Binds of Prejudice
Justin Carlson
Today, the binds of prejudice seem to be closing shut but it follows us in today’s vocabulary and in today’s actions. Many words used today are a form of prejudice and oppression that have been used for generations, yet we fail to recognize it.
In the snowy winters of Colorado, I teach children and adults with disabilities to ski. A man named Keith with learning disabilities, stuck with me through many lessons at the resort. Keith and I had become friends and then we started working together at the local Grocery store. Passing through the aisles of the store, I heard a man talking about Keith “The Retard” in a harsh tone to his buddy. These words had swung me into a rage.
I found these words to be oppressive. The dictionary would define “retard - to slow up especially by preventing or hindering advance or accomplishment.” To me the word retard is as almost as offensive as the word nigger. The word retarded has an immense amount of prejudice behind it. Generations of people fought against the prejudice against the learning disabled. Today words in our vocabulary are used with the wrong definitions and meanings and I believe this is making us take a step back.
Back in your parent’s generation or even your grandparent’s generation the word retarded had immense prejudice with it. They would send the disabled to asylums to be “fixed” or they be beaten by the local school boys.
Who are they? Why should we care? They are human being that’s why. They have just as much to offer as myself or the next guy. Their brains might be a little slower... But what they don’t have, they make up for it in their giant hearts. The most gentle, kind and loving people I know were mentally handicapped. Why should we try to hurt them if they don’t hurt us?
These men and women contribute; they are all blue collared Americans. They believe in paying their bills and holding their own. They are all voting citizens and their opinion matters. To be an American you don’t have to be yellow, brown, tan, white or red, you don’t have to be smart, rich or famous. You have to believe in equality; for we shall take your poor, your sick and your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. I am Justin Carlson and I believe in a nation where words of oppression are abolished.