Prejudice is unfortunately something that many people face in their lifetime; whether it be from the color of their skin, the person they love, or even the gender they were born as.  Those things are uncontrollable, but you know what is controllable?  Prejudice.  

And that makes me wonder: why ARE people prejudiced?  It’s certainly not to look cool.  Because when you hate on someone for something that they cannot control, it just makes you a bad person.  Fear is no excuse, even if it does drive people to do crazy things.  That is why I find it so absurd that Japanese concentration camps were a thing, especially when the people placed in those camps were American citizens.  For a country that prides itself on Freedom and Equality, you would think that they would NOT go throwing people into (basically) prisons because of the things they cannot control.  To think that not even eighty years ago Japanese-Americans were torn away from their comfortable lives and separated from the rest of the world by barbed wire fences. 

To think that not even sixty years ago, black Americans were allowed the right to vote.  To think that not even SIX years ago, same-sex marriage was legalized in all 50 states.  That is just crazy!  It’s absurd to think that human beings can be illegal, that basic human rights are illegal.  

While I do think living in America is a privilege, there are times when I look back on the history of this country and think: “why didn’t we do better?” Was it because we were scared?  Fear is no excuse.  No human being should be denied the most comfortable living just because of who they are.  Prejudice still exists because we allow it.  So, next time someone says something bigoted, call them out on it.  Do not allow the hate to spread, for “fear” to get to you.  Prejudice is something that we face, but that does not mean it can’t be stopped.