How Can You Use Education And Laughter Against Ignorance?

There was an article that made it's way around Facebook a few months ago. A friend of ours had shared it with my husband, Joel and it went viral! So many people could relate to the hilarious questions people ask. When people find out my husband is East Indian, they tend to ask him a lot of questions. Most of the time, the questions are simply... ridiculous. My favorite question people have asked me about my husband is, "Does he speak Indian?"I truly hope I have at least taught most of you at least a few things about Indian culture. At least enough to know that no one speaks Indian, rather one of the hundreds of dialects found in India. Joel speaks Telugu.  I used to ignore people's mistake and answer their question, pretending they said the right thing. Now, I just laugh. It would be like me walking into a room of people and asking someone if they spoke American. We've seen the same things with our kids. People are already asking us hilarious questions about our mixed kids. It's funny to think about the questions our boys will have to answer through out their lives. Some of them will be funny like this and others will be insulting. I want my husband and I to raise our kids to respond well, regardless of what people do or say. We can't control what people do, but we can control our response. 

[tweetthis twitter_handles="@almstindianwife" display_mode="box"]"Two things reduce prejudice: education and laughter." -Laurence J. Peter[/tweetthis]

I love this quote because it really hits the point head on. It's easy for people to let anger take over when faced with prejudice or ignorance, but it won't change anything. Anger only fuels more anger. Instead, we need to teach our children how to respond. They can either teach people or laugh. 

 

If someone ignorantly says something that offends you, take a minute and teach them something. They probably didn't realize that they said was offensive. Bring laughter to the situation and make a joke!

 

[tweetthis twitter_handles="@almstindianwife" display_mode="box"]Keeping your calm in the face of ignorance creates an opportunity for change.[/tweetthis]

 

How To Respond To Racism

I recently watched a video floating around the internet. The video shows a Sikh boy being called a terrorist, while riding home on his school bus. He responds by recording the event. A little warning, he decides to call them a mother f$&@ker. I'm sorry, but I can't say I'd stay calm in a situation like that either! This brings light to a bigger issue. Why was the girl in the video using a word as colorful as terrorist? She must have heard this before from someone in her life. Children imitate behavior they have seen. Racism is all around us. It may not be as prevalent where you live, but it happens every day. It's happening in grocery stores, at work, and on school buses full of children. 

 

Stories like this infuriate me and my anger stares the ignorant person right in the face. If I were in this situation, I would be yelling and showing another "great" example. So, what should we do in response to racism?

 

Stay calm

 

Don't respond in your anger. As hard as it is to not let your anger fuel your words, you need to take a deep breath. Separate your emotions from the situation as much as you possibly can and remember this is an opportunity to fight racism. 

 

Don't laugh

 

I've heard advice from people, saying you should laugh it off. Don't worry about it and just laugh so they stop talking about it. No. Laughter at racism only reinforces racist behavior. Whether it's a joke or a derogative comment, don't laugh. Racism is not funny. 

 

Ignore it or confront the issue. 

 

This is a tricky decision. You can either ignore it and walk away or confront the situation. Think about the situation. Are you in a state where you can respond in a constructive manner? If not, walk away from the situation. You can confront it later when you've calmed down. There's no need to get into a screaming match. Chances are the person won't hear a word you're saying anyways. When you are calm or if you are ready to confront the situation in the moment, take a deep breath and respond. 

 

Confront the issue, not the person

 

Confront the issue at hand, racism. It goes beyond one ignorant person and brings us to the culprit. Racism is fueled by ignorance. If the racism is in the form of a joke, ask them why they think that's funny. Or simple say, you don't think comments like that are appropriate. 

 

It's easy for us to ignore a situation so we don't stand out. Maybe, we want to fade into the background.. Maybe, we don't want the drama.. Regardless, racism is a global issue. Its victims are adults and children, children trying to ride home on a school bus. Stand up against racism.