What is the DEAL with other races, anyway? (Now with homos!)

[Carnivore]

I've never agreed with people who judged others based on race. I always try to get to know someone before passing judgment. In the past three years, however, I've grown to hate people who conform to negative racial stereotypes, thus perpetuating them. When I see a minority type with his baggy pants around his ankles and a rag on his head, I automatically think "GUILTY!"

In my line of work, you deal with shitbags, and they come in all shapes and colors. Unfortunately, the majority of them are minorities. It's been harder and harder for me to consider in the back of my mind what circumstances lead these people to become what they are. It's been increasingly difficult to remember that in most cases it's ignorance that leads most of these people to equate an ambulance with a taxi, not malice.

Racism is absolutely rampant where I work. The city I work in has a population of over 100,000 with very large SE Asian, Hispanic, and Black groups, the former being the largest. My company has one non-Caucasian EMT. Coworkers make up racist names for diseases. AIDS is called JBF, the Jigaboo Flu, for example. My partner for my 24-hour Sunday shifts, who is also a very good friend of mine, is the worst offender. It's very difficult in these circumstances not to get sucked into the racist mindset.

I'm still trying, though. Still trying to look beyond and think of the why.

Never work in emergency healthcare. My mother was an ER nurse for over 20 years and it got to her over time too. Maybe my eventual transformation is inevitable.