I am utterly perplexed by how people love to judge and label others, based on the little they know. While it is part and parcel of life to make surmises, why do so many take these stereotypes to be absolute, and unchangable.

Let me state my view. Evil is spawned from ignorance. Ignorance in the case of stereotyping people, is the laziness to use one’s brain and effort to know another person for what he/she is worth. And this kind of laziness, reflects very badly on a person’s intelligence.

Can you attest that misunderstandings between two parties occur despite full understanding of each other’s aims? Of course not!

I’m tired of hearing racial stereotypes against Bangladeshi workers and the Malay community. I’m sick of homophobic slurs against gay people. I’m disgusted by how some people can conveniently slap another person with a label.

The worst thing about a label is the prejudice attached. Do we pride ourselves in sowing discord and causing hurts? Has history not revealed the consequences of mild discrimination, which snowballed into genocide.

Everyone should be given some form of respect despite their race, religion and sexual orientation. And the mistakes of some bad apples does not make the rest of the community liable for those mistakes.

I’m confident that my entry about this issue is like pissing in the wind. The piss is bound to be blown back to my face…

So be it. At the very least, my voice will be heard.

Logen L.