King's Inspiration Lives On

Fifty years ago today, Martin Luther King gave his famous “I have a dream” speech. While some people may say racial discrimination continues to exist, and I have no reason to argue to the contrary, I believe there is a difference between what constitutes discrimination and what is a reaction to a perceived fear.

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.