Extreme cases of hate and violence towards that other person who belongs to a different group (racial, ethnic, linguistic, religious) are the result of underlying ideas and attitudes that are formed to a great extent by what we know about ourselves and the opposing group; by our own intentions or those of larger forces. A murder cannot be compared to less violent acts: certain actions, words. What we consciously do will determine if we want to continue reproducing the hate or if we simply allow it to take place. My years as a lecturer not in Mississippi, but at a liberal institution in one of the CUNY campuses, brought me in contact with people who could not wait to make derogatory remarks about Puerto Ricans; some of them dressed up as pseudo-intellectual constructs, but offensive nonetheless. The consequences are not in par with a murder but can often lead to very destructive ones. To stop the violence one needs to face the root of the ideas and actions behind it.
This blog, personal history and work as a teacher and lecturer on bilingual education led me into being very attentive to the issues discussed in the following link, particularly now with the rise of the ultra right in the USA.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/23/us/23jackson.html?hpw
Como decía un eslogan durante los sesenta, y el título de una película: "O nos liberamos todos o no se libera nadie" y "Prohibido callar"
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