Yeah, people *should* be nice. They're not, though.
Actually I think it's a good think when thinking about political questions to consider the people basically cattle: There's no point in saying 'should', 'ought to' etc.; the only way we can ever change anything is by force (prohibitions, taxes, other laws) and by education/indoctrination. (This probably sounds kind of evil because of the connotations, but indoctrination and use of force is not evil when done in the name of good, right? Right?)
So in conclusion: Keep teaching kids to respect everyone, and wait ~30 years.
The problem is that a lot of people aren't fit to be parents. They don't take the time to teach their kids common courtesy, respectful behavior and common sense. Back when I was a kid I was one of two children I knew who even said please, thank you or excuse me and that was because my mother taught my brother and I how to be polite, courteous and respectful.
Just the other day a child who was maybe eleven or twelve years old said he would kill me if I look at him funny and then called me a nigger. I hear children throw that word around or some variation of it all the time, and these are kids who are about eight to thirteen years old. They never say excuse me and instead block the street like they're the decoy FBI team that gets sent out with the stealth team, the one that uses aggression tactics to get you upset so you slip up and do something that actually does get you picked up by the party van. They blatantly stare at people who look different, point and laugh at them like they're they're some geek biting the head off of a chicken. I saw two children who looked to be about six or seven do this to a man who had Multiple Sclerosis and was having difficulties carrying his groceries just yesterday.
I don't think it's the childrens' fault. It's the parents' fault for not teaching their children manners, courtesy and respect. In the mid-nineties my mother's ex-boyfriend had a five-year-old daughter who was more polite than half of the people my age. Kaylee never even threw fits because she was so well-behaved. And this was because her father taught her manners, courtesy and respectful behavior.
Like I said, most people are not fit to be parents. I've known perhaps two or three people who were good parents in my entire lifetime, and the rest of them either treated their children like property or just didn't have a fucking clue what they were doing. Therefore I seriously doubt that we'll be able to eliminate discrimination within the next thirty years just by teaching our children how to respect one another.
I'm sorry if this post doesn't make too much sense or offends some people. I have a really bad cold and I also have a lot of back pain right now. In fact, after I check out the Terrible Jokes thread I'm going to lie down.