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Sometimes people are
mean to those who seem different. Maybe they think everybody
has to act a certain way to be cool. Or maybe they feel scared or
angry about people who are different (about the things they do, the way
they look). Treating people unkindly because they are
different is called prejudice.
Being the victim of prejudice
doesn't feel good. Being stared at or called names (or being left
out of the fun) hurts. Being the victim of prejudice can make a
person feel very sad and very angry. And, sometimes prejudice
leads to terrible violence. People have been killed just for
having skin that is darker (or lighter) than another group's -- or for
having a religion that another group doesn't like. Prejudice has
created a lot of sadness in the world.
But just as bad, prejudice
keeps us from working together to get things done. If we can't get
along, we can't cooperate, and we can't help each other, or share our
ideas.
The thing about being different
is that being different can help us come up with ideas that no one has
ever had before!
And
really.. if you think about it... EVERYBODY is different!
So... what if we
decide to see our differences as
gifts to share with each other? And what if we could try to focus
on what we have in common -- on the dreams and hopes that we
share. Maybe we could learn to work & play together-- and have more
fun!
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