<< Please visit www.thehungersite.com Here, you can donate cans of food to those in need, without forking out a single penny. The donations are paid for by sponsors. >> Now That's Entertainment . . . Issue # 16 Note: I did this piece as an essay for English Class as part of my LPI preparation. For those of you outside of the BC school system, the LPI stands for "Language Proficiency Index," which basically reduces your ability with the English language to a number, ranging from 0 to 6. For those of you who are the least bit curious, my teacher, Ms. Germaine Tsui, gave me a 5.5 for this essay. Of course, when it comes to the real thing, half marks don't exist. Well, I'm rambling again, so here is my essay. [[ WARNING: The following piece contains material and/or language that may offend or not be suitable for some readers. Reader discretion is advised.]] "See Past the Boundaries" Over the past few decades, the United States and Canada have been losing their distinction as two separate entities. This has happened because of the introduction of national and international television, causing Canada to become more and more "Americanized." For this reason, Canada and the United States share many social problems, of which prejudice is one. Keeping an open mind can allow both countries to grow socially and economically. The most prevalent form of prejudice that exists in North America is racism. The United States, and Canada as well, was largely built on the backs of slave labour. The slaves, primarily of African descent, were segregated from the rest of society. From these years of slavery, the idea that Blacks are inferior was imposed into the minds of the Whites. Even though slavery has since been abolished, Blacks are still segregated in society. Many executives and high-ranking officials may not hire a perfectly qualified person, just because he/she is black. However, it is not only Blacks who lose opportunities based on their race, but immigrants too have a smaller chance at gaining worthwhile employment. This may be argued as being nothing more than a language barrier; however, it does go deeper than that. If executives of multi-million dollar corporations and owners of small businesses alike open their minds, they won't miss out on gaining an employee that will not only meet expectations, but quite possibly exceed them. This allows for great economic growth, as well as growth for the society as a whole. Racism is not the only issue. Sexism may be a more important facet of prejudice. In the past, women were treated as nothing more than objects to be owned. They held few, if any, rights and privileges. Since then, sufferage and other rights have been given to women, but like racism, the idea of the inferior woman has been embossed into the mind of the average man. For this reason, women, on average, get hired less often than men for 'higher' positions. Generally speaking, the executives in larger companies are middle-aged white men, who may, unbeknownst to them, have the 'inferior woman' ideology in their minds during the hiring process. Even if women get hired for the position, they generally make less money than men doing the same work. However, the reverse may be true in positions having much public interaction. The reciprocal is that women get hired for secretarial, serving, and positions of the like more often than men. Even within the sexes, there is prejudice. Women who are considered more attractive have a better chance at landing a job. If the people doing the hiring opened their minds just a little, the more qualified person, man or woman, will be hired and contribute more to the business in the long term. This, like open-mindedness about races, will improve the economic and social standing of any country, be it the U.S., Canada, or abroad. When most people think of prejudice, racism and sexism are the first examples that come to mind. Nevertheless, there is an underlying facet of prejudice not often discussed: religion. There is segregation and malevolence based on the colour of one's skin, but even within the races, there are such ill-givings. The European community generally falls under three main religions or groups: Christianity, Judaism, and Miscellaneous. Christians and Jews have their problems, but groups like the Hare Krishnas (I apologize if I misspelled that) are under much more scrutiny. Even within a religion, resentment exists. Christianity breaks down into two main branches: Catholics and Protestants. Although conflicts between the two don't seem as intense as they once were, they still exist. Within the Indian population, the Hindus and the Sikhs are always at eachother's throats. Religion's power over the people may have shrunk in the past while, but it still has much control over the behaviour and actions of it followers. If people would have an open mind, and accept one another's religious background and beliefs, the world truly can be a better place. If people focused less time on such misgivings and such frivolous differences, and spent it on work and improving society, the nation would grow economically and socially. By keeping an open mind about people's differences, Canada, the United States and the rest of the world can grow. One who thinks that prejudice is a distant problem, should realize that it exists on every street corner, in every school and every workplace, in every city and every town. If everybody just opens his/her mind, then the general public can finally live in harmony. ============================ © 2000 Michael Kwan. Reproduction, exhibition or distribution of the preceeding piece without the expressed written consent of the author(s) can result in severe criminal and civil penalties under international agreements. Note: As always, if you wish to be removed from this mailing list, feel free to email me at flawless316@usa.net and let me know. A reason behind why you'd like to unsubscribe would truly be appreciated. Subscribe: nowthatsentertainment-subscribe@eGroups.com Unsubscribe: nowthatsentertainment-unsubscribe@eGroups.com Comments/Questions: mkwan@canada.com