I'm in this counseling diverse populations class this semester. Diversity studies are not new to me... I took Women's Studies my freshman year, and a multicultural education back when I was going to be a teacher. So I'm sure I'm more aware of prejudices and privilege than the average White kid in my class from a small town in Indiana. And I've already found myself losing all grace and understanding for the people in my class who have never been challenged to think differently about diversity. Even though that was mostly me back in middle school and probably most of high school. If we don't make people realize that their ignorance is perpetuating prejudices, is it their fault or ours? I'm realizing that my intolerance and irritation with these people, though coupled with righteous anger, is counter-productive and wrong.
Thinking about this makes me feel like I want to work with kids. This summer, a 10 year old kid told me a really offensive joke and he didn't even know what it meant. Once I explained to him what it meant and he understood why I got upset, he seemed remorseful. And that's just what kids do... they repeat things they hear to make people laugh. Gosh, even adults do this. But if kids don't learn respect and acceptance, how can we expect them not to discriminate when they're older?
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