I have an eleven year old sister who is autistic which hinders her in many ways. Autism is the result of a neurological disorder that affects how the brain functions. My sister cannot speak, only notifying my family of her needs through screams, jarbled syllables, and PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) and also lacks fine co-ordination skills making many everyday tasks a burden. It's very hard for me to watch my younger sibling grow up with so many troubles in her life, and the pokes I hear people mutter hurt me. It's a sad fact, but many people in the world cannot comprehend differences between themselves and others. It's why "retard" is a funny insult to most teens and even adults whisper to friends how silly or noisy a stranger is acting, instead of just asking. When I hear a person in a public area make a stupid remark about my sister, it irks me. To make it blunt, these people should just shut the heck up; keep their comments to themselves. When you have no valid reasoning, don't say anything.

Just the past week, I was riding the school bus home and someone was making fun of the Special Education class my school supports. Having a sister afflicted with autism, I had to tell the person their comments weren't justified. I did and was given the old "retard" comeback. Sighing, I left them to their idiotic assumptions. Another time, at a restaurant, my sister was being exceptionally noisy. The people around us stared and whispered to one another while my parents did all they could to calm my sister. Maybe if you don't know a person with a mental disease you wouldn't understand these situations.

And then there are the excellent people who know how to handle a person like my sister well. A while ago at a local playground, my younger sibling was climbing around and stopped at the top of a slide. I little girl and her mother came over and the girl wanted to go down the slide. She climbed up but my sister would not budge from blocking the slide. I went up to help her out, and when I got back down, the lady there kindly asked what was with my sister. Of course, I answered and she then accepted my sister. She accepted something new to her. That is what more people in this world need to do.

This same sort of acceptance should be held for video games. So many times have I seen a game put down because of the console it is on. I have witnessed people bashing a game based on it's score on an internet site, without reading the text review or actually playing the game. The mockery of unknown things goes on and on, never stopping because there will always be people that don't care enough to inform themselves. Just like a person, a game should not be judged by its outwards appearance. A man should look inside, see what the substance is like, not define a game by its developer or graphics.

Such ignorance is pitiful. I have talked to many gamers about oddball games that they probably know nothing about. My opinions will sometimes be castrated by remarks such as "that game has lame graphics" or "why would I want to play games on a purple console?". This unwillingness to accept other things is the racism of our past time.

If anything, I hope this entry helps a few people recognize differences and accept other cultures, religions, people, and even games.