“I’m just wondering, what race or ethnicity are you?”

“Are you being racist?”

In a time where racial tensions dominate the media, people often misunderstand the definition of racism. Asking someone what race or ethnicity they are out of curiosity is not racism. Racism is the act of discriminating someone based on their skin color.

Asking about racial backgrounds should actually be considered a good thing. Think about it. That person actually cared about what you actually were and didn’t just assume you were a race based on stereotypes. By lashing out at those people, they become more afraid to discover the different people around them.

Rather than automatically assuming someone’s race based on how they fit society’s stereotypes, asking them for clarification can actually reverse the stereotypes that haunt the way people see each other.

On the other hand, racism is when the treatment of a person is based on their race. If someone was treated like trash just because of their skin color, that’s racism. If someone asked another person what race they were and suddenly that person was treated differently, that’s racism.

Accusing someone of being racist just because they asked a simple question only buries the problems our society is facing today regarding racial tensions between diverse people. The only way to solve these problems is by talking about it, not by making it a taboo.

Although the journey to a more peaceful world between races seems like a long one, it’s one that’s possible with the reversal of misunderstandings. Even though we may not realize it, our age group’s role in changing society is huge. We have so much power to make a change, especially with our social media.

The first small step can start in schools and with the youth, and can evolve on a global scale if we can accept that not everyone is what we necessarily think they are.