Racism and Sexism at Home

I was completely oblivious to the issues discussed in class. It’s shocking to think that we as a society still have to deal with racism and discrimination between sexes. In the four months of living in West Lafeyette, I have yet to see an incident involving race. I could be wrong, but I do not feel that Purdue University is diverse enough to have the problems that other colleges experience. If incidents of this nature occur on our campus, as I’m sure they do, I have not seen it.

While in the Air Force, I did however notice that, in a workplace full of male’s, the talk tended to center around the degradation of females. As I sat in the room and listened to the disgusting comments the other guys and girls would say, it made me blush. Granted the male to female ratio is roughly twenty to one, the topics were so grotesque that I would have to leave the room. The few females in the room would sit back and engage in the conversation, often times making worse comments then the males.

One part of the reading I’d like to comment on is the issue of the drunken girl on LSD. In no way do I defend the males that could have or did take advantage of her, but this is a complete lack of intelligent decision making on her part. If anyone should partake in alcohol, they should always be aware of their surrounding. The person should always stay with his or her friends, keeping a sober driver in the group. But not only do her friends leave her, this drunk female in on LSD. She is in no condition to make a smart decision. I am always careful with the new friends I make, never to leave the two of us alone away from the rest of my friends.

Unfortunately we still have to deal with these issues, not only on collage campuses, but in the everyday work place. Will racism ever end, or will the generations to come still feel the hatred born so long ago.