Forum Post: lets transform perception into reality

I just saw a really interesting (and quite moving) documentary on PBS about the civil rights movement and the freedom riders here is the link:

http://video.pbs.org/video/1925571160

anyway it had occurred to me that some of the ideals and values of the civil rights movements as a whole are strikingly similar to this whole movement. For example as I watched the documentary I realized that the majority of the country or at least the southern part of the country pretty much accepted segregation and jim crow laws as normal and sociably acceptable. now for us young folk (I’m only 34) that seems unthinkable that no more than 50 to 60 years ago racial bigotry was normal but nevertheless that’s just the way it was. In the documentary a group of African Americans were trying to desegregate the bus stations in the south and they called themselves "freedom riders" I was surprised to learn that these people who were asking for reasonable rights and liberty’s were not even taken serious and even thought to be a danger to law abiding citizens. This is how they were portrayed in the media and this is what the law enforcement agencies both local and federal thought of them. So basically you had a group of people that were fighting for basic human rights and asking for very reasonable things but nevertheless society deemed them to be a threat well eventually that changed but how? How did that change? well first and foremost they did not give up they persevered even in the face of death and imprisonment. and their numbers increased and finally they were not only able to defeat racism but they also changed public perception about their movement. To me this movement looks impossible. but if we DO NOT GIVE UP and persevere and keep coming up with ideas and brainstorming then we too can change this idea that greed is somehow sociably acceptable and that if your poor than somehow you just don't matter. It is a strikingly close parallel between the two concepts of racial equality and economic equality. That I thought maybe we could employ some of the same concepts that were used in the civil rights movements to gain some momentum and speed. Anyway I hope this helps of course I will leave it up to those much smarter than me to claim the credit I just want to see us succeed that's all..... :)