What About Me?
Tolerance, fundamentally, is a personal decision. It comes from an attitude that is learnable and embraceable, a belief that every other person on earth is a treasure. We each have the power to change our attitude to overcome our ignorance and fears, and to influence our children, our peers and our community. It begins with “me.”
We all grow up with prejudices. It takes effort to see them as clearly as others do. Human rights experts recommend starting with our speech and thought patterns. Am I quick to label “rednecks” or “liberals”? Do I tell gay jokes? Am I careless with gender descriptions?
Here are some more questions you might ask yourself:
- How wide is my circle of friends? How diverse is my holiday card list?
- How integrated is my neighborhood? Why is that?
- Do I belong to private clubs that exclude?
- Do I take economic segregation and environmental racism for granted?
- How often am I in the minority?
- Do I have the courage to tell a friend not to tell a sexist joke in my presence?
- How can I go out of my way to know people who appear different?
Address questions or comments about
TEP or this site to:
Georgeanne Cooper, Program Director,
64 PLC
Phone: 541-346-2177 Fax: 541-346-2184
© Copyright 2000-2006 Teaching Effectiveness Program, University of Oregon.
Last Modified:
01/09/07
