I have chosen to write my paper on the ever persisting topic of racism. I feel that while this is a very talked about topic in our society, I feel that in my family in particular it is often overlooked. My father is an old country boy who has not been around black people very much throughout his life, and it shows in his actions.
He always makes racial comments around me and it upsets me greatly. I tell him about him, but he seems to just take it as a joke. I do not think that this is something to joke about. While a few years ago I could not say that I had many black friends, I can say that now. Since I have been at Urbana, I have made many friends many of whom are black.
So I have a serious reason to take offense to my father’s comments. Racism has been around for many years. Not until the 1960’s did black people start to get many of the same privileges that everybody else had such as using the same public bathrooms as everybody else or getting to sit on a bus in any seat he or she chose. I am certainly glad that black people today do have, for the most part, the same privileges that everyone else has. Still there are a lot of racists that are trying there best to make sure that black people do not enjoy the same life as everybody else.
These are the people that we need to eliminate. One group in particular that I believe needs to be eliminated is the Klu Klux Klan. These people have not just made racist comments towards black people, but have killed many people simply because of their skin color. Not only have they murdered many innocent people, they have committed many other acts of violence such as arson and rape. I believe that these people need to be eliminated from our society, not by killing them, but rather by sending them away to prison for the rest of their lives and letting them suffer. If someone were to kill them for the acts that they committed I consider that person to have the same type of problem that the KKK have.
So I think that all remaining members of the KKK, who acknowledge that they are actually members of this sick organization, and have committed acts of violence towards other simply because of their skin color, should be locked away for the rest of their life. The fact that my Dad is a racist is something that bothers me greatly. I tell him every time that he makes a racist comment that he really is offending me and many people close to me. He says that he is just joking or sometimes he even says that what he says is true.
This makes me really upset. I know that he was raised in this fashion, and he probably does not know any better, but I really wish he would change his way of thinking. Sometimes he makes me think that he is no different than the members of the KKK. I know he has never done anything to harm anybody because of their skin color, but I sometimes think that if he was given half a chance to do so, he would. This thought haunts me day in and day out. In conclusion, I think that racism is a very big problem in our society today, and should be taken very seriously.
My Dad tends to disagree with me and consistently makes racial comments that upset me. He seems to think it is funny. It is not funny when racist groups like the KKK take people’s lives simply because of their skin color. I think people who commit crimes such as these should be locked away for the rest of their lives. I sometimes think that my Dad would not hesitate to act in this fashion, and that thought really bothers me.
Hopefully one day he will change, as will all others who think in the same fashion, and our world will be one with racial harmony.Bibliography:
