Discrimination, Prejudice. It's All the Same to Me

*WARNING! SPOILER ALERT!!! MY BLOG HAS A LOT OF THESE, BUT THIS POST SPECIFICALLY DESCRIBES THE ENDING IN OF MICE AND MEN. IF YOU HAVEN'T READ IT YET, GET READING AND COME BACK LATER!!!*

Is there anything good about hate? So, why do we need it?

     "Although by definition, individuals who are retarded are different, they have the same needs as the rest of us," (Mental Retardation, Patton and Jones, 59). Remember this? I didn't really explain it in my 3rd Post,  however, it pretty much explains itself. The mentally retarded have the same needs as the rest of us. In this post, I'll be expressing what I have to say, informally.

     To start off, let's consider ourselves and what we've been through. Reflect upon the many times some one's ever told you, "you're unique," or, "you're special in your own way." The general message? No matter how much you may contradict, you were meant to be different from everyone. Sure, you may share some similarities with the next guy, but you were still born different- not everyone has freckles, not everyone has brown hair, not everyone is tall, not everyone is short. Now, take the moment to consider one thing, just one, that you know, no one else you know, shares. Got it? Finally, cogitate this: hundreds, thousands, maybe even millions, of people, staring at you, judging you, criticizing you, taunting you, just plain disliking you- even if these people don't know how great you really are. Congratulations- I think- you've just walked a minute in the shoes of a mentally retarded citizen! Enjoyed it? I didn't. No one does, especially those who have a mental disability.

Can you walk a mile in someone else's shoes?

     So why? Why do so many people, and one of them could be you, go down the street and think disgusting, immature thoughts such as: "Ew, what is wrong with him?" or, "LOL, look at that retard!" If you didn't appreciate people making fun of that one different thing about yourself, why make fun of the mentally retarded? Ask yourself, RIGHT NOW, why would random people judge me, when they don't even know who I am, what I've been through, what I can do?
      I'll tell you right now, I don't know the answer to that question. Unfortunately, I probably never will. But you know what I do know? Just like how no two snowflakes that fall from cold skies will have identical patterns, no two people will be identical. And yet, all snowflakes require the same conditions to formulate- cold temperatures. This is just like how the mentally retarded sill depend on the same things all humans need. We all need food, water, and love.
      Lennie Small still needed food still needed dinner to continue to work at the ranch; at the start of the novel, he still needed water to quench his thirst; he still needed love and recognition from George Milton. Lennie Small and all mentally retarded citizens still need everything we, ourselves require.
     The central conflicts seen in Of Mice and Men provide a great example of how discrimination and prejudice, a preconceived opinion, may result in an extreme issue. With such issues, questions as to how the situation may have been prevented are brought up. Consider this, if prejudice and discrimination were avoided, and the ranch hands fully understood Lennie's mental status, including the incidents at which Lennie was thought to have sexually harassed a girl in Weeds, precautions could have been taken. Lennie might not have ended up shot in the head by his own best friend who feared the worst for him if Lennie were caught. There's a world of possibilities that might've changed the course of the story, had prejudice been avoided- then again we wouldn't have such a beautiful book, would we...
     Anyways, some people won't listen or care, some people will (by the way that's just another example of how different we all are). Maybe some people just don't get it- or I just confused some people. Regardless, my point is that everyone is different, and no one wants to be treated because of that difference. Nobody wants to be treated in such a way that makes you feel worthless. Nobody should be put down because of something they were born with. Nobody, should discriminate, judge, hate, taunt, or commit prejudicial attitudes toward those with a mental disability. No one.









Stay tuned for more (: