Global Political and Social Awareness - Unconscious Bias and my experiences with Racism and Discrimination
An enormous amount of kids undergo trials at schools and in other facilities in public as they grow up. At this stage of their lives, children are still learning and understanding what the world is like and how they can fit in. Imagine how difficult and confusing it must be for them when they encounter bigotry, discrimination and racism in a classroom, swimming club, shopping mall or somewhere in town. The affront can't be predicted - no one knows when it could strike. In the end, a child is never fully prepared to deal with the sudden approach of vitriol and hateful dogma.
Depending on the severity of the affliction, the child could walk away with life-changing experiences, for better or for worse. Parents are supposed to teach their children the differences between right and wrong, morals, ethics and other tools to effectively participate in society as a fully functioning human being. I find no other place in a community is more critical in shaping a child's mind than a school. School is there to teach you immeasurable skills and how to be a better person. It is supposed to teach students how to become productive and reliable. School represents the building blocks to your future. Unfortunately, it doesn't happen this way all the time. It is the first time that children meet and converse with others. It is the first time that children get involved with other youngsters from the broad scope of society and learn about their interests, personalities and behaviors. They are exposed to different ways of thinking. I see this as their first step into crucial development that will take them into adolescence and adulthood and how they can shape the community as members of the next generation. A lot of events can happen between kindergarten and grade twelve. One of the most traumatic and damaging instances are racism, prejudice, and discrimination. I know this because I was the victim of racism and prejudice many times within this time. The biggest enemy of all is unconscious bias.
I find the first time a student comes across inequality occurs in the classroom. Groups of friends form and the first outcasts are identified. Depending on the age of the students, specific cliques are founded to set themselves apart from others. In my case, many girls weren't interested to talk to me or do anything with me because I was 'gross'. This was in my elementary school years. Some students grow out of it thanks to maturity and education. But others don't and maintain their course. Prejudice develops further and excluded students from others. The conventional preps and jocks in high school is the quintessential example of prejudiced groups of teenagers. Girls prefer muscular, athletic and popular boys while boys enjoy the company of sexually attractive girls. It is biological and there is nothing wrong with that. Boys and girls discover their passions for sex and have serious relationships for the first time in their lives. This is also the time in which prejudice rears its ugly head in front of a bigger audience. More people see it and take notes. If you don't fit in with another's expectations, you aren't worth anything to the person. These guidelines can be sex appeal, popularity, and intelligence. These are the ingredients to unconscious bias that can turn into more serious problems.
Bullying has many causes. I know that bullies act out their aggression on others because they feel insecure about themselves and are dissatisfied with their lives. They tease, assault and harass others to make themselves feel better and to divert attention. Perhaps the bully is experiencing domestic assault and is trying to cope with it. No one knows what is going on at their home. The bully feels pain but the agony is also felt by the victim. Take me, for example. I underwent terrible cases of bullying based on my appearance. "Duck face" was a first common derogatory name that was used to describe my overbite at elementary school. It was tough and hurtful. It was also the first time that I had another name for school pupils to call me arbitrarily. It stressed me out and I couldn't come to terms with it. Days of emotional strain took a hold of me until I could finally wrap my head around it.
Bullying stepped up its game as I got older. Now, terms became more racial. "Monkey" or "ape" were used to describe my looks. The bullies targeted my cultural background and called me a "Brazilian Nazi." One accused me of buying and consuming cocaine due to my South American background. Swastikas were drawn on my binder due to my German background. The most popular moniker was "Pico the Mexican Slave". Fortunately, this didn't last forever. As soon as I reached grade eleven at high school, the problem went away. Just to be clear, I am not resentful or bitter for what happened to me. I also won't post any names of my tormentors. I am passed it. I look back at the circumstances and use them as lessons for the future. Every child should do this if he or she was faced with the same treatment as I was.
Racism became a major problem for me again as I worked for my father's company. We had employees that knew about my cultural background and exploited it for their own personal gains. The resentful term "Nazi" spread again. It broke down the fibers of trust and teamwork within the company. I did nothing to provoke anyone, but the discrimination persisted much to my disappointment.
Another case of intolerance occurred when I was overseas. It seemed to me that hooking up with girls and proving your heterosexuality is of unequivocal importance to people. Since when it was someone else's business to know your gender orientation? What is the rush? I find there is an underlying fear against homosexual people. My guess is because heterosexuals are afraid that homosexuals were pushing them away. They were planning to change their lifestyles and shove their livelihoods down their throats. Others think this lifestyle is unnatural, sadistic (religiously speaking naturally) and a threat to future generations of our country. It doesn't matter how you look at it. Fear leads to intolerance, and in this case, bigotry, and it is unacceptable.
Homosexual men have it bad. To other men, they don't seem like actual, real men. They don't fit the social construct of a man and how he should behave. Indifferent heterosexuals can't understand them and they lash out to protect themselves. I am not gay, but my disinterest to get involved with a girl romantically made people nervous. I once explained my reasoning with a man and why I felt uncomfortable around girls. For some reason this person felt the need to spread defamatory lies about me and make me an outcast and a serious threat. I have no clue what persuaded this man to think like this. I only found out about this much later. By then, I wasn't in that country for years. The rumor eventually reached my hometown and the fallout was excruciating. Fortunately for me, the people learned of the truth and the dust settled.
The experience exposed the bigotry in the places I have lived. It was always there and it came out at the most convenient moment to spread its vile toxin. There were people who were horrified of bigotry and facilitated tolerance and acceptance to calm things down. This gave me hope for humanity. The virus was neutralized.
Spreading rumors is another vicious form of bullying. I think people like to spread them because it gives them empowerment, a reason to be on this planet. They like to be in the center of attention and will do anything to keep themselves there. There are significant psychological forces at play here. The gossiper has likely self-esteem issues and is trying to remedy the problem on his own. The gossiper wants to be the hero and provide the population with enticing information. The adrenaline rush and excitement can't be overstated. To the gossiper, it feels wonderful to spread rumors about others. They like to impress and feel important.
To this day, I still do come across indifference. I am a strong supporter for the LGBTQIA+ community and Black Lives Matter. Opponents have called me out, but I don't care. I am used to the poor language and life choices of others. I have started to blog about my beliefs and experiences to show everyone that I am okay. There are people who can learn from me, and I am more than willing to teach them. I also write books about social justice, inequality and politics to get the message across better. The world is getting better, but it can still use some improvements to make it exciting for everyone who wishes to see changes.
Depending on the severity of the affliction, the child could walk away with life-changing experiences, for better or for worse. Parents are supposed to teach their children the differences between right and wrong, morals, ethics and other tools to effectively participate in society as a fully functioning human being. I find no other place in a community is more critical in shaping a child's mind than a school. School is there to teach you immeasurable skills and how to be a better person. It is supposed to teach students how to become productive and reliable. School represents the building blocks to your future. Unfortunately, it doesn't happen this way all the time. It is the first time that children meet and converse with others. It is the first time that children get involved with other youngsters from the broad scope of society and learn about their interests, personalities and behaviors. They are exposed to different ways of thinking. I see this as their first step into crucial development that will take them into adolescence and adulthood and how they can shape the community as members of the next generation. A lot of events can happen between kindergarten and grade twelve. One of the most traumatic and damaging instances are racism, prejudice, and discrimination. I know this because I was the victim of racism and prejudice many times within this time. The biggest enemy of all is unconscious bias.
I find the first time a student comes across inequality occurs in the classroom. Groups of friends form and the first outcasts are identified. Depending on the age of the students, specific cliques are founded to set themselves apart from others. In my case, many girls weren't interested to talk to me or do anything with me because I was 'gross'. This was in my elementary school years. Some students grow out of it thanks to maturity and education. But others don't and maintain their course. Prejudice develops further and excluded students from others. The conventional preps and jocks in high school is the quintessential example of prejudiced groups of teenagers. Girls prefer muscular, athletic and popular boys while boys enjoy the company of sexually attractive girls. It is biological and there is nothing wrong with that. Boys and girls discover their passions for sex and have serious relationships for the first time in their lives. This is also the time in which prejudice rears its ugly head in front of a bigger audience. More people see it and take notes. If you don't fit in with another's expectations, you aren't worth anything to the person. These guidelines can be sex appeal, popularity, and intelligence. These are the ingredients to unconscious bias that can turn into more serious problems.
Bullying has many causes. I know that bullies act out their aggression on others because they feel insecure about themselves and are dissatisfied with their lives. They tease, assault and harass others to make themselves feel better and to divert attention. Perhaps the bully is experiencing domestic assault and is trying to cope with it. No one knows what is going on at their home. The bully feels pain but the agony is also felt by the victim. Take me, for example. I underwent terrible cases of bullying based on my appearance. "Duck face" was a first common derogatory name that was used to describe my overbite at elementary school. It was tough and hurtful. It was also the first time that I had another name for school pupils to call me arbitrarily. It stressed me out and I couldn't come to terms with it. Days of emotional strain took a hold of me until I could finally wrap my head around it.
Bullying stepped up its game as I got older. Now, terms became more racial. "Monkey" or "ape" were used to describe my looks. The bullies targeted my cultural background and called me a "Brazilian Nazi." One accused me of buying and consuming cocaine due to my South American background. Swastikas were drawn on my binder due to my German background. The most popular moniker was "Pico the Mexican Slave". Fortunately, this didn't last forever. As soon as I reached grade eleven at high school, the problem went away. Just to be clear, I am not resentful or bitter for what happened to me. I also won't post any names of my tormentors. I am passed it. I look back at the circumstances and use them as lessons for the future. Every child should do this if he or she was faced with the same treatment as I was.
Racism became a major problem for me again as I worked for my father's company. We had employees that knew about my cultural background and exploited it for their own personal gains. The resentful term "Nazi" spread again. It broke down the fibers of trust and teamwork within the company. I did nothing to provoke anyone, but the discrimination persisted much to my disappointment.
Another case of intolerance occurred when I was overseas. It seemed to me that hooking up with girls and proving your heterosexuality is of unequivocal importance to people. Since when it was someone else's business to know your gender orientation? What is the rush? I find there is an underlying fear against homosexual people. My guess is because heterosexuals are afraid that homosexuals were pushing them away. They were planning to change their lifestyles and shove their livelihoods down their throats. Others think this lifestyle is unnatural, sadistic (religiously speaking naturally) and a threat to future generations of our country. It doesn't matter how you look at it. Fear leads to intolerance, and in this case, bigotry, and it is unacceptable.
Homosexual men have it bad. To other men, they don't seem like actual, real men. They don't fit the social construct of a man and how he should behave. Indifferent heterosexuals can't understand them and they lash out to protect themselves. I am not gay, but my disinterest to get involved with a girl romantically made people nervous. I once explained my reasoning with a man and why I felt uncomfortable around girls. For some reason this person felt the need to spread defamatory lies about me and make me an outcast and a serious threat. I have no clue what persuaded this man to think like this. I only found out about this much later. By then, I wasn't in that country for years. The rumor eventually reached my hometown and the fallout was excruciating. Fortunately for me, the people learned of the truth and the dust settled.
The experience exposed the bigotry in the places I have lived. It was always there and it came out at the most convenient moment to spread its vile toxin. There were people who were horrified of bigotry and facilitated tolerance and acceptance to calm things down. This gave me hope for humanity. The virus was neutralized.
Spreading rumors is another vicious form of bullying. I think people like to spread them because it gives them empowerment, a reason to be on this planet. They like to be in the center of attention and will do anything to keep themselves there. There are significant psychological forces at play here. The gossiper has likely self-esteem issues and is trying to remedy the problem on his own. The gossiper wants to be the hero and provide the population with enticing information. The adrenaline rush and excitement can't be overstated. To the gossiper, it feels wonderful to spread rumors about others. They like to impress and feel important.
To this day, I still do come across indifference. I am a strong supporter for the LGBTQIA+ community and Black Lives Matter. Opponents have called me out, but I don't care. I am used to the poor language and life choices of others. I have started to blog about my beliefs and experiences to show everyone that I am okay. There are people who can learn from me, and I am more than willing to teach them. I also write books about social justice, inequality and politics to get the message across better. The world is getting better, but it can still use some improvements to make it exciting for everyone who wishes to see changes.
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