Bigotry.  It’s been part of our society since the dawn of time; however, those who have tried to bring it to light, usually fail to fully address the issue. I think it’s high time someone fully shined a light on this subject.

Now you might be wondering, why such a broad term like that? Don’t worry, friends, I’m not gonna leave you in the cold about that. Bigotry, in the starkest of terms, is when people are bullying, ostracizing, or straight up harassing people of different races, religions, financial standards, or anything else.

Now, let’s start with religious bigotry, and we don’t have to go far. Between the Paris attacks and the San Bernardino shooting (my condolences go to the families of those respective tragedies), Muslims are bullied like no tomorrow. Bullied in particular by Donald Trump, who is one of the four presidential hopefuls left in the Republican race for 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C. The Trump (because when we’re talking businessmen turned politicians, there can be only one) wants to build a database, which would raise red flags for pretty much every Syrian refugee all over the world.

I have some earth-shattering news for the man, these refugees have had their homes bombed into building-sized lumps of charcoal in a civil war against the Assad dynasty. In layman’s terms, these guys are performing the biggest exodus to other continents in the hopes of trying to find a better life.

Now, let’s talk about people bullying others because of their financial status. Most people don’t have the amenities that the average American have, and that wounds me personally. That being said, most people don’t feel the same way. They just walk, trying to get from point A to point B, ignoring them. At least, some are nice to the underprivileged.

Jeff O’Brien, a senior here at York High School, said that he, “personally haven’t seen many people be bullied for a specific reason other than them acting a certain way or saying something”, and while Jeff does have a point, we need to get into other reasons.

Now, there are many reasons people are bullied and bigoted by other people, ranging from their preference of male or female (more power to the LGBTQ community), to race, to special needs, which I have. Here are some protips for dealing with these guys:

Protip 1: Just ignore them, you’ll be better off tuning these guys out and living a normal life.

Protip 2: If someone you know is being bullied, stand up for them. You’d be glad you did.

Protip 3: If they attack you, defend yourself. It’s better than losing your teeth. Unless it’s your wisdom teeth, then it’s good.
Protip 4: If you’re thinking about blowing a gasket, take several deep breaths. It helps 9 times out of 10.