[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11579]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   YOU'VE GOT TO BE CAREFULLY TAUGHT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Quigley) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Speaker, I don't believe that anyone is born with an 
inclination to hate, but sometimes, even in the year 2013, it's easy to 
forget.
  Not one of us begins this life hating that which is different. Not 
one of us begins this life fearing those who are different from 
ourselves. As children, we recognize differences; we wonder about them 
and question why. But as children, we don't hate or fear. People must 
learn to hate. You've got to be taught to hate and fear, carefully 
taught.
  In the second act of the great musical ``South Pacific,'' Lieutenant 
Joe Cable sings a song about racial prejudice, entitled, ``You've Got 
to Be Carefully Taught.'' The lyrics of the song confront prejudice at 
its core, explaining the simple truth that discrimination is not 
inherent; it's imposed--imposed by others who once had it imposed upon 
them in the vicious cycle of prejudice and fear.
  One isn't born with an inherent aversion to those of a different skin 
tone. One has to be taught to fear a young, unarmed black man in a 
hoodie. One has to be taught to fear minorities voting. You've got to 
be carefully taught.
  I also believe discrimination plays a role in opposition to same-sex 
marriage. One isn't born thinking gay people should be treated 
differently than straight people. One has to be taught to fear equality 
for all. You've got to be carefully taught.
  Discrimination has played a role in our immigration policy from the 
late 19th century to today. But people aren't naturally hostile to 
those who speak a different language or come from a different place. 
They had to be taught to fear the dreamers who are American in all but 
citizenship or their parents who risked their lives to make a better 
life for their children. You've got to be carefully taught.
  When ``South Pacific'' debuted in 1949, the song ``You've Got to Be 
Carefully Taught'' almost didn't make the cut. Rodgers and Hammerstein 
were told the song was too controversial, too preachy, too 
inappropriate for the musical stage.

                              {time}  1015

  The song was so controversial that some cities in the deep South 
would not allow the musical to be played on their stages. Lawmakers in 
Georgia even tried to outlaw such entertainment with one legislator 
arguing that a song justifying interracial marriage was implicitly a 
threat to the American way of life. But Rodgers and Hammerstein 
insisted the song be sung because it told the truth, and nothing 
combats fear better than the truth. ``South Pacific'' premiered more 
than a half century ago, yet its lessons are perhaps even more relevant 
today.
  We have come a long way since the Jim Crow era, but the truth is that 
discrimination, while perhaps not as blatant, is alive and well. 
Despite all the progress we have made, we are still taught to be 
fearful of differences, to discriminate against those of a different 
race or gender or background or sexual orientation. We tragically, 
although sometimes unknowingly, allow that discrimination to influence 
our actions. It is those actions, whether on a street corner in Florida 
or here on the floor of the House of Representatives, that teach yet 
another generation to hate and fear.
  As lawmakers, we have a responsibility to root out discrimination, to 
impart upon a new generation a philosophy of tolerance, and to embrace 
our differences. By confronting discrimination head on, we can finally 
stop the vicious cycle of prejudice and fear. Nelson Mandela said it 
best:

       People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, 
     they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to 
     the human heart than its opposite.

  You have to be carefully taught, Mr. Speaker. The teaching must begin 
in our hearts and with our children.

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