Upbringing has so much to do with how we view other people in the world. Anti-Semitism and Racism are not innate traits, or part of our DNA. I have always believed that you are how you were raised.
How You Were Raised is Important
Anti-Semitism and Racism are learned behaviors in my opinion. Children don’t see color, or religious differences. Just look into a daycare sometime. All children play together. However, as those same children get older, their views may change, drastically in some instances. Who is responsible for that? Their environment and those people in their lives, whom they most often act with, influence them the most.
Growing Up in A Mixed Neighborhood
Where you grow up can also influence how you view the world and the multitude of people in it. I for one, grew up in a neighborhood in the early ’60’s, where you had whites, blacks, Latinos, Christians and Jews. Without getting into specifics, I saw anti-semitism and racism early on. We had people in the neighborhood, who didn’t like certain others, due to their race and/or religion. The children duplicated the parents practices. Why? Because that is what they learned from them. You knew who they were, because they did not play with everyone. We didn’t pay any attention to them, because we didn’t understand it at the time. As I got older, I realized that not everyone tolerated different people.
Schools and Their Influence
Depending on where you attended school, and the kind you went to, dictated what you may have learned about the real world. For those who attended religious schools, faith-based was the main ideology. Public schools, which I attended all of my 12 years, brought you together with everyone, all races and all faiths. When you see the world through everyone’s eyes, it gives you a different perspective. Once again, however, that perspective is molded by how you are brought up. You can go to a public school, but you may not necessarily like those around you either. This is where other children can have an impact on your own. If that foundation of acceptance and tolerance is formed in the home, most kids won’t stray.
Anti-Semitism and Racism in the Workplace
Sad to say, but this behavior in the workplace runs rampant in our society. People will discuss others, not knowing who may hear them. I have been witness to the kind of racism, anti-semitism and bigotry, you wouldn’t think existed. It works both ways. It’s very sad, when you have to work with those, who say one thing to your face, then insult you after you walk away. If we are to become a tolerant society, then you can’t speak out of both ends of your behind! Practice what you preach. If you go to a church, synagogue or mosque, put into play what you say you believe in. The hypocrisy is mind-boggling.
So What is There to Do Today
Ages and ideologies clash, that is obvious. Being on social media as much as I am, I read lots and lots of comments, insults, ignorant rants and just plain stupid remarks, about all that is wrong with our society and our world. Those same people are the ones who want it their way or no way. This is everybody. Right, left, middle of the road, it’s all of us! The sad truth is that, everyone is not going to tolerate other people.
The other truth is that we all have to live on this planet. One group is not better than another. There is no place for the kkk, nazis, or white supremacists. My uncle didn’t give his life for these sub-humans to think the world is for them to decide who exists in it and who doesn’t. That will be left to a higher authority!