shift

If you asked me to name some genocides that have happened in the past, I would not have been able to come up with any before this shift article. Ever since the role of briefly researching past and present genocides was given to me, I’ve learned the meaning of genocide. No, genocide is not just the mass killing or extermination of people of a certain ethnicity in an orderly fashion. Anything done to a group of people that alters their living styles completely is considered to be genocide. An example would be the transatlantic slave trade. African American slaves weren’t shot down or put into gas chambers like the victims of the Holocaust. As a matter of fact, slave owners would have preferred to have their slaves live for as long as possible because it would save them the money for buying a new slave. African American slaves were forced onto ships to America, where more than three-fourths of them died along the way. If the African Americans were left alone, there wouldn’t have been such casualties. Working for people twenty-four seven with little food and rest was not things they would have done back home in Africa. They were forced to live this lifestyle under the Americans. Even though the Transatlantic Slave Trade was not given a name with the word “genocide” included, it still counts as one if you categorize it according to the full definition.
This shift article really increased my knowledge and awareness about such horrors that continue around the world. But even being aware doesn’t stop these nightmares. For such horrid events to stop, every single person would have to agree and realize that everyone is the same. There is no superiority of one race over another, one person over another. The leaders of genocide need to step into the shoes of the victims and experience the pains and sufferings the people have gone through. If everyone doesn’t drill it into their heads that all people are alike and deserve to live happy lives, there will be no end to unnecessary hate that may eventually lead to genocide.