DISCRIMINATION
Discrimination is not a new phenomenon, rather it has existed probably since the dawn of man. Probably the main form of discrimination is racism, which is defined as the belief that one race is superior to another race. This belief of one race's superiority brings with it prejudice and hatred against a supposedly inferior race. 

Unfortunately, racism exists in today's enlightened society. We see the existence of such groups as the Ku Klux Klan and Neo-Nazis which advocate white supremacy. On the other end of the spectrum, there are extremist Afro-Centric groups which advocate black supremacy. In these groups and others, if hatred against another group of people is taught or encouraged because of the color of their skin, gender or their cultural background, racism is present.

It is believed in most circles that racism is learned and not inherited. There are numerous instances where a person or a group of people changed their beliefs and their resulting behavior. One such example is   whose recent book   about the reformation of his life and belief structure.

Frequently, though not intentionally, we may develop a racist attitude toward a group of people. Three of the more frequent reasons for this are peer pressure, fear and escapism.

We sometimes find it to easy to go along with the crowd, even though we know in our hearts that the behavior or attitude is wrong. We pass off the situation, such as a rude comment by a friend, as something minor and believe that no one is really hurt by it. As this happens more and more, we eventually become more accepting of the behavior of our friends to the point we become tolerant of what they are doing. Though we may not be voicing our disagreement of our friends, our tolerance brings us down to their level. We have become a closet racist. If we are influenced by others enough, we many become an out and out racist, though this is not very common.

Another reason racism develops is through escapism. When something goes wrong in our lives, more often than not, we have a tendency to blame others. An example that occurs frequently in the United States is when workers are laid off and they blame affirmative action programs for the loss of their jobs. Then using stereotypes, the frustration of the laid off workers is directed against the people who are the beneficiaries of such programs. The fact that they may be more qualified or may be a harder worker is irrelevant. They believe that the person got the job because of the color of their skin or their gender.

The third main reason is fear of the unknown. For most of us, whenever something different comes into our lives, we tend to be guarded against it to the point we may even fear it because of changes it may bring. Most of us like the way things "always were." This brings out a tendency in us to dislike anything that might change our lifestyle. Sometimes we even take this dislike to the people who bring about this change.

Whatever the reason, any hatred against another person based on race or gender is wrong. So what can we do to fight the growth of racism? Here are a few simple suggestions.

1. Don't go along with the crowd. If someone in your group of friends is demeaning another human being, speak to them. Sometimes their actions or words are out of frustration and a gentle reminder may help bring them to their senses. Sometimes it may involve taking a stand within your group. If they are your friends, they will 	listen and respect your opinions. If they don't, maybe you should look for another group of friends.
2. Confront adversity honestly. If something doesn't quite work out as we expect, deal with the situation, don't look for others to blame.  Blaming others doesn't solve the situation and after many hurt feelings, we're still back at the beginning. By confronting the situation, we can learn from our mistakes and situations beyond our control so that we can become a better person.
3. Learn more about other cultures. Knowing how someone lives the way they do, what they believe in and why, makes accepting them allot easier. The main reason we distrust someone is that we just don't know them.

If you believe there may be a problem in some part of your life due to racism, talk to others whose opinions you can trust. Being honest with yourself is the first step.