Essay On Internalized Ignorance

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In a world of prejudice and judgement I can’t help but accidentally stereotype certain races, certain ethnicities, certain nationalities. It has been rooted in me by my republican-and very Caucasian-parents. I’ll be alone on the street or by the library, by my home even, and i’ll see someone who just happens to be black walking by. I instantly tense up or avoid gazes. I know it’s wrong. I know I shouldn’t do it, but I do. INternalized ignorance, as I call it. This wasn’t always the case. When I was around 10, and living in Florida, I met my oldest best friends. A thin, tan, Turkish girl named Sarah and a tall, athletic, black boy named Michael. They were great, and I loved them so. We happened to be walking around our neighborhood on a lazy afternoon, laughing and chatting like …show more content…
It was at this time I also realized why that old man was so insistent my best friends were horrible people. It was also around this time I began to realize how much the media stereotyped people. Especially black people, and people who weren’t certain religions. This is also around the time my internalized ignorance came into play. However, I do know I do very well to ignore it, to realize it is wrong. I believe colours exist. Not crayon colours but skin colours. I believe America, and other places, are choosing and picking what colours are acceptable. They are only picking one or two colours for their crayon box. Their internalized ignorance has set itself free and let itself become racism or prejudice. However, I don’t want that. I want the widest variety of colours, names, types, widths, as I can get. They all are the same, just a different appearance. My colouring box will be filled to the brim with colours. Internalized ignorance has no control on me. I’ve learned ways to cut it down, just like I would with negative thoughts about myself or like I would with hypocritical
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