Prejudice

From the lofty hight of my comfortable existence I feel things are going pretty good in my little spot on the globe. I feel a general well being of my fellow country men (and women). This is an easy trick; I just forget my past and don’t look too closely at the edges.

When I do look closely is see my society as a diamond rather than the traditional pyramid. A few on top a lot in the middle and a few on the bottom. This seems a fine thing. As I step back I find my diamond society fits snugly into the pyramid of the larger world population. The billions working for bare existence just to support my lifestyle.

My leaders (and most western governments) tell me not to dwell on the working poor of the world – they live elsewhere. They are not my countrymen and therefore do not count. But I look at the made in China, Philippines, Indonesia etc labels on the products I use and know there is a problem. I know that the person who sewed my shoes or assembled my latest gadget didn’t get the best part of the deal.

Prejudice exists. It seems to be a constant of human nature. I am aware of it both with in myself and without. The leaders of my country encourage division and not unity. As leaders they are leading us astray.

It happens at so many levels. They tell us that the unions are lazy. That the working and unemployed poor deserver their lot in life and that they deserve no assistance from the government. We are taught to distrust the other. We are tough to disregard others when we are doing alright for ourself.

The war on terror and my countries part in it would seem to be the most divisive tool in this game. All this effort to stir up distrust has worked. Last year my country saw its first race based riots in 50 odd years. Deep divisions are forming at the fringes. .

So instead of celebrating diversity, encouraging alternative views and above all equity we are taught that compliance is good, different is bad and to disregard the ‘other’. Instead we wave the flag and all gather in a huddle of our uniformity to protect ourselves from the foreign hordes at our door step.

Don’t get me wrong, I have prejudices. I do feel it: I can’t help it. I feel threatened in certain situations that would not cause and concern if I was in the same position with people from my own ethnic background. I can’t help these traits that have been so strongly indoctrinated since I was a child but I can overcome them.

So my fellows enjoy the results of having masses of low paid people working for them with out the inconvenience of having to live in the same country. And perish the thought of considering them as equal human beings. It’s all rather nice isn’t it.