a little ditty on bigotry

Hatred comes in many forms. It could be blatantly insulting an individual for the hue of their skin. or perhaps they are of a sexual orientation that differs from yours. Maybe you're not a fan of Muslims. It doesn't matter whether you're Black, White, Asian, Latino, or anything at all; either way, you're spreading a virus that gives intolerant people false 'justification' that it's alright if you hit some kid due to the fact he's gay; that there's absolutely nothing wrong with calling an African-American a 'nigger' just for the hell of it. In simpler terms, what I'm attempting to get across, is that if you hate, the more you make it seem it's okay that others do the same damn thing.
It's a happy little virtue that goes by the name of ignorance, and although we have made progress (think the civil rights movement), it's still very much alive in the hearts of many, as slow as we are to recognize it.
I think the way most Americans take the issue, is that "Oh, we freed the slaves two hundred years ago, we're equal now", although these are the same individuals that blame "all the Mexicans and black people" for their financial issues and their local crime rate. That, my friends, is racism. Yes, the crime rate is much higher among minorities, but there are reasons for that. No, I'm not going to take all responsibility from minorities by simply stating it's solely because of their environment--- but social environments are indeed a major factor. Yes, to an extent, the human being has a sense of right and wrong that comes naturally. It's what makes us, us. The problem is, if you've been growing up in a poor neighborhood where shootings and gang violence have become facts of life, that sense becomes distorted. Some will escape that world, using their pain as a method of building mental and emotional strength; to help them better take on life in a positive manner. However, many, if not most, do not take that path. Perhaps they can't. That's up to the individual to decide.
Also, something I'd like to point out quickly is this: if you were brought into this country as a white man's property, in shackles, viewed as inhuman, an animal, even, how long do you think it takes to reach that white man's stature in society? 10 years? 50? 100? And even after you're freed, you're still viewed in a fashion that isn't terribly different than before? What about being burned alive, or hung, and authority not giving a damn, as recently as the sixties?
And you say that men and women of color have the same opportunities as the white. Maybe today, it is close, for some. But it's certainly not equal.
In the film American History X, Edward Norton's character, Derek Vinyard, a skinhead, cites that "White Europeans came to this country and fluorished" and ponders why the black man never did. Looks like someone doesn't know his history---from the beginning of America's European colonization, there have been many, many unsuccessful settlements. Almost all the Pilgrims at Plymouth died their first winter. But while they had it hard, they didn't arrive in chains. But someone did, and they're still suffering for it.
The fact of the matter is that many, some consciously, and most, subconsciously, still harbor beliefs not too different from these; holding them close to their hearts. These ignorant beliefs that fuel violence. Hatred. Bigotry. All these things this nation can very easily do without. Unfortunately, until someone finally comes to the realization that this is no way to live, these beliefs are passed from generation to generation.
After all, we bleed the same blood. We cry the same tears. We laugh the same laughs. We're the same. We're human. End the hatred between us.

(note: this is definitely not as vivid as some of my other compositions... but it's something. take it or leave it. i'm hoping i changed a mind or two.)