by Jeanne Sones

Created on: August 20, 2009   Last Updated: September 13, 2009

I believe we in the US are still segregated in many ways. I am not just speaking of a black/white or Mexican/Hispanic type of segregation but of what segregation really is. Segregation is the separation of one group, race, institution, church or any other organization from another because of some type of difference of skin color, opinion, choice or reason.

You can call the separation between the rich and the poor segregation. Do not the well to do live in different neighborhoods than the poor, do not the well off drive better cars, go to different places, eat at more expensive restaurants than the poor? We pull away from what is different than what we are or what we believe or know to be true. If someone thinks differently or acts in a different way or wears different clothing or even eats different food than us we tend to draw near to the ones who do what we do most often.

Soon our health care system might be segregated because some people will have one type of insurance because they are wealthy and some will have maybe something else because they can't afford a better policy. Is that not segregation?

We segregate in our communities, in our churches, in our schools and just about everywhere in the US we segregate and congregate with what we feel comfortable with. The problem with all of this is that it leads to shallow thinking, limited intellectual experience, minimal life experiences and just not a well rounded all inclusive life. If all you ever eat for dinner is fried chicken or curried rice and only eat that with people who look like you and speak like you how then will you know what I am about if you never experience my food, say steak and potatoes or chocolate pudding?

Our schools are the same, we put the really well off and highly educated mostly in schools like Harvard, Yale and Princeton. Others with less ability or money can go to another school where maybe the less elite attend, thus limiting the less fortunate from being all they can be. Yes, those that really persevere and tackle all obstacles and have the support groups behind them and the grades to match perhaps can sneak into some of these more elite and high priced schools but it is not the norm. It has to be an exceptionally "gifted" child who may get a scholarship or grants to go to a better school because everything just fell into place for them so they will experience all they can be and probably obtain a real high quality education and possibly attain their greatest dreams but more times

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>