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I am a blue skinned guy and I see a group of guys with purple skin talking amongst themselves in a local park. They have mannerisms, language, and style of dress different from mine. Immediate I feel they are different from me. More importantly, I realize I am different from them and would not likely fit into their social bubble. As such, I am hesitant to intrude and find myself feeling like a foreigner and out of place. Therefore, I stay by myself, or go look for others whom I am more familiar with.
What I described is a pretty typical human response to others who appear foreign, and how such fear and ignorance heavily influence the decision by an individual or group to self-segregate. The same is likely going on with the purple guys, and the group of green guys a few picnic tables over. This is normal social dynamics. It is not ideal, but it is a pretty common scenario.
This basic bias may remain simple self-segregation. Or it can turn ugly with bigotry as the different factions clash to ensure the members of each clan respect the self-imposed segregation. The children are not allowed to play together, nor are any Romeo and Juliet relationships permitted to form across the color divide.
Where such scenarios becomes serious problems is when the blue-skinned majority group tries to drive out the minority groups with purple skin and green skin, through personal intimidation, through laws crafted to deny them access to societal institutions, and through unequal targeting by police. Now bias and simple bigotry has turned into a systematic issue of racism.
It is unfortunate as everything in my fictional multicolored world takes place for real in our communities, both at home and across the globe. It doesn't have to be like this. Of the fear ridden groups I describe, it will be the children in each group, curiously looking for a friend, whom celebrate the differences in color of skin, language, and mannerisms. Then, they will quickly forget about their differences as they run off to play happily together as if they have been friends forever. Sadly, it will be the grown-ups passing down their fear and ignorance that turns these happy children into hate-mongering adults.
The solution lies with individuals. Nationwide laws passed to end discrimination are important, but it takes change in the heart and soul of the individual to end such abhorrent behavior permanently. Think of it this way... if individuals, you and I, were to refuse to give in to the fear of that which is different, the societal groups to which we belong will likewise stop reacting with fear. And pretty soon we are all one big happy family. Well, maybe it is not quite that easy nor that simple. But, the one thing that is simple is this: the solution starts with me, and it starts with you.
What I described is a pretty typical human response to others who appear foreign, and how such fear and ignorance heavily influence the decision by an individual or group to self-segregate. The same is likely going on with the purple guys, and the group of green guys a few picnic tables over. This is normal social dynamics. It is not ideal, but it is a pretty common scenario.
This basic bias may remain simple self-segregation. Or it can turn ugly with bigotry as the different factions clash to ensure the members of each clan respect the self-imposed segregation. The children are not allowed to play together, nor are any Romeo and Juliet relationships permitted to form across the color divide.
Where such scenarios becomes serious problems is when the blue-skinned majority group tries to drive out the minority groups with purple skin and green skin, through personal intimidation, through laws crafted to deny them access to societal institutions, and through unequal targeting by police. Now bias and simple bigotry has turned into a systematic issue of racism.
It is unfortunate as everything in my fictional multicolored world takes place for real in our communities, both at home and across the globe. It doesn't have to be like this. Of the fear ridden groups I describe, it will be the children in each group, curiously looking for a friend, whom celebrate the differences in color of skin, language, and mannerisms. Then, they will quickly forget about their differences as they run off to play happily together as if they have been friends forever. Sadly, it will be the grown-ups passing down their fear and ignorance that turns these happy children into hate-mongering adults.
The solution lies with individuals. Nationwide laws passed to end discrimination are important, but it takes change in the heart and soul of the individual to end such abhorrent behavior permanently. Think of it this way... if individuals, you and I, were to refuse to give in to the fear of that which is different, the societal groups to which we belong will likewise stop reacting with fear. And pretty soon we are all one big happy family. Well, maybe it is not quite that easy nor that simple. But, the one thing that is simple is this: the solution starts with me, and it starts with you.
Blueman Group photo attribution Galeria de Léo Pinheiro - Picasa. Blue Man Group em São Paulo em 02/08/2009. Obtained from Wiki Commons under Creative Commons license.
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