Short Story - Prejudice

Prejudice. What is prejudice? Prejudice is the preconceived judgment toward a people or a person because of race, social class, gender, ethnicity, age, disability, political beliefs, region, sexual orientation or other personal characteristics. There are many forms of prejudice such as discrimination, racism, etc. Let me use the below story to give you an example.

Martin entered a small café with a few of his friends. He failed to notice the ‘Whites Only’ sign on the door. As he entered the café, one of the waiters looked up. “Hey you, nigger, what are you doing in this café. Didn’t your bloody eyes see the sign at the door! Get you and your bunch of black friends out of the door this instant and don’t let me catch your nigger faces around here again or else…” The shop owner let out a tirade against Martin, angered at Martin daring to enter a “Whites Only” café. Martin and his friends felt anger rushing through them. They had been treated like this for a long time already and this was the straw that broke the camel’s back. With a roar of anger, Martin and his friends charged at the waiters, overturning the tables and chairs in the process.

“Think that you’re so superior now, huh? Let’s see how you will feel when we smash this place to smithereens, bitch!” Martin and his friends were determined to give the shop owner and his waiters a beating they’ll never forget. However, in doing so, they have crossed a sacred line, they had insulted a white man and had also beat him up. This could possibly give them all death sentences. Customers in the café went screaming out into the streets. One of the customers took out his mobile phone and called the police. Within moments, three police cars were on the scene, sirens wailing. Martin and his friends were overpowered by the policemen who had stun guns and did not hesitate to use them on ‘blackies’. Handcuffed, Martin and his friends were brought back to the police station. There were no trials, no hearings. Three days later, Martin and his friends were shot by a firing squad.

This was the 19^th century America, when discrimination in the form of racism was common. Black people were looked down by White people. Privileges and special rights were taken away from the black people and Black people were treated as if they were trash. Racism continued until a man named Martin Luther King held protests in cities of America and racism was abolished.