An Excuse for Hate There are many people in this world today who feel that prejudice is a regular part of life that must be dealt with along with getting up for work, and taking out the garbage. However, what people do not realize is that prejudice is on the rise in our society, and has been for centuries. There are numerous reasons that people choose to have prejudices against others. Many people dont want to rock the boat, so they just look the other way, and pretend that nothing is going on. Although these people usually do not have any direct participation in outward prejudice, their neglect of the situation causes a definite harm. Others are ignorant and uneducated when it comes to things that are different from them, and as a result they make up their own stereotypes, and misconceptions, about people that they dont even know. Not only has prejudice been a dilemma in the past, but also it seems to be a growing trend among the countries of the world today. The people of society who choose not to get involved in the fight against prejudice usually do so out of fear. They fear that if they speak out then they will be shunned for making things difficult for those who share their prejudice openly. In The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, written by Ursula K. Le Guin, this is demonstrated beautifully when a boy is kept away from society because he is different from all the others who live there. The people of the city refuse to bring the boy into society because if it were done, in that day and hour all the prosperity and beauty and delight of Omelas would wither and be destroyed. (Le Guin, p.971) Some of the people who have seen the boy, disagree with what the other citizens of Omelas are doing to him so they leave the city, and never look back. But, they leave without saying, or doing, anything to help the poor boy who is left behind to suffer in the discrimination of the town. This is also shown in the movie Quigley Down Under when a ...
