A letter to the editor
Dear Editor,
I am writing in response to a letter I have read about ending discrimination, which was posted in Young Post on 7th October.
No matter whether it is in the past or at present, racial discrimination has always been a serious issue. Racism may lower one’s self-esteem and even result in bullying. As mentioned in the letter written by Lee Min-hin, many students from countries such as Pakistan, India and Nepal face discrimination and prejudice in Hong Kong. These students may feel worthless and alienated just because their skin tone is different form the others’. Day after day of being teased and insulted, it is impossible to expect them to still be optimistic, bright or confident.
Bullying aside, let’s take a look at the even a bigger picture – racism is affecting the whole world. Take America as an example. The number of interracial homicide cases there has surged by nearly a quarter since 2014. Interracial homicides, the slaughtering of a race by another, climbed to their highest level in 2015 since Barack Obama was elected the President of the US. Killing itself is already as an unforgivable act, but ending someone’s life out of hatred towards his or her race is absolutely inhumane and cold-blooded.
It is saddening to see a world full of bias and hatred. This is why we should stand together and remedy the situation instead of watching it with folded arms and letting it crash and burn. I believe the root of the problem is that people do not understand how much pain and trouble they inflict on others by a simple racist comment. The government should take up its responsibility to educate the public. Holding talks and seminars on topics like racial discrimination can help students understand the wrong in their behavior and let students being bullied know that they are important, respected and their voices can be heard. The government can also produce advertisements and release publications to raise the public’s awareness of this issue to try to encourage harmony in society and solve the problem of racial discrimination and remove hatred among different races.
As humans, we should respect all races and cultures. We deserve being respected and so do people of all other races. Citizens of the Earth, let us join hands to live for the better tomorrow.