What are humans made of? We all have a beating heart, and a maze of veins pulsing through our bodies. Each human has the ability to ooze feelings out of every pore of our body, but why do we choose to ignore our ability for understanding? After all, every person is the same, just a different shade of earth. So, why is it that such discrimination is still around us? Those of you reading and thinking, “Psh, whatever, that’s a lie, discrimination has long disappeared,” are dead wrong.

Every day I see some sort of racial slur around me. Sometimes I see someone calling another person “cracker” or “beaner”, and if I’m really lucky, I’ll catch something worse. I see my friends telling me that all white people are racist. Most times people will use the word “racist” carelessly, and it’s for over the most ridiculous reasons. For example, the other day I was playing outside and I chose to pass the basketball to my friend, who happened to be white, rather to my other friend, who happened to be Mexican. He threw the racist word at me, and the words kind of stung, only because I was sorry that he had fallen into the endless hole of the racist word. Then he suggested that all the white people be on one team, while everyone of color was on the other. Normally, I wouldn’t have cared, but it was over a simple game that didn’t mean anything. If it matters that much the color of skin, then we should all decide to paint ourselves purple, that way discrimination could no longer exist.
Discrimination is still there, I see it’s ugly face hanging with my friends, and casting a long shadow everywhere I go. When I’m feeling brave, I’ll try to stick up for stopping it, but one person standing alone isn’t very effective. Kids aren’t going to go with what’s right when the other choice is doing the “cool” thing. I sometimes doubt if my generation could help the world for the better, especially after what I see day to day. Still, I keep my faith that maybe one day discrimination could truly end forever. I hope that I can be alive for that day.