We live in a diverse country. There are about 7,463,706,050 people walking this planet. There are also many diverse groups of people. I don’t mean people who are jocks or nerds. I am talking about people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, the Latino community, the Muslim community, the Islamic community, and many more. But, just like how books need a protagonist and an antagonist, bigoted people are also walking this Earth and the county.

What is bigotry? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Bigotry is “a person who strongly and unfairly dislikes other people, ideas, etc.: a bigot person; especially: a person who hates or refuses to accept the members of a particular group.” There are different types of bigotry- like religious or raciest bigotry. Even though bigotry can mean any form of intolerance or prejudice, when the word is used alone, it is most often mean racial bigotry. Some synonyms of bigotry are “injustice, racism, sexism, unfairness, and discrimination.” There’s that word, “Discrimination”. People that are feeling discriminated against because of bigoted people. They don’t feel safe.

What people don’t realize is that bigotry can cause harm to every group of people. Men, women, black, white, gay, straight, people of color, and many more diverse group of people. These people who say disrespectful and harsh terms about or to a group of people are cowards. Most of the time, people who attack people with hateful words don’t have a good excuse. Most of the time they would say ‘it’s just my religion’ or ‘that’s just how I was raised.’

If that is the case, then fine. If that’s how you were raised or if it’s just you religion, then keep your hurtful words to yourself. There is a difference between voicing your opinions and being insulting. If you were to tell me that you don’t believe in same-sex marriage, then I’m not going to try to persuade you to change your opinion. I respect your opinion. But, if you stand there and tell me that ‘everyone who is gay is going to hell’ or call someone a ‘faggot or a dyke’ that’s where it differs. You aren’t voicing an opinion, you are insulting someone or a group of people. And that’s with all groups and communities of people.

It’s better to be educated rather than spitting off rude, degrading, insulting comments to someone that can be drastically affected. Words hurt whether you know it or not. I remember being told as a little kid that “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt you.” But words do hurt and if you are not careful about what you say, then it can really affect someone. They stay in the back of their minds and who knows what they might do. If you don’t understand something, there is this thing called the Internet and I heard that it could be pretty useful.

Bigots are what wrong with America. We are supposed to be a free country and I know that Freedom is our first Amendment right, but there is a fine line when it comes to voicing an opinion. If there is one thing that I would change about America, is that bigoted people. It hurts to me to see the person I care the most about is hurt by your words. Please think before you speak and keep your hurtful opinions to yourself