Discrimination is Still Alive and
Well in Our Society
No
matter where we look, whether it’s in the primarily homogeneous society of South
Korea, where about 96% of the population is South Korean, or New York, an
incredibly diverse place where one classroom itself can consist of students belonging
to various ethnicities, we’re bound to see some differences in power, status,
wealth, and position in society. Although we have definitely surpassed the time
when African Americans were seen as “savages” who were used as slaves and a woman’s
sole purpose in life was to be a housewife, showing how we as humans have
improved, discrimination is still very evident even today. In our society,
certain groups or individuals are treated unfairly, as there is often prejudice
directed towards them, leading people to view others as inferior. Discrimination
can be based on many things – some being gender identity, race, weight, sexual orientation,
or religion – and is easily found anywhere. From the continuous issue of
marriage equality to the unfair wage gap between males and females to police
brutality directed towards African Americans, discrimination is still very
apparent and alive in our society.
As a
nation governed by many founding documents, some of which include the Constitution,
the Bill of Rights, and the Articles of Confederation, America is built on a
foundation of freedom and liberty. One document in particular is the Declaration
of Independence, which was written in a time when America desired their freedom
from England. In this document, it states “…all men are created equal” and “…they
are endowed with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness”, meaning that all humans, regardless of who they
are, are granted natural rights by their creator. These documents promise to
protect those rights. If this is true, and our nation honored these documents
like it says it does, the issue with marriage equality, or rather, marriage inequality, is even more disappointing. Think
about it, this document was written, these words were established, more than
200 years ago. So, why did the Supreme Court pass a law allowing same sex
marriage in all 50 states of America only a mere two years ago? Why do people
still think that they have a right to tell others who they can and cannot marry
in the 21st century? Why is it that the American history is filled
with a constant struggle for equality and freedom, from the Women’s Suffrage Movement
to years of slavery, but people still think it’s justified to ban the marriage
of people of the same sex? Understandably, there are many reasons why people
are against this idea, with some of the main arguments being that their religion
is against it or, since the majority of people are heterosexual, they’re either
uncomfortable with it or downright disgusted by it. This is discrimination at
its core. Although there are laws that have been enacted to protect them, this
prejudice still exists. Many people are kicked out of their homes, attacked,
targeted for hate crimes, commit suicide, and are outcast by their peers as a
result. So, the main question is: how can we be a country that promises
liberty, freedom, and equality for its citizens when we don’t even allow for people
to marry whoever they please because they’re of the same gender?
What
does it mean when your teacher asks specifically for the “strong” boys in the
class to help her carry the textbooks instead of the girls, even when they
volunteer? How would it feel if a girl was asked to stay in the house to take
care of her siblings and help her mother with dinner while her brother goes
outside to play basketball with his friends? How about the fact that if a girl
admitted into the National Honor Society becomes pregnant, she loses her
membership and is expelled as a result, but the boy isn’t affected? This right
here showcases sexism, or gender
discrimination, in real-life examples. Admittedly, sexism isn’t as bad as
it was years ago, when girls and boys even took separate classes in school that
were deemed “feminine” and “masculine”. However, you can’t say that it’s
completely gone. Those examples are just a few of the situations that still occur
within our society today. For example, in many Asian societies, specifically
India, China, and South Korea among others, there is a very strong preference
for male babies, as they are expected to support their families when they grow
up. In contrast, a girl would grow up, move to live with her husband’s family,
and didn’t usually contribute to supporting her own family. Behind this double
standard is an economic factor that goes along with the preference for boys. In
many Asian countries, including my own, Bangladesh, sons are expected to live
with his parents until their death, with his wife and kids after he gets
married, and provide them with financial support. Although times are changing,
girls in many of these societies are still considered to be incapable of doing
these things. This inequity stems from a greater issue in discrimination, where
women were seen as “weak” and “gentle”, thus they had no option but to stay at
home, taking care of her children and cooking diner for her husband, whereas a
man is seen as “strong” and “capable”, being allowed opportunities to have real
jobs and get properly educated.
One
of the biggest problems our society faces today is the issue of police brutality,
specifically against African Americans. Police brutality has been an issue for
a long time, however, something that has been recently causing controversy is
police, mainly white, targeting African Americans solely for their skin color. Yet
again, the people within our society proves to be disappointing. Although we’re
in the 21st century, and the period in time where slavery and racial
segregation were alive is dead and gone, many people still view African
American as inferior. Over the years, several stereotypes have also developed
in association with black people, which include that black people are
dangerous, poor, uneducated, probably have a ton of babies with different
lovers, unemployed, and steal things. Because of stereotypes that characterize
African Americans as dangerous people
who steal things and commit crimes, many people have
developed a fear of and are cautious around them, which is absolutely
ridiculous. Let’s say for example there are two men, one is a 24 year old white
man while the other is an 18 year old black teenager. They both are wearing
hoodies, walking along the street, minding their own business. Which one does
the police car follow? Of course, he follows the young, black man wearing the
hoodie, because he seems suspicious (he’s
probably hiding a gun somewhere) and is obviously
hiding or trying to get away with something, whereas the white man probably
cold or possibly just came from the gym. It sounds crazy to think that someone
would actually think this way, but these situations are more real than people
think. Take for example, Trayvon Martin or Michael Brown, both unarmed
teenagers who were victims of police brutality. This is called racial profiling,
which is when people target or suspect a certain person of something because of
a stereotype about their race. This type of discrimination is exactly the
reason many African Americans, specifically young males, are shot and killed.
This injustice against the black community – this misconduct done by people who
are supposed to protect us from harm –
proves that discrimination is far from over, and that it’s still lingering
within our society.
In
any society, discrimination, whether it be aimed at race, ethnicity, gender,
sexuality, or social status, is inescapable and is difficult to tackle. No
matter how many laws are passed, no matter how many women are successful in
jobs usually deemed for men, no matter how many African Americans break the
stereotypes imposed upon them, discrimination will always be alive. It’ll never
die, because it’s a part of human nature to judge others who are different from
us, or what we feel is normal. There will always be people who think they are
superior, and there will always be people who use an individual’s "weaknesses" against them. Although people have no right to hurt others by voicing their
opinions, they have every right to have
an opinion. As long as this is true, racism, sexism, homophobia, and everything
in between will continue to exist and discrimination will always be alive in
society.
