Racial Discrimination

Essay by Anonymous UserHigh School, 12th gradeF, January 1997

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'KAFFIR'. When you see or hear this word, what runs through your mind? Do you

picture a man with skin the color of the midnight sky, do you see him bending his

muscular body down to the dry earth to pick cotton from thorn-ridden plants? Can you

feel the heat of the sun beating down on his charred back? Perhaps you can even taste

the beads of sweat swelling from his forehead and arms. Or maybe you are more

inclined to visualize a dark-skinned woman with creases in her forehead made by many

years of hard work and endless worrying. You watch her as she puts the breakfast

dishes on the table and addresses her owners with a 'yes sah' or 'yes ma'am'.

There is nobody to cater to her needs. She spends each day taking care of everyone but

herself. Pain. Sorrow. Anguish. Agony. Is this what comes to your mind when you hear

the word 'KAFFIR'? Well, it shouldn't because the word 'kaffir' has nothing to do with

the color of your skin.

The word 'kaffir' is just that; a word. It is a term that sprouted

out of ignorance and continues to be used to this day exclusively by ignorant people. A

kaffir isn't a slang term for an African; it is a word that describes the person that uses

it. This type of person is one who feeds his ego by dehumanizing those around him

when he feels they are not equal to him. He may regard those of different races or

nationalities as 'bad' or 'dirty' because they do not have the same skin color as he

does or they may cherish beliefs that are contrary to the ones by which he lives his life.

These qualities describe the man who...