I’m a teenager.
For my class, I had to read To Kill A Mockingbird. This book is set in a fictional 1930’s town of Maycomb, Alabama. This book is about discrimination, coming of age, and a bunch of other things. But this book is making me laugh. Scout’s teacher is talking about how Hitler is evil for the persecution of Jews. They say discrimination is wrong. Her teacher is priceless.
They are doing it. The persecution of innocent, unfairly discriminated against people. The children are raised in a world where if your skin is dark, you are less. If you are a woman you are less. This whole social hierarchy is just a form of controlling every man, woman, and child into conformity. Giving an order to the world. „The thing about it is our kind of folk don’t like the Cunninghams, the Cunninghams don’t like the Ewells, and the Ewells hate and despise the colored folk.” (Jem). Here, Jem says he’s figured out the inner workings of Maycomb. But Scout only sees what most children should see. „Folks are folks.” In Germany, the discrimination is against Jews, in America, it is still against the ‘colored folks’. But even then, there is still prejudice.
„…you should be gracious to everybody, dear. But that doesn’t mean you have to invite him home.” (Aunt Alexandra). Scout’s aunt, Atticus’ sister, comes in. Here, she is talking about a WHITE boy named Walter. The boy has the same skin tone as her but still, look at the prejudice. „He-is-trash, that’s why you can’t play with him. I’ll not have you around him, picking up his habits and Lord-knows-what.” Aunt Alexandra is furious that Scout wants to hang out with Walter. From this time period, she might have well said, „You can not to marry a black,” with the anger she dealt out.
The only person with sense, would be Atticus Finch, father of Scout and Jem. He says, „Jem, see if you can stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes for a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility at the trial, if he had any to begin with […] so if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that’s something I’ll gladly take. He had to take it out on somebody and I’d rather it be me than that houseful of children out there.” He defends a black man named Tom Robinson in court. Tom is accused of raping and beating Mayella on the RIGHT side of her face. Tom has a crippled LEFT arm from a cotton gin accident.
The verdict comes out.
Now what are the odds of a black man with a crippled left arm being considered guilty against a left-handed poor white man who’s always drunk and aggressive and a white woman all alone in a house with her siblings and scared of her father who both stumble and mumble on the stand.
This book demonstrates the truth of growing up. Coming of age isn’t what you think. It’s all about learning the true evils of the world. Jem sees this first. He stops Scout from killing a rolly polly because he is done with seeing the cruelty of humans on another living beings.
It is 2015 today.
This isn’t gone. I mean I see discrimination, I see hatred, I see the loathing of others. Our world is no better today. In my last little post I talked about the Black Lives Matter campaign and how it bugged me. Guess what, that is a form of hatred. Black people are discriminating against all white police men. Guess what? News flash, it was the actions of a few men. Don’t punish everyone else with fluffy caking white skin like me. I don’t care what color your skin is. We’re all just people after all. Growing up, one of my closest friends, hey, her skin was black. I have a Vietnamese friend. No two skin tones are alike.
Gay marriage. People can’t just accept the fact that someone may like another person of the same sex as them. I mean come on, they’re people too. Leave them alone and let them feel joy. If you don’t like it, don’t do it. But don’t destroy someone else’s choice of joy. Let two boys get married. Let two girls get married. We are supposed to be the generation of greatness.
I don’t see it. I open my eyes and see some changes but the world is still broken. There are social status to uphold. Certain ways to talk and walk. Certain people to hang out with, certain trivial things we are not supposed to do because society disagrees with it. Society grow a heart! Care about something more! Your vanity will be your ultimate undoing!
Religion. There are WARS happening over religion. I mean come on. If these soldiers really were religious would they be destroying their holy city? Would they be killing innocent men and women? Destroying the lives of millions of people? Destroy our history and way of life? These fighters say it’s for religion but if that was true wouldn’t they just calmly discuss this? My 6th grade history teacher Mr. Reinhimer once told me that everyone fighting over differences in religion, they all worship the same god. The only difference is in Jesus and prophets. That’s not worthy of a murder. I don’t care who you are.
I grew up Christian. And I still am Christian. But I’m sliding into a second form of religion at one time. Omnism. An acceptance of all religions. Who’s to say everyone is right or no one is right? At the very least, respect another person’s religion don’t insult it or think that’s they’re ridiculous. Honestly, I don’t care what religion you are. Be who you are. Heck, I can’t tell you half of my friends religions.
Because yes it’s important to you as a human being and shaping you but it doesn’t dictate every part of you. My friends, strangers, my family, let them have their religion. Let them be them. I’ll be me.
All I want from human beings as a whole is to evolve. Allow other people to have happiness, let them feel something. Don’t be rude and hateful. Don’t drag someone down, lift them up. Let humans live their own lives. As John Green would say, DFTBA. Don’t forget to be awesome. As I would say, DFTBY. Don’t forget to be you.
Don’t let an impostor take over your life. Own your life. It’s yours. And the only one you have, so make it count.
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