This week’s topic is a bit more serious as I’ve heard some conversations from the past few weeks that have left me with an extremely unsettling feeling.

Racism.

Noun : prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against a person or people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized.

Racism comes in all different shapes and sizes and can be portrayed and acted on in many different ways. Now that school is fully face to face and not virtual anymore, I’ve been observing how people are interacting with each other. I see people discriminating and sectioning certain groups of people away for what looks like to be no reason at all. 

This may not be everyone’s opinion, but I think that the N-word, when used in a negative connotation, should not be allowed to be said, especially if you aren’t African American. I believe it’s disrespectful and rude, and most of the time completely unnecessary and uncalled for. 

People should have a more open mind and start thinking about others and how their actions not only affect themselves. Another important thing to keep in mind is social media. If someone accidentally records you racially discriminating against someone else in any way whatsoever, and it’s posted on social media, it can affect your future quite a bit. When applying for college or jobs, your name will be searched for references. If you have a bad reputation tied to your name, there’s a very good chance you could be saying goodbye to your future.

It’s important to keep in mind that even when you think someone isn’t listening to you, there’s almost always actually is.

All in all, students should be respectful when it comes to others to keep themselves and other around them safe.