Intolerance

I just returned from instructing my first Outward Bound course. Most of the kids on my trip were incredible, talented, intelligent and all-around beautiful people. However, I was very disturbed with a few of the boys that offended me nearly fifteen times a day with their sexual vulgarity, racial, gender, and sexual stereotypes and overall disrespect for the people around them.

Perhaps I've forgotten how close-minded and inexperienced I was at 17, but I don't think I ever had as much hate and disrespect for people as these boys did. I tried to teach a lesson about diversity and tolerance and the response from a few were, "I didn't pay $2000 for a liberal brainwashing" and "If gays want to burn in hell that's their business, but I don't have to participate in this conversation". I was not TELLING anyone what they had to think, merely exposing them to the language that many use on a day to day basis and how that language might offend people around them who are of a different culture, gender, religion or sexual orientation then they are.

The racial stereotypes were bad too. Things like, "Black people love fried chicken and watermelon, right? That's what they eat?" and "I love black people, I'm black on the inside. I got fourteen black friends". These aren't blatantly hurtful comments, but the fact that they can count the black people they know and have no idea about how rich the African-American culture is, is very telling of our society.

The objectification of women was just as bad, "Did you F--- Lucy last weekend? You should try putting it in her...or...and if she doesn't like it just smack the hell out of her". I recognize that these are young boys with insane amounts of testostrone pumping through them, but these were things they were saying out loud, even yelling to each other, in front of every adult present.

After only a few days it was obvious to me that these kids are growing up in absolute seclusion from people who vary from the straight white Christian American male prototype that seems to be the mold for what is "normal" and "right". They saw nothing wrong with talking about women as though they were nothing more than plastic blow-up dolls, talking about African-Americans as though they are some strange cult of people that exist in the corners of their communities, Latinos as though they were just the people who mopped the floors at their local Burger King and about gay people as though they were serial killers or child molestors. It is burning in me because I know these stereotypes are learned, which means they are being passed from the adults in their communities. I've decided it will be my mission on these trips to teach tolerance (even for the intolerant) to our youth. If anyone out there has suggestions or resource recommendations for reaching young people on these issues please respond. And if you are subject to these stereotypes yourself, please, please, please, go out and immerse yourself in a community of people unlike yourself. Take the time to learn about other people. It is disturbing to no end that such a diverse and great country like the U.S. is closing doors for people who just want to feel comfortable being themselves.