Friends and Racism

People don't talk enough about getting thrown into the world. You are safe at home one day, and the next you're being called a terrorist for being a certain skin color, or being bullied by your own friends without realizing. There are many things that may seem out of your control, but you can change everything, with your attitude and the people you surround yourselves with.

Here's a lesson to you, your friends will never make you feel like nothing, and if they do, you need to have a serious talk with them, and yourself. You need to tell them that you don't exactly appreciate being called Dora because of your bangs, or being poor for wearing the same outfit twice. Most importantly though, you need to ask yourself, are these friends beneficial to your health, or do they always let you down? If they do, are they capable of change? Will they do that for you? Answering no to those questions is a red flag, that's a toxic friendship and you should put yourself out there and make new friends. It's easier than you think, and the only thing holding you back is yourself. Get into some community programs, volunteer, that's a great way to start. Trust me, almost all of the people you will meet are accepting and kind no matter what. Everyone I've met at community programs are truly incredible people. Be sure that you are happy with where you are. Also, if your friends aren't letting you meet new people, and get mad when you don't hang out with them, they are manipulative and possessive, a true friend will let you make other friends, and be happy about it. You can change everything by changing the people you hang out with, it's all up to you.

One thing you may notice is, even with all the awareness about it, many people still think racism is a great choice. They think, by putting others down, they will be able to break into high society. They think of themselves as more worthy than you. You must never let this get to you, because if it does, it will take a lot to get rid of it. The remarks may hurt, their actions may damage your self confidence, but you need to take a minute and remember how amazing you are, and they are just being unnecessarily rude to bring you down. A great way to deal with it, is just listening to happy, uplifting music, or doing something you enjoy. Take your mind off it, let it fade away. Don't let it affect you. Maybe someday they will realize that what they are doing is hurtful, we all have good in us, we just need to learn how to show it. We just need to have hope, because even though it's a lot of work, we can create a better, racism free society.