History has shown that people react in strange ways to what
they may perceive as a threat. In the period following the downfall of the
Nazis, there were those that viewed Germans with a jaundice eye. With the
Japanese military involvement in W.W. II, many Japanese Canadians were detained
in camps simply on the basis of a perceived threat. In more recent years, after
the World Trade Center was attacked in 2001, many people were reluctant to be
in close proximity to anyone that appeared to look middle-eastern. There are
many other examples.
Once a group of people has been associated with any unwelcomed
activity, anyone that is perceived connected to that group may also be viewed
with suspicion. Perhaps paranoia, but not necessarily discrimination. It does
not matter what colour they are, nor does it matter what ethnic group they
belong to. What matters is their conduct and how they are viewed by others,
especially if they are perceived as a threat to the personal safety and/or
property of others.
The furtherance of acceptance needs to be accompanied by the
message of the need for everyone to take ownership of the problem and doing
their part in removing perceptions based on unfounded fears. A reduction in allegations
of discrimination will follow.
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