Creed Discrimination

Ever since I began my interest in squirrels in 1996, I have felt that I've been discriminated against. Many people do not care about squirrels, and there are others who hate them. Partly the discrimination comes from the fact that it is very rare that a male my age would have this interest. Another source of discrimination would be some disabilities I have. I have an autistic-spectrum syndrome called Asperger Syndrome, and part of it is to focus on a unique area of interest. What I have is really more of a style of living than a disorder. I have the right to be interested in feeding and researching squirrels as my hobby, just as other people my age group are interested in football and rap.

The types of discrimination I have recieved have been quite varied. An example is hate mail from people who think that just because I like squirrels, I want to do things with them that are unthinkable. Another example is when people show their dislike or indifference of squirrels by joking about death to squirrels. Most of these people do not understand that I have the right to my interests. These people have no regards for people who are different. I could ignore this behavior, but it has come to the point of being extremely intolerable.

It is understandable that the majority of people who discriminate against my interst in squirrels are teenagers. Most people that age care mainly about hanging with their friends, going to the beach, etc. That is fine with me; I have nothing against that. But these people have not matured enough to realize that this world is very diverse, and there will be many many things different people find interesting.

In conclusion, I feel that I have the right to have the unique hobby that I have. Negative responses to my interest in squirrels are blatantly considered discrimination based on creed. Creed is any statement of faith, principles, or opinions; that should include the right to an interest. I do not go around defaming football and rap all the time, and neither should people have the right to defame me about what I find interesting.