English 101.002
Definition Essay
What is discrimination?
Since the mid 1960’s legal racism has ended in legal terms. There are people all around the world that believe that some people of different skin color are not equal or on the same level. Discrimination is controlled by forms of authority such as city, county, and state police. Due to past events that have shaped society today, many people still hold grudges or memories that have prolonged the negative outlook on a certain racial type. This hate has caused discrimination to be one of the leading causes of violence in the United States of America. Based on someone’s skin color, way of life, and cultural background people are limited to a certain living standard.
There are many different forms of discrimination, age, disability, harassment, race, and sex are just a few that come to mind. In the year 1957, discrimination was very relevant in the lives of black men and women in America. Restaurants, bars, vending machines, water fountains, even school were separated. Even people that were not of color were discriminated against because of their moral support of African- Americans. This shows that you can be discriminated against because of the use of your free will to think as an individual. Discrimination was used to control groups of people so that order would be maintained. This use of power did not only fail catastrophically, it raised the amount of animosity of blacks all around the country and peaceful leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr.
In many different parts of the world discrimination has a different definition. Women may be looked at as inferior to a husband because of the way the culture is set up. In a Nigerian household, a woman is expected to cook, clean, and ensure happiness upon her husband while he is away at work supporting his family. In other areas of the world like Saudi Arabia it is unjust for women to obtain a job. The only jobs that are fit for women in the Saudi eyes are jobs like women’s doctors or a female only bank. From a capitalist point of view, this would be seen as unjust and demeaning. Cultural awareness may affect the way this lifestyle is viewed and judged.
Financial standings, levels of education, and the clothes you wear are just some of the things that are observed by people that you aspire to surround yourself with. Individuals that are not considered in the same social class are able to fit in based on skin color. In 1960, Ruby Bridges was the first girl to integrate an all white school. Ruby showed that being in the same school as someone with a different skin color than her only made her a better student. This promoted black excellence and encouraged the desegregation of all schools. Instead of the way of “separate but equal” more and more people saw that everyone deserved a fair chance to be great.
No matter the color of your skin, sexual preference, religion, bank statement, or even the color of your shoe strings, everyone deserves an equal chance at life and all that it has to offer. Anyone that places a standard on someone based on the way someone’s way of life is ignorant. Cultural awareness is one of the most important attributes to have, especially in the very diverse world that is presented today.
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