PREJUDICE

My dad owned and managed a hardware store. Outside of stocking shelves and ordering merchandise, a good chunk of his time each day was spent chit-chatting with customers. Dad was generally well-liked and greatly respected, so these conversations often strayed beyond water heaters and sanding paper. 

One day Dad came home from work shaking his head over a particularly puzzling interchange. This would have been the early 1980s, I suppose.

A customer had expressed apprehension over rumors of a new Toyota factory coming to Shelbyville. "I don't like the idea one bit," the man groaned. "I don't think it's good to have foreign-owned businesses in town."

Dad, level-headed and thoughtful, was quick to reply: "Well, what about the fiberglass company -  Knauf? They've been here for years and they're German-owned."

The customer was having none of it: "This is completely different. Toyota is owned by the Japanese."

Dad was confused. "So what's the difference? Knauf is German and Toyota is Japanese."

"It's totally different," the man explained. "The Japanese fought against us in World War II!" 

😏

That's what you might call tragicomedy. 

That conversation stuck with me - I suppose because it demonstrated important truths about this sinful inclination of the human heart towards prejudice.

    First, prejudice is not rational. 

    Second, prejudice is highly selective.

    Third, for the sake of holding onto a particular prejudice, it's a whole lot easier when "they" look physically different from "us".