I had to watch this video sometime in my undergraduate studies during one of my psychology classes. It makes sense. None of these behaviors took me by surprise. What makes me angry is that we can all sit back and watch this video, and understand that discriminating against people because of their eye color is wrong, but why do we as adults feel it is okay to discriminate against people who are different colors than us? The stigmas and stereotypes that are ingrained in our minds based on what the media has told us is completely toxic and DOES NOT MAKE SENSE. Anyone, no matter what their race, is capable of making good decisions and is also capable of making bad decisions. Why are we spending so much of our time focusing on the stories that highlight Blacks as inherently dangerous and animal like? Why is our opinions of others based on what the media portrays them as, and not based on our own personal experiences with others? The narratives that are told by White people is sickening. It perpetuates racism in our institutions, education system, criminal justice system, etc. It's everywhere. Racism is so deeply rooted in our society, which makes it so hard to tackle. But sometimes, maybe all we need to do is watch this video, and put on our critical lens. Focus the attention on our own biases, and ask ourselves the hard questions. Ask ourselves why we view Black and White people differently. Where are these assumptions coming from? Is this what our parents taught us? Is this based on real lived experiences when interacting with others? It is no longer a valid excuse to say, "Well, this is the generation I am from" or "The way I was brought up heavily influenced my beliefs about others". None of that justifies the racist attitudes we perpetuate in our society. Let's take on the challenge of dismantling our racist and discriminatory thoughts so that we can treat everyone with the humility, respect, and love that they deserve.
