Discrimination…. What is it? Who goes through it? Do people actually go through this? These are questions that people ask and those people that are lucky enough to not have to deal with this pain. On the other hand, people say, ¨Why does this happen to me? Why can’t I be like everyone else? I wish I wasn’t treated this way…¨ those are the people who have suffered and been put in categories by society. They define them as only one thing and they don’t get the same amount of respect as others; people even hate them because of it. That’s discrimination: judging someone based on their sex, race, age, or sexuality, and treating them as less of a human being. Discrimination goes all the way back to the 17th century when people were slaves for others until 1869 where men of color got the right to vote, but it didn’t stop there. It wasn’t until the early 1900s when women got the same rights as men. You would think everyone would have equal rights and be able to live in peace but they didn’t. People are still discriminated against to this day.
Today we are supposed to live in a world that celebrates our differences and takes pride in our different ethnicities like our religions, races, and sexual orientations. We shouldn’t feel ashamed of who we are. However, many of us are. We are afraid that if we walk out into the world, we will be criticized. It’s not easy to stand up and be proud of ourselves while not being afraid. Even among our family and friends, many of us live with that terror day and night. Nobody considers the fact that all of this discrimination has a negative impact on a person, resulting in mental diseases like depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, PTSD. If these are not treated could lead to suicide.
Not only does this have an impact on our society, but it also has an impact on the school systems for our future generations. We want to do everything we can for our children to ensure that they are safe and that nothing horrible happens to them. We want to ensure that they grow up in a safe environment and that they are protected from harm, but we can’t. We must warn children that we live in a world where not everyone is accepted, and that they must be safe. We need to teach them how to defend themselves in the event of an emergency. We must prepare them for this because we live in a world where people discriminate against one another. We are the ones who must educate children that our world is not perfect and that there are people who are cruel to one another.
In our world, we need to learn how to take care of ourselves in these instances as well as how to assist others. Support those who are in need and fight discrimination. We must be unified as one because no matter what our differences are, we are all the same.
