Discrimination is the unjustified and prejudicial treatment of groups of people based on certain aspects such as race, gender, age, religion or sexual orientation, some of which are not within a person’s ability to control. It can occur in several forms, including but not limited to insults, mockery, exclusion, etc. In a world where discrimination is present in our everyday lives, it is important to understand and be aware of how these different forms of discrimination arise, and recognise our moral duty to ourselves and others to find ways to stop it from continuing to occur.
Our human brain naturally categorises things that we see around us to make sense of and better understand them. However, the beliefs and values we attribute to these categories are influenced by the people close to us, such as our own parents and our friends, as well as the response of other members in our community or in the world around us. There are many other factors such as one’s historical background, sociocultural practices, or economic forces that can also influence the way we perceive people. There are various levels of discrimination, ranging from very subtle forms to overt forms, and even to extreme forms of discrimination.
Forms of subtle discrimination can be things like failing to make eye contact with certain employees, or avoiding standing near a particular person of a different race or gender. This type of discrimination is a lot more based on our personal prejudices and are often less conspicuous, but far more common in everyday life. Overt forms of discrimination occur when one is open and blatant about their particular views towards certain groups. These are the types of discrimination we normally refer to, such as refusing to let your child to play with someone of a different sexual orientation or race or refusing to hire someone because they’re female. Finally, there are more extremist forms of discrimination, where one’s prejudices and generalisations towards a particular group are heavily ingrained in their own moral beliefs and expectations of society. People who have these extreme discriminatory views tend to feel very strongly and publicly about these minority groups and are willing to fight or harm them. An example is a group known as the Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist terrorist hate group that target mainly African Americans, but also Jews, homosexuals and other minorities.
In summation, it is important to recognise that discrimination is a judgement and decision one makes towards a particular group without any justified reasoning. We may not be overtly discriminating against others, but I am sure that there are a few subtle forms of bias or prejudicial opinions we as individuals have towards others without even realising. Although many of us aren’t victims of overt discrimination, but several of us are victims to subtle forms such prejudices or biased opinions, and hence feel more excluded and vulnerable in society. According to studies conducted by the 2015 Stress in America Survey, discrimination can cause chronic stress which is partly why some people may avoid certain jobs, educational opportunities or interact with certain types of people. It is essential as a member of society to be open and have no prejudicial or biased opinions towards others however subtle they may be, as ultimately they are all opinions that have no justified foundation or reason and are mainly a manifestation of societies own stereotypical beliefs and attitudes.
Bibliography:
Chupaska, Stephen. "Not All Discrimination Is Obvious." Ideas & Insights, 9 Apr. 2020, www8.gsb.columbia.edu/articles/ideas-work/not-all-discrimination-obvious.
"Discrimination: What It Is, and How to Cope." Https://www.apa.org, 31 Oct. 2019, www.apa.org/topics/racism-bias-discrimination/types-stress.
"Why Subtle Bias Is So Often Worse Than Blatant Discrimination." Harvard Business Review, 13 July 2016, hbr.org/2016/07/why-subtle-bias-is-so-often-worse-than-blatant-discrimination.
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