Following recent controversies over hate speech and racial slurs on campus, some people and organizations have come out to say that most people at Penn State are prejudice against minority groups on campus.

However, I beg to differ.

Racism and homophobia are most of the time speech, thoughts or acts of hate (or fear, hence phobia) toward a certain group of people because one doesn't like them.

Some people have argued that they are hated because of the color of their skin, heritage background or sexual orientation. But I find it hard to believe that most people hate others based on just one of those things.

As human beings, we have reason. If we don't like someone there has to be a reason, we don't just hate for the fun of it. Most people are racist or homophobic because they had bad experiences with a certain group in the past or don't agree with their beliefs. But then there are those who act racist because they don't understand people different from them and that is the problem at Penn State.

People aren't necessarily racist; they are ignorant. With about 80 percent of Penn State students being from Pennsylvania, the chances are probably really high that these students haven't been exposed to diversity before coming to here. While Penn State is definitely not one of the most diverse campuses in the nation, some students still find it a culture shock when they arrive here.

They encounter Asians, African Americans, Latinos, Europeans and other cultures, which they have had little to no contact with before, causing misconceptions and assumptions and therefore possibly violence. I know this from personal experience, since I am Hispanic. While I was born in the United States, both of my parents are Colombian, and I have been raised in the midst of a culturally diverse community in Miami. Fortunately I grew up mingling and learning about all different cultures; however, not everyone at Penn State was as lucky as I was.

When people here find out I'm Hispanic, they automatically think Mexican, asking me if I eat burritos all the time, if my mom wears ponchos or if my whole family is short and dark-skinned.

But they are obviously wrong. My heritage is Colombian; I eat steak, fish and chicken all the time, my mom dresses like an average mom would, and most of my family is tall with fair skin and light eyes. My point is that people have all these misconceptions about other cultures and races that they have never been given the chance to learn about and that's how insults come about.

When people say things that are not true about you, you get mad or at least bothered, it's just natural instinct.

At first I hated when people called me Mexican or asked me ridiculous questions, but I quickly got over it when I realized people just don't know any better.

I decided that instead of just fighting or throwing an immature comeback at them, I would just explain where they were wrong in their statement -- and this is what everyone should do.

If you feel insulted by any prejudice comment, educate the offender, don't just attack them with words or actions.

Two wrongs don't make a right.

You can't just blow up when someone says something offensive to you in class or outside your dorm. People are discriminated every day around the world and once you get out into the "real world," you will have those ignorant people who will say the wrong things. So learn to deal with them the right way now and save yourself some trouble and agony later on in life.

Culturalize your so-called enemies, because they really don't hate you, they just don't understand you.