"WHY?"

Does anyone remember a fairly recent commercial where a mother (a white mother) takes her daughter to a playground, and just after arriving, a friend of the daughter's (a black girl) shouts from nearby to come over and play with some friends (some black friends)? The mother quickly holds her back suggesting she play 'over there,' pointing to a group of white children. The daughter just looks at her mother and asks "why?" The mother has no answer. End of commercial. That question of "why?" has always been on my mind, too. I've never understood racism. There is no basis for its existence. It's as if, long ago, someone of authority and respect decided he or she (probably a he) didn't like a dark skinned person or persons for some stupid reason, and his followers thought he was right, so they decided to be prejudiced, too. Then they taught their offspring that idea and so on and so on. Sadly, racism is very much alive and well even now in 2010. There may not be separate bathrooms and drinking fountains, but the racist thoughts still exist in many minds throughout the world. However, there are also many who have come to realize just how ridiculous, immature and ignorant prejudice actually is. Those are the only types of people I will associate with so I guess that makes me prejudice against the prejudiced. I can live with that.