Racial stereotyping!

Racism in all its forms has become a real problem in recent years. The fear of being called a racist has stopped several people from joining a debate which is needed.
Basically racism is using stereotypes common for each race as though every member of the race shared the same characteristics.
The French are good lovers. The Scots are mean with money. Germans are always first to the sun beds.
To apply a stereotype to every member of a race is undoubtedly risky! Humans have many different traits thank goodness. It would be very dull if we were all the same.
Racism is the prejudice which has been most prevalent over the last years, largely because it is easy to spot someone from a different land if their skin colour is different from ours.
In the past Jews have been targeted for much the same reason but today it would be hard to spot one without asking a few questions.
One of my early boyfriends was Jewish. He looked like every other teenage boy and I had no idea of his race until I was invited for Saturday tea. His parents were lovely and we chatted until suddenly at six o'clock they leapt into action to get the meal on the table. As I got to know them better I was often invited on Saturday and got to the stage of laying the table and doing the jobs they couldn't start until the Sabbath was over.
This brief period of my life gave me insight into a race then often thoughtlessly derided.
My boyfriends parents were human beings. They were kind, thoughtful , laughed a lot and were supportive of their boys choices...
When I went off to college I met other people from ethnic minorities some of whom had encountered prejudice in their lives.
We tended to use stereotyping carelessly at times and today would be thought of as racists.
Thankfully we have many different human characteristics. Some of us love words , music and art.
We live in cities, countryside and by the seaside.
Where we were brought up often determines our characters. The people we have befriended during our lives are influences on how we judge people.
Stereo typing doesn't work and is destructive.
We are all children of God even if we have lots of names for Him...we are all very different and that's the way God made us if only to save us from boredom! We should celebrate those differences surely?


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