I remember this song from the first time I saw South Pacific. My memory brings up the singer as a woman. My search kept bringing up male singers. Such as this, from Broadway:
Then I found this poignant rendition, by Mandy Patinkin, and I was…charmed? Yes, charmed, through my tears. My earlier memories led me to believe understanding the origins of prejudice would eliminate it. How naive I was.
Is prejudice taught? Is it ingrained in all of us? We who study family lines, either human or animal, know there is a balance between nature (inheritance) and nurture (environment). A delicate balance, all too easily tipped. What tips the balance? What combination of fear and anger and some other nebulous excuse causes such violent outbreaks?
I don’t know, all I can do is ignore any feelings of prejudice, and try hard to be kind.
Mona Karel Author 