It seems that everywhere we go we are confronted by conflicts and violence. Every morning, multiple forms of media including television, newspapers, and tabloids inform us of the conflicts taking place around the world between religious, ethnic, and political groups. There is SO MUCH violence in this world and I just don’t understand why?! Why can’t we just get along? Conflict is two-sided. As individuals who are capable of independent thought and form various opinions, it is so surprise that we oftentimes disagree. While disagreement is valid, I don’t understand how arguments jump from verbal disputes to violent ones.
People argue over many different things, but what things are worth risking physical confrontation? Depending on whom you ask, loyalty, territory, nationalism, cultural pride and racial discrimination are all things that are worth physically fighting for. In my opinion, physical confrontation is NEVER THE SOLUTION. For example: I know that if someone verbally attacked one of my friends or family members, of course I would be defensive and protect them, but would I jump on your back and claw your eyes out? NO WAY. So that’s what I don’t get- I understand the root of conflict and disagreement, and I know it is impossible to avoid it, but I can’t understand the jump from disagreement to physical violence.
Like Rebecca, when reading this weeks reading I could not help thinking about the film “A Bronx Tale,” a heartfelt story of teenage love between an Italian American named Calogero and an African American girl named Jane growing up in the Bronx during the 1960’s. Like Joseph Sciotta, Calogero is faced with a difficult decision, whether or not to participate in the racial feud between African Americans and Italian Americans. Unlike Sciotta however, Calogero joins the neighborhood kids in both verbally and physically attacking African Americans on their turf. The two sides continue to attack one another until Calogero’s friends are blown up in their hit and run car while cruzing for African Americans to harass on the other side of town proving that violence and hatred only results in more hatred, violence and the loss of human life.
Racial violence is extremely troubling to me because it makes no sense and is based on something as arbitrary as skin color. Violence is cyclical. It won’t end until either everyone on one side is brutally killed or until a group of people gains the courage to speak up and stop it. African Americans have frequently been used as scapegoats throughout history, and have suffered consequences for things they haven’t done. Jews have also been scapegoats throughout history, the most recognizable incident being the Holocaust, during World War II. Every minority has been, or will be, seen as a scapegoat and suffer needlessly. It is up to us, the “tolerant generation”, to take matters into our own hands and end the violence. We need to be active and get involved in current issues, because we can make a difference on future generations, and hopefully, racial violence and prejudice will truly be a thing of the past.
