Alethea Carr

Discussion #3
Senior Seminar

Right now there are many social issues floating around the United States, and the world,
that center around the dignity of a human person. Everyone seems to be in disagreement on how
these issues, like racism and hate groups, should be dealt with. I believe that you should treat
every person you meet like they are your own family. My favorite toy when I was little was my
Power Wheels Jeep that I would ride around the neighborhood with my brother. The memories I
made with my brother are what make it so easy for me to care for and love him. The easiest way
to show someone dignity and respect is to remember your humanity and how you would want
someone to treat your little sister or brother. There have been many times when I was put in a
position where I had to interact with people who were not very accepting of others' differences.
In those times, it has been tough to keep a level mind. Unlike some people I have come across, I
went to a high school where the majority of my graduating class were people of color. Some
people are not lucky enough to have such a diverse upbringing, and because of that, they are not
as tolerant of other people’s cultures. There is not much I hate more than when I hear someone
use a racial slur or make derogatory comments towards another race, gender, or disabled person.
In most instances, I get very angry and want to yell at these people, but there is no use in
combating these comments with even more hateful words. If I am comfortable with the person
who made the negative comment, I will try my best to educate them on where they misspoke so
that next time they can think before spreading more hateful opinions. In order to show dignity to
someone I disagree with, I like to calmly remind them to change their mindset towards a more
positive light.
Sadly, I believe that people use hate and racism towards others to be more relatable or
sociable. It is easy to sit around and make fun of someone or degrade them for things out of their
control. Truthfully, it pains me to hear these things from people but usually that means that in
their lives they have not been directly affected by injustices. When I remember that these people
may not be cruel, but rather uneducated, I am able to calm down and give them the respect that
they deserve from me in response. In John’s Story, you learn a lot about the struggles of a person
with disabilities and how they continue to live life without the advantages that others possess.
The video depicts John, who was born without arms, doing incredible things with what he was
given. He uses his feet to cook, clean, carry, and just about anything else that he can manage
without the help of others. Something that John said that really stood out to me was “Don’t check
out of life because you’ll miss out on so much love and joy.” Despite what others think or say
about the quality of life for disabled people, John was able to live a wonderful life, get married to
a wonderful woman and have a beautiful daughter. People like John are living examples to
emphasize when trying to show an intolerant person what disabled people are capable of. I
believe it is possible to respectfully show a hateful person dignity and respect by giving them
living proof of the compassion and love they are missing out on by being intolerant. Maya
Angelou said we have to remember that “We are more alike than we are different.” I thought this
was a beautiful way to remind us that we are all just human beings and we could make life a lot
better if we were more understanding and kind to one another. I think that when we are in
disagreement on an opinion with others or about how to handle racism or hate, dignity is the
most important thing to remember. One of the first things Maya says is “You have to be able to
laugh at yourself.” I love that she said this because I agree with her in that you have to have a
certain amount of vulnerability and openness to relate to others. You have to respect others by
remembering that you might have been in the same shoes once too. Maya Angelou asks us to
make the world a better place with all our differences by having dignity and respect for others to
unite the human race in one community. I think that everyone has battles and internal struggles
that you are not aware of, so we should always remember to be kind and tender.
We read the article about human trafficking and we were educated on how these people
were being forced into labor for little to no profit to the person but huge gains to the company. It
is important to be mindful of what we buy and how the products were made but also to not forget
that this is not the first time in history that people were not treated as human beings. In an
interview with Krista Tippett, John Lewis talks about his growing up in a world where black
people were not respected or shown any dignity from others. John Lewis was the leader of a
famous civil rights movement known as Bloody Sunday and many others so he has seen
firsthand the racism and hate in the world, yet he still calls for the love and respect of every
person no matter how hard they pushed him down. In the interview, John Lewis uses his fierce
spirituality to come to terms with the hate in the world and he says “In every human there is a
spark of the divine.” He explains how unjust and cruel it would be to eliminate that divine part of
someone and he remembers the words of the Lord in times where he questions the intentions of
others. Lewis explains that you have to feel bad for the people who cause hate and partake in
racism so that you do not lose the human connection. Instead of responding to hate with hate,
himself and the civil rights group used strict non-violence in response to the horror they were put
through and he names their response “Love In Action.” The lessons that Lewis passes on during
the interview are some of the most important words I have heard in my life. Not many people
can suffer as Lewis did, and still believe that everyone is worth loving. It is truly an outstanding
example for how you can disagree with someone and still show them respect and dignity. Lastly,
I loved Lewis’s point about saying “I love you” to people who we may not know well. He talks
about how the term has lost its true meaning and has become romanticized when in reality we
should truly love everyone because powerful love helps us live amongst each other peacefully. I
hope to emulate the amount of compassion and patience Lewis had when dealing with racism
and hate in my own life.