Despite the 21st-century being reputation as one of the most inclusive and diverse eras in our history, I'm beginning to notice it as more of a courtesy. Politeness can only get us so far in concealing our hatred, but it does not eradicate our truth, the truth within our hearts. Our society is built upon hostility and hatred towards the disabled and those with less advantage to us. We may not be as plain in expressing those thoughts as we once did, but that doesn't annihilate the truth within us. Elegance is often misunderstood with kindness.
Research has shown over and over again that African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics, and Asian Americans are often sentenced harsher in prison. If it comes to offense and murder, the non-whites are more likely to be charged with worse labels. African Americans are more likely to be executed than Caucasians. Asians are more suspected and distrusted in the court than Caucasians. Compared with the whites that commit the same offense, the non-whites would be deemed with a worse reputation. Apparently, the court is less likely to release a non-white person after a decade.
Not only is it racism that is concealed through elegance but also disability. Research and statistics show that those with Borderline Intellectual Functioning make up 30 percent of all death row inmates. Compared with their healthier counterparts, those with an IQ of 75-85 are much more likely to be sentenced harsher in court. They are more likely to be sentenced to death or a lifetime as well. Victims with intellectual disabilities are far less likely to be given a fair trial in court. A lot of their witnesses go unnoticed. Even after they elaborate on their experience, people simply don't take them seriously.
Compared with neurotypicals, those with ADHD are often mistreated and abused in prison. Their emotional breakdowns are often labeled as violence instead of someone that needs help. Those with ADHD also make up a big proportion of death row inmates. Many of them are unable to control their impulses.
When it comes to social inclusiveness, something that is so emphasized in our era, we might find that we're not as inclusive as we thought. People may not be as plain in their hatred as they used to, but they still show hostility through their actions. People may not even realize it, but Caucasians tend to move to neighborhoods away from the non-Caucasians. As an Asian person myself, I've realized that whenever I move to a neighborhood of whites, they slowly withdraw. Self-segregation may not be as bold as it used to but, it does not conceal racial hostility. Many also noticed that non-whites tend to experience more exclusion than whites.
People with disabilities are often excluded. Many tend to keep their distance from them even when they don't show it. If you notice someone with a disability approaching you from the same lane, you purposefully go to another lane to avoid them. You may think that you're being courteous by giving them space or making up an excuse for it, but what you're really doing is concealing your hostility. The hostility that is embedded within your thought system. Many people with disabilities experience eye-brow raised at them, groups of people avoiding where they're at, and unfair treatment at work. Are those issues ever properly addressed by the people? No! Of course, people are better at using their words to segregate them now. Whereas in the past, people with disabilities would be plainly called "morons".
So perhaps, it is not the human heart and mindset that's changed, but our way of addressing our hatred. Humanity has changed many's hearts, yet there are still so many with embedded hostility. However, our elegance and civilization had covered up our biased opinions into much more polite actions.