with the church. The church, I guess, thought that they weren’t getting enough indulgences, so they create sins and if you didn’t come to church regularly, they called you a witch and burnt you at the stake. My purpose in pointing this out is that most of the religious bias comes from misunderstandings, past historical events, and lies.

    We see what an impact there has been in the past. We can’t imagine all of the hindrances in technology and progression that were caused by hate and intolerance. Whether your difference is in your skin, sex, religion, or any other biased condition, there are people out there who hate you.