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Tuesday, February 14, 2017

"Racism is Still Alive" by Bernardo M.


I was born into a Mexican American family. My father is an immigrant from Mexico, my mother is first generation Mexican American. Growing up in a Mexican household I was never taught hate but rather love and peace. The first neighborhood I grew up in was diverse culturally, it being located in Ontario. I grew up meeting and being friends with people of different ethnic groups. I never saw race as in issue. However, some people didn’t get the privilege I had of being taught love rather than hate. In today’s society, it seems as though we are going backwards rather than forward in the area of race relations. I’ve seen the hatred people have for the other races, it is present in our society, whether it is school, work, government, or everyday life. However it was not until the first time I experienced such prejudice that really opened my eyes.
    Halloween weekend of  last year  my girlfriend invited me to a Halloween party. I was excited to say the least, being a teenager you look for these fun experiences. She said that her friend was throwing it, I asked if I could bring friends, she said yes. On the day of the party I asked three of my friends to come to the party so I could at least enjoy company of people I know.
    It being a Halloween party, it’s obvious we needed Halloween costumes. I had mine, however, my friends didn’t. All day we thought of ideas for each of them. We even went to Goodwill to look for something cheap. While searching for costumes, we were hyped and excited.  Our talks all consisted of “what if’s” and our expectations of what was ahead of us, while we searched. After no luck (except that two of my friends bought sunglasses too small for their head) we went to one of my friends house. There we did inventory of what they could wear. We joked around and they picked random clothes and just threw them on and called it a costume. After an hour so, it was time to leave for the party. On the drive there we were blasting music. We were hyping each other up, talking about how we were going to have a fun time. Entering the neighborhood, it was in the hills of Rancho Cucamonga. Obviously it was of upper middle class. It all seemed intimidating to us. We parked and walked to the door. We knocked the door. The girl who opened the door was a tall white girl. Her first glance was a degrading stare. Now, I tell you it was a degrading stare because we were all of different ethnicities and when the door opened she gave look like she was disgusted.  She asked rudely “ Who are you?” and then I replied in regular tone, “I’m Victoria’s boyfriend and these are my friends, she invited us”. She then yelled for Victoria, and she came down and let us in.
    The girl at the door was the host and it was her house. When we walked in we went to the back yard. The welcome we got wasn’t pleasing so it all felt awkward, especially since we were the first ones there. A couple minutes later Victoria pulled me aside and told me that the host thought me and my friends looked “scary” and “ghetto”. When i first heard this, i thought it was a joke but after a chuckle i figured, it wasn’t. I was angry my first words were “what?” i was in disbelief. I always thought of racism being something low key, I’ve never been subject to it. But here It was, in a time of having fun and being yourself there was this channel of prejudice. I told my friends and they could not believe it either. We didn’t know what to do, how could someone thing this of me and even worse my friends? We are kind people, we didn’t mean any harm, we were just looking for a fun night.
    We walked out of the house and said we forgot something. Victoria’s friends told us “Bye!” in a condescending tone. When we got to the car, i was livid. We talked about what we should do. I said let’s just stay and enjoy it who cares. They didn't seem up for it. They wanted to go to a different party of someone they knew. I told them they could go, I’ll stay. I wasn’t happy about it. I should’ve gone with them. Staying there i felt out of place, considering it being a Los Osos party, everyone was dominantly white. Me and my girlfriend (who is latina) and a couple other people were the only people of color. I could feel people staring at me, judging me. Not only did they not know me, but I was a minority.
    In the end, my friends came back when more people came and we had a good time regardless. It was fun but as well as a life lesson. It saddens me to know there are still people living in such a old fashioned mindset. It’s even getting worse, considering our own president has had his issues with xenophobic, racist comments. His political views, set a bad example on the country and leads people to be more open about their racist mindset. We need to wake up, throw away these nasty misconceptions and stereotypes of other races, throw away such prejudice racist mindset. Spread love and positivity, not hate and bigotry. It it our duty as human beings to welcome others with open minds, do not judge other based on the pigment of their skin. We are the future of this country after all.

22 comments:

  1. The message that you portrayed within our personal story was eye-opening. I like to believe that you are taught by your surroundings, which, although deems comfortable, can be the greatest detriment to one's social life. Being encompassed in a socially diverse neighborhood unfortunately does not reflect the harsh reality of xenophobic behavior, which is what your work signified, and I appreciate that.

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  2. My parents had a similar experiences when they got invited to their friend's party in Norco. I wasn't there, but they told me about it and It went similar to your's. I agree with what you have to say about "our duty as human beings to welcome others with open minds, do not judge other based on the pigment of their skin. We are the future of this country after all," but you know the world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. Thanks for sharing this personal piece of your's, Bernardo!

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  3. Bernardo M: Although the idea that racism still exists in our society is nothing new, it is still very sad every time a story of someone experiencing it comes up. We live in societies that are culturally diverse, yet some of us are still subjected to racism. Your story is quite saddening, especially seeing how you and your friends reacted towards the event. Thank you for sharing this story, and thank you for providing readers like me with an enlightening piece that was far different from what is usually found on this blog. Well done!

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  4. Fortunately, growing up in the suburbs doesn't expose you to as much prejudice as if you were in lower-income areas; however, this doesn't exclude the mindset of many ignorant people who we come across on a daily basis. Microaggressions can seem minor to some, but after a while have a profound effect on you as a person. I appreciate how you wrote about your family and how you grew up, and also the unfolding of events that occurred on Halloween. This structure allowed us to get a glimpse into your views on the subject and also allowed us to easily follow along with the story. Great piece!

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  5. As soon as I read this title, I knew I had to read this piece. It grabbed me and I was hooked from the very first sentence. Though many believe I am simply of white, european descent, I am the first generation of a Mexican immigrant and I believe everyone of cultural and ethnic diversity truly see all the threads of racism that still exist in todays society, sadly. It is terrible how those people made you feel just based on the way you and your friends look, however, it's nothing more than pure ignorance. I truly enjoyed this piece because by you telling your personal experience you're educating those who don't believe it, furthering our society, and overall sending a message of spreading love, compassion, and understanding without basis of skin color, and crushing hate in this world. Lovely job at making the world one step closer to becoming a better one:)

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  6. Racism has plagued human race for centuries, and I fear it is not going anywhere anytime soon. This first person account of flagrant racism is an argument on the fact that racism still exist, and it may sway or persuade those who believe otherwise.

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  7. This piece is sad but needs to be kown, it uncovers the sad truth that racism does in fact still exist. I can not relate to your situation personally, but i know it happens more times than not. Thank you for sharing!

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  8. This piece is something that I can relate to as well, despite knowing that what I have encountered is minuscule in comparison to what so many other people face, it is still enough to sometimes wear us down. Your organization of the piece and retelling of the story made it easy to follow along. I loved the message that you shared of loving each other. Great job!

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  9. This is way too relatable, thank you for bringing this issue up. I remember as a little kid that I never really paid attention or made distinctions among race until one day in the second grade another student told me "I don't like sitting next to people of color", initially I was hurt and still struggled with the idea of race but in the years after it became too evident to ignore. In recent times I remember when I went to Huntington Beach HS for a MUN conference everyone in the room looked down at me and tried ignoring me because I was the only colored kid in the room, they had the same perception that I was "ghetto" and didn't have manners, in all of the summer classes I had the Los Osos students who were predominantly white also made remarks that I wasn't intelligent like them and that I didn't belong there. It's a shame how as a country we're moving behind and foolishly judging people off their skin instead of who they are as a person, I have no hatred for anyone else and I believe as a Muslim that God created us differently as a way to identify each other and not to fight, we need to move past the toxic perceptions against each other and work for a common good. I'm glad that you brought this up, racism of any kind is disgusting. Great job!

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  10. First of all, thank you so much for writing about this topic! This is a very sensitive issue and, unfortunately considering our time, a common one. I may not have experienced the level of bigotry that you had, but sometimes the little remarks here and there can cause the same damage. Your story was very compelling, from the title to the end. You explained this memory very vividly that it was very easy to image as well as understand your emotion/perspective, yet at the same time it was also easy to follow. Good job and don't forget that you are always surrounded by people that love you for who YOU are.

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  11. This was a great story!! The message here is strong. We dont see racism because we here are very diverse. We don't know how bad racism is and how hurtful it feels. I totally agree with you. The end of your story was really powerful! Good job Benny!

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  12. First of all, I want to say thank you for touching on such a controversial topic. As a minority myself, I'm looked down upon because of my hair color, facial features, and skin pigment. Mostly judged based on how I look rather than who I am. People need to break their borders and welcome any person with a generous smile and love. Great job on explaining this event in detail and also providing tone with your anger and the imagery you where surrounded with. Great job!

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  13. wow Benny this is really a great piece. very powerful and it just shows the type of world we live in today. people like to tell themselves that everything is ok and that times have changed,they try to avoid the topic of racism and prejudice. in reality we still face similar problems like our ancestors faced in the past its evident in your story that we still continue to struggle towards true equality. i hope your piece really opened some peoples eyes. really a great job.

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  14. Great piece! You really brought to light the current issues in society and how toxic it is to our generation. Racism is still very prominent today and we need to learn to love one another regardless of our skin color. Thank you for sharing a personal account as some may think racism is a problem of the past. Amazing job!

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  16. Your piece truly captures the cruel nature of racism and prejudice. Racism is still alive even to this day. People are under the false pretense that racism is no longer relevant in today's society. It has been lingering in the shadows for years and now it has resurfaced again. Society will never reach its fullest potential so long as racism is still relevant. - Jerico Dizon

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  17. Wow! I really think that your piece was very powerful and truly revealing of the fact that people around us are still racist and instead of moving forward we are staying the same if not going back to old times. Honestly people need to get it through their heads that they are in the 21st century and they need to cut the racism out. What good does being prejudice do for our country? All it does is create problems and more problems. Thanks for writing about your experience and speaking up about how you feel as a Hispanic. I can honestly relate.

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  18. As a first generation Mexican American, I definitely relate to your piece a lot. Although I myself have not experienced direct racism like you have, I have seen it happen to my mom where people talk down to her just for having a slight accent (but fluent English). It saddens me to say that I truly feel Mexican Americans are society's punching bag, because we work hard for the same rights others are born with, and when we are struck against, try our best to just take the hit and move on like you did on this night. Thank you so much for sharing and great job.

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  19. Thank you for sharing your story with us, and for highlighting the sad truth that becomes increasingly apparent with today's current events. I'm sorry you had to go through something like this, no person should ever be treated this way. Hopefully spreading awareness of the problem will lead more people to fight against it. Great writing!

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  20. I can't even imagine how you must've felt because I too would be in disbelief of the whole situation. Just because we live in an area where we may be accepted and even comfortable does not mean we should ignore all that is going on in the outskirts. I do believe that we need peace, love, and honesty as well because if we are unable to establish that there truly IS a problem, we will be unable to move forward. We must try and be the best versions of ourselves. I really liked your piece and the strong message it held, thanks for sharing your experience. :)

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  21. The way the story written is very good that I didn't need to skip some parts of the story. The story gave me a message that racism remains its existence in today's world that affects the lives of everyone. There are many methods in which we've change but just because we do not see the racism as before, doesn't show that we have solved the problem. Great Job!


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  22. Even though I've never experienced something like this in my life, I can still feel how isolated you and your friends could have felt during this event. I know that racism is still an active issue and something uplifting as this is just another step forward in diminishing the amount of racism in society. Not only did i think this was great story, I think that what your solution to the problem was great and how you and your friends didn't let is come between all of you.

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