Screaming over a blue sweater: overcoming discrimination in everyday life
an article by Saori Imaizumi

As an international student from Japan, I am always looking for clothes which are both cheap and cool. Recently, I went to a clothing store in my college town.

As I was casually looking at the clothes,I suddenly heard someone screaming. I turned my head toward where the sound came from. I saw a white blonde lady, around late 40 holding a blue sweater and screaming at the top of her lungs. She seemed to be mentally ill. I looked straight at her, feeling very annoyed. But before I could express my annoyance, I saw the clerk calmly say to the screamer, "You want this sweater, Right? Is this size ok? Do you want to buy it now?" The screaming lady, now calmed down was answering the clerk with incomprehensible words. Nevertheless the clerk kept talking to her and took care of her customer's purchase professionally.

After the screaming lady left with her blue sweater, I was ashamed of the fact that I saw the lady as someone who was annoying me, in fact scaring me, although all she wanted to do was buy a sweater. I saw in myself that I felt some discrimination against mentally ill people. I thought to myself that if I had been the employee I would have been upset by the customer's screaming. I would not have been able to talk to her without showing any ear. I knew in theory, that it is not good to discriminate against people. But in reality, I found myself having that feeling. If the employee had shouted back at the screaming lady and insulted her, a fight might have started.

Through the employee's respectful attitude, I learned that to overcome my unconscious discrimination, I need more experience being with different kinds of people. The employee's respectful and understanding attitude will be a model for me in the future.

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CULTURE OF PEACE IN EVERYDAY LIFE

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