Attitudes Driving Newsgroups:
The Rage of the '90s
Advanced Drivers Safer?
Subject: Re: Are advanced
drivers statistically safer?
Date: 18 Feb 98 16:03:02 GMT
And some more.... Research
evidence shows that attitudes affect driving safety, but developing
appropriate attitudes is not simple. It depends on recognizing that attitudes
are important, and on making a personal commitment to change attitudes that
are unsafe. Most drivers think they are both safer and more skillful than the
average driver - but we cannot all be right. In more than 90% of traffic
accidents, human error is the cause: Accidents do not just happen by chance,
they are the consequence of unsafe driving practices. Driving safety cannot be
thought of as an add-on extra: it has to be built into the way you drive.
It seems to me that a lot of
these statements can also be applied to this newsgroup. A great number of the
responses seem to consist of "no, no, I'm right, listen to me" type
statements. Surely this is no different to "learn to drive you asshole - I am
right and you are in the wrong" type comments / jestures that we all see (and
do) when driving.
To go wider still, I think
this is one of the human races biggest failings - not being able to admit that
we might be wrong. Nowhere is this more obvious than when driving, or talking
about driving. As the first sentence above states, developing these attitudes
is "not simple". An understatement, if ever I saw one...... [Jamie]
Comments
Upon reading this
article, I feel Jamie is trying to alert people that a change in bad driving
behavior can only be accomplished if we acknowledge that we may be wrong
sometimes. I strongly agree that most people do think they are right all the
time when driving habits are concerned. I also think this leads to heated
confrontations( i.e. road rage) which can end tragically.
Have you ever been cut
off so quickly, that you slam your brakes, and the person who cut you off
yells and gestures at you? If so, then you have experienced a driver who
sports the attitude, "I'm right, you're wrong!" I would say that this type of
behavior displays total disregard for other humans. It is an uncaring, selfish
type of personality which is unfortunately becoming the norm these days.
Perhaps this type of trait has something to do with upbringing? Maybe a person
like this is just following an example set by a spouse or parent? In Freud's
view, a person who acts in this manner may have had their "ID" win out in the
Oral stage. They become expulsive, expressive and talkative! Ha ha.
Courtesy
Subject: Who drives with
courtesy?
Date: Wed, 18 Feb 1998
16:13:03 -0600
It's ironic that the last
page of the California driving manual that each sixteen to sixty year old
recieves from the DMV, ends with the phrase, "Drive With Courtesy!"
I think that one statement
alone can sum up the problems with our freeway systems---the countless deaths,
lost work time, traffic-wasted time, frustration, highway drivebys---plenty of
driving but not a lick of courtesy. The manual doesn't even suggest what
"courtesy" is! It just says do it!
Courtesy is a lot like love.
It's thinking of others because you care what becomes of them (and yourself).
Courtesy can be shown by allowing that car to merge ahead of you in heavy
traffic and not anonymously shutting them off from entry, letting them wait
for the next opening. Courtesy is driving for the car ahead of you as well as
the car behind. Slamming on the brakes and riding someone's ass isn't
courteous driving is traffic. Does anyone else have examples courteous driving
habits? [Chow]
[ http://www.dejanews.com/ ]
Comments
Chow brings up a very
important aspect to the curbing of road rage because coutesy will do it. Plain
and simple, if everyone was courteous( no tailing, speeding, cutting off,
slamming brakes, etc..) road rage would be non-existent or exist to a very
small degree. But lets be real! There is always going to be one idiot out
there who riles up everyone else. Chow wants all drivers to work together to
rid our roads of rage and I couldn't agree more.
I feel that people get
pissed off because after a long days work all they can think about is to get
home and relax. Some drivers are willing to zig zag through traffic, not
caring about what they do to others. The people who sit in traffic and take it
get pissed off by the people who make a beeline for home. I feel that courtesy
will not get rid of traffic jams, but it will make things flow easier and
lower animosity levels of all drivers. Experts will say that the increase in
violence among drivers can be tied to mounting traffic woes, TV violence, lack
of values and the like. I guess that violence indicates our society now, and
Chow wants to change that. It says a lot about the kind of person Chow is. He
is a fed up, exhausted person who wants to change something dreadful, yet not
the type to pick up a gun and kill someone.
I think that this
personality trait of his is becoming rare. Nowdays, you find many people who
want capital punishment, harsh sentences and are willing to give up basic
human rights for the convicted. Chow realizes the problem, yet thinks about a
solution which would not encourage more agression.
This can relate to
Adler's ultimate stage of development because Chow is putting the society
before his needs. Many people want an agressive driver to get a ticket and
apologize to them. Chow wants them to realize their actions so they can fix
themselves and not bother anyone else.
Safe Driving's Biggest Enemy
Road Rage: Safe Driving's
Biggest Enemy Get Mad. And get even. More and more people seem to be adopting
this philosophy behind the wheel of a car - with dangerous, sometimes fatal,
results.
Aggressive driving can appear
in many forms: Refusing to yield the right of way; cutting other drivers off;
speeding in and out on the highway to get there faster. Other drivers get
angry. "Highway madness and road rage are the terms I use to describe repeated
acts that cause physical danger to persons and vehicles," said Dr. John
Larson, author of "Steering Clear of Highway Madness". "These driving
behaviors greatly increase the chance of accidents."
In his book, Larson outlines
a range of aggressive driving. "The first stage is where you get annoyed at
other drivers, but keep it to yourself. Your anger is not transmitted to
anyone outside the car. Next you might give someone the finger or call them a
name. In more serious cases, you try to cut them off or pay them back. At the
far end of the scale are incidents where people use their car as a weapon or
pull out a gun," said Larson.
Newspaper headlines have long
documented car-related highway gun violence in Los Angeles. But the trend is
spreading. Fatal gunshots have been fired after roadway disagreements in
regions across the country. Locally, in 1995, serious injuries were sustained
by a motorist in Fairfield County, Connecticut after he was shot by an irate
driver. Recently, actor Jack Nicholson was arrested after bashing in the
windshield and windows of another driver's car, shouting, "You cut me off!"
American Automobile
Association (AAA) statistics indicate that since 1990 there have been 1,500
reported incidents each year of violence between drivers. "Presumably, there
are many more that are not reported," said Stephanie Faul, spokeswoman for the
AAA's Foundation on Traffic Safety. "Many police departments do not have a box
to check off on accident report forms for aggressive driving." As law
enforcement tries to update its tracking mechanisms, psychologists and traffic
planners are figuring out ways to ease tempers behind the wheel. The issue
even started to make the rounds on the TV talk shows earlier this year.
Meanwhile, surveys conducted
by AAA suggest that many people think aggressive driving is more of a danger
on the roads than drunk driving (see side bar). "There is something in driving
which allows people to live out personalities they might not otherwise show,"
said Faul. "You feel invulnerable and you're not dealing with other human
beings, you're dealing with other cars." Larson adds that we have yet to
develop our highway etiquette. "People have been walking on streets for
thousands of years. We know how to do that without getting into fights. But
cars have barely been around for a century. We still don't know how to get
along on the road without resorting to anger," he said. Other experts insist
our biological roots are to blame. In a British Automobile Association study
last year, researchers suggested that territorial behavior was part of
aggressive driving. They reported that 62 percent of drivers had been
tailgated, 59 percent had headlights flashed at them, and 48 percent had
received obscene gestures. Aggressive driving "probably does relate to a
personality type," said Col. David Mitchell, superintendent of the Maryland
state police. "It doesn't relate to gender. We see men and women, young and
old, engaging in aggressive driving."
Traffic congestion may
support the animal-aggression theory: When the number of cars vying for the
same amount of road increases, drivers feel their space threatened and raise
their hackles. Not surprisingly, regional variations in aggressive driving are
reported. "In Boston and New York, people honk at you before the light turns
green," said Robert Baron, professor of psychology at Rensselaer Polytechnic
in Troy, N.Y. "In Indiana, one of our researchers sat in his car at a traffic
light when the light turned green. We found the typical person in Indiana
didn't honk for 10 to 15 seconds."
Larson outlines five types of
aggressive drivers: The speeder, who wants to get from point A to point B as
quickly as possible and will become enraged if forced to slow down; The
competitor, who sees the speeder coming and decides to race; The passive
aggressor, who blocks other drivers and doesn't let them pass or cut in; The
narcissist, who takes a dislike to another driver because of race, sex or type
of car; And the vigilante, who is going to make a violator of the rules pay.
"Driving is really a communal activity - we all need each other to cooperate
if we are to reach our separate destinations," said Larson. "The problem is
that many people don't see it this way."
Aggression on the streets may
also symbolize a more general pattern in American life: Everyone wants to get
his own way. Now. "We aren't raised to be patient," said Faul. "I get angry at
my computer when I wait for it to boot." Yet, say psychologists, the most
effective weapon against losing your cool behind the wheel is counting to 10.
Other tips to avoid losing your temper include:
ð Plan journeys to avoid rush
hours.
ð Make sure your seat is
comfortable, the windshield clean, and your radio tuned to a favorite station.
ð And if you storm out of the
office or the house in a bad mood, wind down before starting out. "One thing
drivers can do is plan for a little more time on the road," said Jeffrey
Spring, a spokesman for the Automobile Club of Southern California.
"Aggressive driving only nets them a few seconds of time. If they actually
drove calmly and within the rules, the time difference isn't significant, but
the potential for crashes and inciting other drivers is greatly reduced."
Larson uses his counseling
skills in private sessions with habitual aggressive drivers and offers weekly
seminars on avoiding the behavior. "My driving modification program seeks to
get people to see the underlying context for their driving. If their attitudes
and belief systems can be changed, their driving will be changed." Another
basic tip - don't drive alone. "Single occupant vehicles are involved in most
aggressive driving incidents," said Larson. Carpools and vanpools are the best
modifiers of bad driving behavior, as the presence of co-workers in the
vehicle will keep most drivers in line.
Empathy helps too. Someone
who swerved in front of you without warning may be "having a bad day." But
that isn't easy for those who find driving depersonalizing. "The person in the
other auto becomes an object," said Michael Benjamin, a Washington, D.C.
psychologist. "One of the reasons for the problem is that people tend to hide
out alone in their cars - for many it's a refuge from their day-to-day life,"
said Bob Ouellette, Manager of Drivers' Services for AAA of Hartford. "If you
knew the person in the other car, you would stop driving aggressively. You
only feel like you can do it if you're dealing with a complete stranger." Faul
added: "You don't think, 'There's a 37-year-old woman with three children
who's worried about her husband.' You think, 'There's a Ford Taurus that cut
me off."
Comments
The writer of this
article is just trying to let the reader know about the rising problem of road
rage. I found it a bit astonishing that some consider agressive driving more
dangerous than DUI. I have always thought of DUI as the most dangerous
killer on the road. Perhaps road rage incidents are increasing!
I feel that the author
leans toward the calming side preffered by many psychologists. I agree that it
is the smart and proper method to deal with agressive drivers who have just
"challenged " you, but I admit that sometimes I get so mad that I can't stop
and count to 10. I would very much like to change that because I know that a
certain person may retaliate with a gun or other weapon. Our society seems to
be getting worse and worse. We all hear of freeway shootings and the like, yet
many of us don't change our care-free driving habits. Perhaps we tend to deny
that consequences will happen to us? I feel that this denial is a social norm
which has been around a while. Maybe we really want to drive agressively and
denying the threat of a person retaliating makes it safe. We use defense
mechanisms all day and driving habits are not the exception. People don't want
anxiety, yet when I drive agressively, I get anxiety of being caught by the
police not retalation by another driver.
Police Tangle with Road Rage
Friday, November 21, 1997
Road rage over the limit
Police fighting escalation of angry drivers By JENN GODDU Canadian Press
TORONTO
-- Road warriors need to park
their anger. Ontario police are stepping up their efforts to stem the
escalation of "road rage" by trying to identify and understand the causes and
symptoms of the contemporary driving phenomenon. "(We're) certainly aware of
an increase of aggression," said Staff Sgt. Mark Wolfe of the provincial
police. "A lot of people become 10 feet tall behind the wheel of a car."
Officers already answer calls where guns are involved, Supt. William Currie
said. People will get out and kick each other's cars or threaten each other
with baseball bats; officers have been assaulted or had vehicles driven at
them. Currie put together a team of 18 specialized officers, called highway
rangers, in August 1995 to enforce road safety. The officers already target
driving skills and aggressive driving but now will also focus on a driver's
mood or emotional state, he said.
Highway rangers spent two
days in a seminar with members of the Addiction Research Foundation discussing
the reasons for road rage. "Road rage is a societal condition," said Patrick
Smith, director of the foundation's clinical research treatment institute.
"It's very much a part of our culture." The pressure of aggressive drivers,
traffic congestion or getting cut off contributes to road rage but it
escalates when people make contact and engage in a "road war," he said. "It's
important to realize you're playing Russian roulette any time you're engaging
in any road rage activity," Smith said. Currie recommends avoiding eye contact
with confrontational drivers and keeping the car doors locked and windows up.
"Don't tell anyone off in a car because you have no idea who you're dealing
with," he said.
The road rage epidemic is not
yet as bad as in the United States where people will pull over and pull out
guns, but Ontario police want to take action now. "We want to take the
pro-active approach; we don't want to wait until it's too late," Wolfe said.
International research has found that in 20 per cent of fatal accidents, the
drivers were found to have been involved in agressive altercations at some
point in the six hours preceding their death. Earlier this year in Vancouver
two separate road rage incidents ended with a man dead and another man in
hospital with head injuries.
People have to learn to be
control their anger while in their cars, said clinical researcher Lorne Korman.
Drivers will make mistakes themselves but are more likely to construe other
people's actions as deliberate, he said. "We need to be more realistic," he
said. "Motorists need to give others the benefit of the doubt." RAGE TIPS
Police are focusing their efforts on preventing the escalation of road rage.
Some tips:
Never assume that an
apparently aggressive act was intended.
Inhibit your own anger by
taking deep breaths, keeping yourself calm or putting on relaxing music.
If you're being hassled by
another driver, try not to react.
Avoid making eye contact.
Keep your doors locked and
your windows up.
When stopped in traffic,
leave enough space to pull out from behind the car you're following.
Try not to disassociate
yourself from the people in the cars around you.
Pretend other drivers are
people you know.
Comments
It is apparent by all
means that all of North America is starting to experience road rage. I agree
with the Canadians that taking steps to curb road rage now, before its a
problem, is a good idea. Once again the author is using psychologists' means
to try to avoid confrontations on the road. I think these tips are helpful,
especially the one about act as if all drivers are someone you know. That is
very true because you don't get upset at a friend if they cut you off. One,
which is good is leaving enough space to pull out of the lane. This is in case
someone gets out of their car or pulls a gun, but I think it may infuriate
other drivers in back because the space would allow others to cut in and slow
up the lane even more.
The Canadian society
seems to be learning from other countries' problems with road rage. This is a
smart plan on their part which reflects foresight. I see this as an individual
trait because if it were a social norm, the U.S. would have seen road rage
coming and stepped up efforts to curb it before it got rolling. This relates
to the concept of self-modification and behavioral assessment because the
Canadians have observed road rage incidents in the U.S. and self-modified
their society to start dealing with agressive drivers. They have developed
coping methods similar to the U.S. psychologists but adapted it to fit
Canadian norms.
Problem: Old Drivers?
Subject: Re: Old Drivers
Cause More Fatalities Than Drunk Drivers
Date: 1998/02/02
Actually it is agressive
sloppy drivers that are the main problem. I think there are many older drivers
on the road that should probably not be, but in the the final analysis it is
the speeder, stopsign ruuners and tailgaters that are causing us the biggest
headaches.
The solution:
Just obey the traffic rules
and drive defensively. It's True! Get the facts! Old drivers are more deadly
than drunk drivers ... and for the same reasons! When you age, you lose your
ability to see, hear, react and to be alert. You become an impaired driver!
Get the facts about Gray Driving straight from the Las Vegas Metropolitan
Police Department. Join our public safety crusade in alerting people to the #
1 cause of deaths on the streets -Gray Driving. It is far more serious and
deadly than drunk driving! Help us tell the elderly to " DON'T GRAY AND DRIVE
"
[ http://www.dontgrayanddrive.com
]
Comments
Stephen is alerting all
drivers that if you are old, don't drive because you are more of a hazard than
drunk drivers. I don't agree with this article all the way because I know some
seniors who drive better than some punk-ass 16-yr old. My grandfather is one
alert person at the wheel. He doesn't drive 45mph in a 55mph zone, leave about
10 car lengths to the person in front or sit at a stoplight when its green.
Actually he yells at other drivers, follows them and complains about
inattentive drivers!
I think that many drivers
blame older drivers for tying up roads, but that can also be attributed to
many drivers thinking they are always right! The social norm is that seniors
are dangerous because their senses are not as good. I have witnessed an old
woman plow in to the back of a stopped moped, sending the rider in to the air.
Luckily he wasn't hurt but maybe that lady should never drive again. I feel
that Stephen exhibits transference because he blames all others but himself.
It is not bad because it is a social norm, but he should acknowledge that all
senior citizens haven't lost it yet.
Attention All Speeders!
Subject: Re: Notice
Date: 1998/02/17
Effective immediately, anyone
who passed me on Interstate 77 while I am doing the speed limit will be
reported to 911 for violation of the speed limit. There are too many drivers
who have road rage and they are making the road unsafe for me.
Have at it, Anthony. Please
be aware that when you make your calls, that you are making the road unsafe
for both yourself and the other drivers. So, while you're calling in to squeal
on a speeder, report the unsafe driver on the cell phone (yourself) also.
Comments
Anthony seems to be
jumping to a brash conclusion here. First of all, is it right to go 55 when
traffic is doing 80? NO! You are causing a hazard regardless if the speed
limit is 55mph! Anthony is venting anger probably because he is frustrated
with agressive drivers. He needs to look at his solution again and ask if its
worth his life or car.
As for P.J., Its not hard
to talk on a cell phone and drive at the same time. Isn't that what is kind of
made for? This shows the frustration of society concerning traffic problems.
With the drastic explosion of cars on the road, it doesn't seem surprising
that many people are fed up. This frustration with traffic problems is
definitely a norm for society. Who likes traffic jams? If anyone does I'd like
to know why.
This frustration relates
to K. Horney's ways to deal with basic anxiety. The third way is to move
against others and this is exactly what Anthony is doing. He is creating a
situation where he can "conquer" other drivers and punish them for blowing by
him. Perhaps he feels a need for control or power, or maybe it is a way to
deal with his fear of driving fast!
More Women with Road Rage?
Subject: Women Drivers aka
Road Rage
Date: 1998/01/31
It is my considered opinion
that women drivers are the main cause of Road Rage. It is highly impossible to
give someone the finger while driving with warty little knees, changing 3
lanes without signalling, talking on a cellular phone, slurping a latte, and
hunting lipstick. So they scream at you and cuss a blue streak. Men drivers
politely yield and try to get out of the way, slowing down and getting in the
path of speeding dope dealers with UZIs.
Comments
What this author is
saying is that women are bad drivers. He claims that they all scream and swear
at anyone. I totally disagree with this statement because I have had run-ins
with both sexes. In my experience, women don't even realize that they cut you
off and therefore don't acknowledge. Men on the other hand do it, realize it
then challenge each other usually in the form of racing. The author making
these claims probably had an incident with a couple of women drivers which
conditioned his thinking that they are the bad drivers.
I look at this as a
personality trait of an individual. Perhaps he was raised in a very dominant
male-oriented society where women take the rap for wrongdoings. The social
norm is in the form of "women drivers are the worst," but why do more
men(especially ages 15-25) end up in more serious crashes? I feel that our
society tends to blame women more than men in crashes. I don't know the
statistics but according to my mother who is a highway safety specialist, the
15-25yr old age group in men has the highest incidents of serious crashes.
This blaming on women represents the defense mechanism of displacement.
Perhaps the author feels less threatened by women than other men. He knows the
retaliation and comments from other men if he "sells out." Therefore, he
discharges anger on what he percieves as less threatening
.
North Americans Can't Drive
Subject: Driving Anywhere
Date: 1998/02/15
RE: ....Those idiots cause
accidents and road rage........ I thought, those with the road rage simptoms
are the once who were causing the accidents and needed therapy, not the other
way around. Also, based on your lacking any logic defensive statmentes, I am
certain you are one of them. Get help before you kill one of us up there. I
know, it could be very dificlut for anyone to face one's own mental
disfunctionality.
Kubus Puchatek North
Amerivcans are not cut out for driving. Say what you will, but you wont find
an Eastern European, especially Poliosh person driving 90 km/h in the express
lane of the highway. Thats what North Americans do, and they wont get out of
the way if you flash your lights and honk your horn at them. Those idiots
cause accidents and road rage. And the worst is the moron who changes lanes
and gets in front of you just to slow you down. How about the idiot who has
his blinkers on upon coming to an intersection, leading you to believe he
wants to turn right at that intersection, but he means instead to turn right
at the next street. This is the defensive idiocy you see in North America.
Comments
The author in this
article is bashing North American drivers. Simply put, he says that the worst
drivers are in North America. I don't agree with this because when I went to
Korea, pedestrians yield to big, semi-trucks. I had to jump out of the way of
a truck carrying pipes because he blasted his horn and whipped around the
corner when I had the walk signal. I thought the drivers in Korea were bad!
The individual who wrote this is probably from Europe and is just not
accustomed to driving methods in America. This why he percieves it as "bad"
when actually it is just a difference in style. His attitude reflects the
social norm in Europe but an individual trait in America. He needs to realize
that we don't have the Autobahn here and adaption is the only alternative. As
for his claim of drivers who cut in front and slow down, drivers who signal
too early and drivers who don't move in the fast lane, I sympathize with him
because I think its very irritating. This man exhibits a condition of blaming
others for his misfortunes. He seeks refuge and anxiety release in condemning
others but not reviewing his own actions first. He doesn't realize that this
country is different and that the country will not change for him.
Pull Over, Its the Law
Subject: Re: The Driving Rain
Date: 1998/02/08
The safe and courteous thing
to do is watch for a spot where you can safely pull over and let the jerk by.
In fact, if there are 5 jerks behind you, it's the law. Slowing down is
guarenteed to cause road rage.
That's great advice, when
you're on a road with more than one lane going in that direction, or when
there is room and visibility to safely pass. The reason I mentioned that this
was on Hwy 12 before the 80 merge was to indicate that 1) we only had one lane
in that direction and 2) it's very windy and mountainous right there, so the
double yellow line is strictly observed. There was no way to let this jerk by.
I was driving at the limit (55-60) and he was less than 10 feet from my rear
bumper. How can I possibly give him the message to stop tailgating? [
Beth ]
Comments
Paul seems think that the
best thing to do with a tailgater, is stop on the side of the road and let
them by. Perhaps this maybe the only alternative on a curving, no-passing
road, but I feel that it is too dangerous. First of all, the taligater may
take it as a challenge and pull over right behind and start something.
Secondly, what if someone sideswipes you as you are on the side of the road?
And what if you have trouble getting back on the road and create a slow down?
Then even more people are going to hate you.
Paul seems to me like the
kind of individual who doesn't like confrontations. I don't either but
tailgaters get me really upset and I may slow down even more until he passes
me or gives up trying to make me drive faster(both work). Paul's personality
seems to be unique in this sense because I don't know anyone who would do
that. My mother, the highway safety specialist would say to slow down because
pulling over is a hassle and very dangerous. I guess I've been brought up that
way so my thoughts are biased, but I stand by what I said. Paul's theory
relates to anger management because he probably counts to 10 when upset by an
agressive driver. He also is smart and doesn't retaliate or try to incite the
tailgater. He keeps his calm when confronted and lets insults or gestures blow
away with the wind. His idea is good at avoiding possible violence, but I feel
it endangers the person to a more likely cause of injury or death.
Asian Drivers, the Worst?
Subject: Re: shaman From:
shaman
Date: 1998/02/18
Where's my cd? Boy! Are YOU
from Indiana! Relax! Have a cappucino, dude? We do things different over here.
You remind me too much of these californians with their rudenes and
discourtesy. No wonder they freak over rain and they've even brought their
damned "road rage" with them. They don't frive as bad as Koreans but they do
cur corners and fail to signal like many asians do.
No! Certainly not all and in
fact I've known a few decent asians who can drive but many drive like they're
still driving on some dirt road in the middle of nowhere and aren't very civil
in how they maneuver. Rather sad really.
Comments
Shaman is bashing asians
and how they drive in this article. The reason why I picked it was because it
upset me. What is this asians aren't civil in how they manuever!? What type of
statement is that? And what is this about asians driving on some dirt road!? I
can say the same thing about farmers in the U.S. which are mostly non-asian.
But I don't generalize that race has something to do with the way you drive. I
know many asians who are superb drivers and Shaman's statement holds nothing!
This is the sad aspect of
our society because racism still lives. I don't understand how an individual
can be so shallow, that they judge people on what color their skin is. I know
that Shaman may be asian because they don't explain their ethnicity but I feel
it is safe to assume that they aren't judging by their statements. Perhaps
they were raised in a prejudice home or derailed by some propoganda? I think
of this person as a lowlife. A person who looks for others to blame because
they cannot accept their wrongdoing.
Prejudice stems from many
things; I don't know much of why prejudice occurs, but I feel that it is
learned. When I was little, I had friends who were from many different ethnic
backgrounds. That continues to this day, yet I have been asked,"why are you
hanging out with him, he's not oriental." And I respond with, "so."
Conclusion
For the future,
generations can review my Newsgroups report to get a basic idea of what kind
of topics to choose. They can improve on my work by choosing different font
styles, colors and being more creative. Also, no procrastination! It takes way
to much of your time. I've been missing barbeques, basketball games and
parties. Also, pick articles that don't run three pages!
á
Back to the Table of Contents