Our world has certainly made a lot of social progress but the sad reality is that racism and other forms of discrimination still permeate our cultures. Even when we think we are just making a simple joke, sometimes we need to stop and put ourselves in someone else’s shoes. Just for a few cheap laughs, we could be seriously hurting people who have been putting up with those jokes and have been discriminated against for their entire lives.
BeyondBlue, an organization in Australia, is on a mission to help fight discrimination, which leads to depression and anxiety. They’ve made this video to brilliantly send the message that discrimination, including casual racism, is unacceptable behaviour and needs to be stopped.
In the video, we see several everyday scenarios in which people are faced with making decisions about the people around them. A man sitting next to a stranger at the mall, a shopkeeper keeping an eye on a customer, a manager considering a potential hire, a woman looking for somewhere to sit on the bus, and a man sharing a crass joke with his friends at the bar… as they make their decision, we learn what’s going on inside their heads. And perhaps more importantly, we learn the hurtful and damaging consequences of their discrimination.
Watch the video below and let us know what you think. Please share this very important message with your family and friends and help make this world a more loving and inclusive place.
