Living in a mostly white environment is how many people have lived their entire lives, but for the minorities of these groups, it can sometimes be a problem.

Racial insensitivity, which we are addressing, is different from the stronger and more accusatory term of racism.

Here’s an example:

Meet Allen. He is a sophomore, he is black and he is talking to his friends after class. A few of them begin to talk about their dislike of rap music. Mid-sentence someone stops talking, looks at Allen and says, “Oh sorry dude, do you like rap? I mean, they look like you so…”

This is racial insensitivity.

Here’s racism:

Meet Allen. He is a sophomore, he is black and he is talking to his friends after class. A few of them begin to talk about a group of black people in their school. They go on about how black people are always rude and ill-mannered. Mid-sentence someone stops talking, looks at Allen and says, “Oh sorry dude, we didn’t mean you. You’re black, but you’re not really black. Not like them…”

See the difference?

Other common stereotypes include that all Asian people are very studious and bad drivers, Hispanics are good dancers and involved in gangs and that white people are snooty and rich. Obviously, these assumptions or perceptions are false and only represent a small select group of individuals.

False perceptions of one’s race lead to ignorance and confusion among young people and sometimes even full grown adults. It is understandable that one might joke around with family and friends about stereotypes and this is meant to be harmless. The problem with this is that when these “harmless” jokes are told to a person without much exposure to other races, misconceptions come about.

Misconceptions lead to racial insensitivity and that can possibly lead to true racism. To avoid this, please take the time to get to know the individual, and not the individual’s background.

“Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see.”

       – Martin Luther King Jr.