In most countries, the educational system is an instrument of the government, and while in some countries it is not only acceptable but desirable to defend the rights of certain minorities, doing this could represent a danger for us and for our school to do it in other societies with low levels of tolerance for difference. Is the situation lost in these countries? Should teachers give up? Definitely not. A teacher can always, with his or her attitudes, condemn violence against and vilification of others. A teacher can use every opportunity to talk about the importance of empathy, and how practicing it benefits everybody.
Imposing our attitudes seldom works. Uncountable examples of tyrants have proven that the only effect of forcing an ideology onto people is resistance and rebellion. Change begins from within. The question here is whether we want to change as individuals as well
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Challenging stereotypes, prejudice and bias systematically spread by the mass media will cause hostility against somebody who will be most likely seen as a nut, in the best of cases and as a “traitor” in the worst. Even in democracies, it is impossible for the media to be objective. The media tends to focus on what is relevant for certain groups with invested interests. The media usually ignores urgent issues like the ones presented above, because they are unpleasant and highlighting them would imply an economic loss for certain businesses. Furthermore, the most vulnerable members of society, like children, the handicapped and animals, do not have lobbies to defend their interests. In the same manner, if a government is planning an offensive against an enemy country, it is the duty of the media to legitimize the attacks by preparing the public for the hostilities. The main problem is that people seldom realize that the media creates images which distort