Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1945-07-06
Whats
New!
By
Edudrd Duck
With The 18th
Regt. in
Germany
PREJUDICES

"A great many people think
they are thinking when they
are merely rearranging their
prejudices."
If nothing more were added,
this one quotation from Will
liam James should cause a lot
of us to pause. Let's examine
our consciences and see if we
haven't been a bit guilty at
times, ourselves.
Can you honestly say that
you can look upon all men as
being free and equal? Our Ma
ton is founded upon this prin-
ciple, but of what value Is a
declaration written on a scrap
of paper if those who are ex-
pected to carry out its terms
give scarcely moments con-
sideration to their own indi-
vidual obligation in the mat
ter?
You and I are responsible
for own thoughts, words and
actions. We differ from the
animal in that we have ra-
tional minds and the gift of
free will. Indeed, a war is be-
ing fought so that we may take
full advantage Of these facul-
ties. There isn't much in
America that fellow has to
do that he doesn't want to do.
In spite of all the cries from
big business, it's still pretty
much of a free country.
GUILTY
l say that we are guilty of
holding unfair and illogical
prejudices of all kinds. How
many of us have generalized
on the character or quality of
an entire race or nationality
or religion? How many times
have we dismissed an entire
minority with the expression,
those dumb Hunkies," "that
crooked Polack," or "those
lazy Niggers"?
Hungarians are not stupid.
They have made contributions
to world culture which their
critics probably could not be-
gin to appreciate, and they
were civilized at time when
some of their nam callers
ancestors were shrieking,
bowling barbarians.
Likewise with the Poles
and the Czechs and other
Slavish peoples. If the person
who thinks the Polish people
are so ignorant could play the
piano like Paderewski did or
Josef Hoffman does, or sing
like Jan Kiepura, or do as
much for all mankind as Nine.
Curie has done, he would still
be in a poor position to issue
a blanket denunciation of a
race whose intrinsic honesty
and character stand out in the
world of those who have made
a study of their fellowmen.
RACE LABEL
II i'll behooves many who
characterize the Negro as be-
ing lazy to pin label on a
race which has consistently
been shunted toward the most
menial and undesirable jobs
imaginable. Heavy dockload-
ing, foundry work, and dan
gerous labor have, until re-
Gently, been practically the
only positions these people
could get, unless you count
the penny-ante service jobs in
which they get uniform and
little more. The Negro has
done work which you and |
would consider back break
ing We'd have to be down
and out before we would even
consider performing most of
these jobs.
We condemned Hitler. Yet
how many of us have thrown
a general scathing indictment
at the Jewish people simply
because someone said they
had all the money in Amer
lea" or got us into the war"
or we're running the coun-
try" all of which statements
are grossly untrue and silly.
In an America worthy of the
high esteem in which the
downtrodden European holds
il; in an America planned and
fought for by those who sought
freedom and equality for their
families and for posterity; in
an America dreamed of by
millions of lonely and home
sick, but not disillusioned
fighting men scatt d
throughout dozens of far off
countries, there should be
little room for the foolish pre-
judices wich have been built
up in our unthinking minds.
America is a cosmopolitan
nation, made up of millions of
men and women whose ances-
tors came from all corners of
the globe, They are Americans
all, and as such are entitled
to enjoy life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness. If our
fellowmen have been discri-
minated against in the past,
how much better it Is to lend
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