While Cornerian schools were not segregated, there was most definitely a divide between the races. As a young child, I did not understand the treatment I received. Looking back at my naivety, I am forced to laugh. The absurdity of my thoughts while trying to ascertain the reasons that seem so obvious now is mind-blowing. I digress. My parents tried their best to shelter me from the hatred of others as long as they could; I have come to regard it as a pathetic gesture towards keeping my mind-set unbiased. In the end, I think it only served in fueling my desire to show the world my might. I was not to be someone's subservient wretch. As early as my first year in school, I was beset by racial epithets and curses. The most common derogatory remarks were, "monkey-boy" and "stupid simian." It was my first taste of rejection without cause. It was also my first taste of the emotional disparagement that has driven me ever since, the desire to become superior to those who have attempted to throttle my advancement.
My desire to outdo my oppressors may seem hypocritical; rest assured, it is only because of the language used. Most people would argue that by striving to become superior, I am simply practicing reverse racism. Fortunately, this is not the case. Throughout my life, I have received nothing but insults, unfair treatment, unfair pay, stolen credit for discoveries and doors of opportunity opened to everyone except me. I sought to succeed despite the malicious roadblocks that had been thrown in my path at every turn.
As a child, I excelled in all of my classes despite my teacher's sincerest attempts to humiliate, belittle and, above all, fail me. This was only the smallest of my troubles. Unfortunately for me, the 'Domino Effect' always seemed to be following me wherever I went. My foremost memories of this treatment reach back to my second year. The teacher had asked the class question about the day's lecture. Everyone had gotten a relatively simple question, such as, "When was the Cornerian Republic founded?" or, "Who was the first President of Corneria?" When it came my turn, she asked me, "What were the circumstances that made it possible for the Cornerian Republic to form into a single cohesive entity with enough centralized power to mint it's own money and raise its own armies?" with an open smirk of contempt. I must admit, that was difficult question. I would wager that the majority of today's adults couldn't answer it satisfactorily. At that age, I had a healthy hunger for historical knowledge; it showed. To Ms. Wonecki's dismay, I described in relatively abstract detail how the economic ruin and drought that devastated the world set the stage for all of the world's leaders to come to the table and forged a new, plural, government. Later in my life, I had realized that the world, at the moment, had the greatest collection of reasonable minds at the helm than at any other period in known history. After regaining her composure, Ms. Wonecki proceeded to tear my answer to shreds with a plethora of details that I "forgot" to say. I believe her words were thus, "The most half-baked answer I've heard in my life…" It was a galvanizing moment for me. Even being an eight year old, (they held me back in 1st year because I was, "dim-witted") I knew that she had just cheated me. Eventually, she moved on to other students and, mercifully, class was let out for recess where I was promptly beaten by the other children and called the normal repertoire of racial epithets. It was here that my competitive fires were ignited. No longer would my educational pursuits be hobby driven. Now, they were now impelled by something much deeper... tarnishing the 'superior' title. For the rest of my school days I took my frustration out on the text.
After I had suffered through ten long years of numerous beatings, insults and cruelty of the Cornerian Public School System, I was finally ready to transcend into the realm of upper education. Or so I thought. It quickly became apparent that my life was not about to get easier. As it turned out, in order to be permitted to proceed beyond tenth year of the school system, I had to get the very teachers that had tried their utmost to hinder my progression's written recommendation. Having managed to impress him with my high degree of knowledge and general intelligence, Dr. Shanihn gladly offered to endorse me.
Of all my professors, that I had undergone tutelage from, only one had ever conducted himself with any degree of reputability. He was a man of principle, a man of honesty and a man who treated everyone the same... poorly. Dr. Shanihn was/is the epitome of everything that is virtuous about Corneria, which is precious little in the ultimate scheme of things. He was fair, firm and above all, biased only against willful ignorance. In retrospect, it must have taken a lot of courage and integrity to do what he did. No matter how many times the students openly called him an 'Ape-Lover,' he simply gave them detention with full knowledge that the powers that be would overturn his disciplinary action. His only objective was to teach the students science, no matter how they resisted. It was my thirst for knowledge that first caught his attention. So often it was that I requested information above and beyond that which was taught in class, we quickly set up a time after school to "tutor" me. Sadly, I never realized that doing so would only fuel the other children's capacity for jests that suggested my stupidity. They wore blinders when it came to the fact that I always knew all the answers in class. The absurdity of it all, in retrospect, was hysterical.
I would have been genuinely content with only Dr. Shanihn's recommendation, but he took it upon himself to ensure my continuation into higher education. I needed three recommendations from past instructors merely to be considered for progression. I am not sure what he had done to get Prof. Duncan and Dr. Atesll to recommend me. I was forced to turn my ear onto the cogs of the local gossip juggernaut to get information from which to dissect and discern the truth. I was able to conclude with reasonable certainty that he blackmailed one and creditionarily bribed the other. He had threatened to turn Duncan in for fraternizing with his students and agreed to give Dr. Atesll the whole of the non-monetary credit for a joint research project.