…But Words Will Never Hurt Me
November 24, 2009
From the locker banks to the classrooms, words are being used as a tool of hatred. In this day and age it is universally known that racism hurts and has damaging impacts to the school and the people targeted. The reach of racism is not to one group of people, many are targeted and many have become victims. The blame cannot be put on one group of people and it seems as if nowadays many people are encouraging these acts in one way or another.
According to the school handbook, students can be punished for making racist remarks, but students ignore those rules and assume that they will not be heard by a teacher. However, students hear the remarks in the hall and many are offended. To combat this, students who hear people making these type of comments should use the district 204 tipline if they feel that a specific person is being targeted in the remarks. This would help prevent fights and at the same time discourage people from making comments. While some words may be empty threats they are taken as seriously as a person’s actions.
Racism extends beyond a person’s ethnicity into the most trivial of traits. Most are things that students cannot control. While it may be seen as a joke to some, to the people targeted it is not a laughing matter. These jokes turn into long lasting prejudices against a certain group of people. Another aspect of an individual that is targeted is their religion. This is a very touchy subject for some people, and name calling can hurt someone especially if they are a very faithful person.
A major outlet for this has been the media. Whether it is television shows or music, prejudices are becoming more common within them. It is also becoming accepted as a means of comedy and can be seen in nearly every show. Most shows try to satirize racism as something only ignorant people do. However, the satire is often missed and adolescents think those comments are a way to impress others or to appear funnier.
Despite all of this, some students still make the wrong decision. Racism should be a thing of the past, but people still do not see the disrespect and hatred that it breeds. Whether it is to be funny or it is a serious threat, people should be beyond prejudice. Words are very powerful and just because they can be said, does not mean that they should be said.
ECHO Staff Editorial
