In December 1955, a lady named Rosa Parks held her bus seat in defiance of the discriminatory practices against black people. That kind of discrimination ended; but discrimination itself did not end, as Ralph Muecke demonstrated in a recent letter to the editor concerning the Day of Silence.

The truth is that people who proclaimed themselves to be righteous and correct were the very people who carried out those abuses of human rights. Many were even spiritual leaders, simply regurgitating the brand of discrimination that had been instilled into themselves by their parents and the people they looked to for guidance.

Today, many people do the same things, for the same reasons. Only the targets have changed. Today, it is, as Muecke so eloquently put it, "every person who identifies as homosexual, bisexual or cross-dresser." One must indeed feel very special and righteous, so as to devalue others, as he went on to do. But Muecke was right on one thing - in that we must be careful what we teach our children. Devaluing others is certainly not something a good parent would want to teach to anyone.

Friday is the National Day of Silence. For those not familiar with its meaning, it is a day when thousands of students across the country choose to remain silent for the day. It is a fitting way to protest the discrimination that continues to silence the many people who are different, but not so different, from ourselves.