“Getting to Know about You and Me” by: Chana Scheonberger (Blog 6)

                In her article “Getting to Know about You and Me” written in the Writer’s Response textbook, Chana Scheonberger talks about how many people in the U.S. are ignorant about other religions; this ignorance could then lead to hatred and prejudice. Scheonberger is of the Jewish faith. She provides a few examples from her own life where people have been misinformed about her religion and have made anti-Semitic remarks in front of her. One of her main examples is about her professor who said he, “wouldn’t want them to get Jewed,” in front of a group of students. Scheonberger and her friend, who is also Jewish, were going to confront their professor about what he had just said, but they never acquired the courage to do so. Another effective example she provides is the time her friends were asking her questions about Jewish people. They asked questions like if she still practiced animal sacrifices, or what kind of foods do Jewish people eat. These examples show that ignorance about another person’s religion may be problematic for both parties involved. People should try to teach one another about their own religion, instead of showing hatred towards someone who is misinformed about someone else’s religion. Hatred should be stemmed off of facts rather than ignorance. Scheonberger plans to join the Diversity Committee at her school in order to inform people about different religions.

                I think that I have experienced much more hatred due to racist stereotyping rather than religious stereotyping. A majority of the people I have known do not even know about my religion, Buddhism, so it has been easy going for me. My friends, on the other hand, have faced a lot of prejudice and hatred from people who are ignorant about certain religions. I believe that the main religious group that suffers the worst of the stereotyping is the Jewish faith. A lot of the kids at my middle school used to make Jewish jokes and harsh Jewish references constantly. Personally, I strongly dislike how different people are on Earth due to religions. Religions cause terrible things like war and violence. In my opinion, religion brainwashes people. It can make them do crazy things. But I am glad that society has moved to a point where religion is kept out of mainstream corporations and the government.