I'm a Racist

Some people might say I'm racist. I've been accused of it before. I think the word racist is a little to strong for me. To be perfectly honest I only used that word because it catches a lot more attention than prejudice or stereo typing. The 2 latter words are probably a better description. I think everyone stereo types to some extent and I think everyone is even a little prejudice if not a lot prejudice. I know I am no exception. At first glance you would not think of me as racist because my ex was black and my beautiful children are half black. When people hear racist they automatically think of a white person hating a black person. That in itself is stereo typing. I honestly believe that anyone who says they don't stereo type are lying to you. Let me explain why people may think I am racist.
I would never live in a trailer park because I would assume that the neighbor was white trash. I just used a racist term. He would wear a dirty wife beater with huge armpit stains. He would shave once a month if that. In one hand would be a cigarette and in the other a beer. He'd be yelling at his wife to get him another beer. If she didn't do it fast enough than the other racist term I used would come into play.... wife beater. His daughter would be walking around in daisy duke shorts and a belly shirt. She's also slept with half the men living in the park as well. I don't want neighbors like that so I would not move into a trailer park.
If I see a Hispanic name in my dog grooming book I would assume that they are going to be bringing in either a poodle or schnauzer. Half the Mexicans in Utah own one or another. The other half own chihuahua's but no one pays to get a chihuahua groomed. Besides young white girls who have never gets their hands dirty but got a little rat dog so they could look more like Paris Hilton and the rest of Hollywood. I also know they're going to be late dropping the dog off and picking him up.
When I see a black guy walking around like a penguin so that the jeans hanging below his butt don't fall off completely I assume he deals drugs and talks like an uneducated hoodlum because he's trying to convince his friends that he's hard core and gangsta. He's from the hood and wants everyone to know it. If he's ever spent any time at all in New York than he tells everyone not to mess with him because he's from New York.
When I take my kids to the park and I see a middle aged white guy watching all the kids and having no kids of his own I assume he's a pervert. I watch my kids very closely and keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't leave with more kids than he came with.
When I see someone begging for money on a street corner I assume he's an alcoholic and a drug addict. He's willing to lie and manipulate to any extent in order to get his next fix. He chooses to be homeless because homelessness allows laziness. It also doesn't require you to get random drug tests and show up on time.
This is such a touchy subject that doesn't get discussed about honestly because people are afraid of coming off as racist or prejudice. Everyone wants to believe that they don't stereo type or judge at all. The truth is that if you've experienced much outside of your comfort zone than you've most likely picked up on some of your own stereo types. It can be exhausting to be politically correct all of the time. Most of the time we judge and stereo type for our own safety or the safety of our family. We have to be able to judge a little bit in order to make good decisions. When I lived in Texas my neighbors were crack heads. There was 14 people living in a tiny 2 bedroom house. None of them worked. They didn't shower or do laundry. If you walked into their house you needed to wear a gas mask because the odor was unbearable. They looked like they hadn't eaten in days and they were never hungry. I never actually saw any of them doing crack. I just didn't think anyone else but a crack head would live like that. Right from the get go I judged them and I didn't trust them. When one of the ladies came to my house asking for a glass of water because hers had been shut off. I automatically assumed she wanted to see the inside of our house and wanted to know if it was worth breaking into. I wouldn't let her in, I brought the water outside to her. That was suspicious on it's own. Making it obvious that you don't want people to see your possessions is just as dangerous as letting them see them. The next day our neighbors broke into our house while we were at work and sold all of our stuff to a local pawn shop before we had even come home. My point is that people judge based off of life experiences and who are we to judge them for making those judgments.
I know that not all people living in trailer parks chain smoke, drink and beat their wives.
I know that not all Mexicans own either a poodle, schnauzer or chihuahua and they're not late all the time.
I know that all young black kids wearing huge baggy jeans don't always deal drugs and talk like gangstas.
I know that not all homeless people are lazy and alcoholics.
I know that not every middle aged white guy is a pedofile. 
It's important to acknowledge that we all stereo type regardless of our race or appearance. It's also important that we know we are wrong a lot of the time. Lets keep in mind that there are scum bags in every race, size, age and appearance. There are also many awesome people in every age, race, size and appearance. Don't do or say things just to hurt people and don't get easily offended. I could get offended every time someone said "you throw like a girl" because that's sexist. It's not necessary though. I think there is a big difference between being racist and having stereo types. Lets make judgments that help us keep ourselves and our family safe but treat everyone decent at the same time. There is a time and a place for everything. If we each really think about it and admit that we are prejudice some of the time than maybe we can better understand why and figure out if it's necessary or if it's just mean.