Why Do People Disciminate?

Why do people discriminate?

Discrimination comes in lots of different forms. To discriminate means to treat someone differently because of who or what they are. Here are some things that people commonly discriminate because of

• Race
• Ethnicity
• Religion
• Gender
• Sexual orientation
• Disabilities
• Intelligence
• Appearance

In general, it is not a positive or kind thing to discriminate against someone for these, or any reason. Everyone should be treated according to who they are, not things that they have no control over.

There are lots of reasons why people discriminate, they are scared of what is different, they may have been lied to about people who are different to them, or they may have had bad experiences with a certain type of person. Whatever the reason may be, its generally not a good reason. Discrimination leads to hate, and hate is not a good thing to feel.

It’s best not to think that ‘all people who are… will be like…’, you should judge everyone based on who they are, or what you know about them. Here, we will discuss about racial discrimination. People can be racist, and they systems that they create can be racist too.

Racism in the USA

You’ve probably heard a lot about systemic discrimination in America. It’s the idea that if you’re not white, the deck is somehow stacked against you. It is certainly true that government studies and academic research show, over and over again, that to be black in America is to face bias. What you might not realize is just how constant, varied and idiosyncratic that bias can be. Here we will use all of these previous studies, let’s try to paint a picture of a life that millions of black Americans live every day.

If you’re black in America, you run into bias at a pretty young age. If you walk to school in the morning, you might have to wait longer to cross the street. This is because drivers will stop less frequently for black pedestrians than for white pedestrians. If you misbehave in school, you might be punished more harshly than your white classmates. This is true even if you broke the same rule. When you apply to colleges, your disciplinary record might make it harder to get in because of this difference in discipline in high school.

Life as an adult facing discrimination

If you’re black in America, and you are looking for a job, you might have to look harder. This is because job applicants with black sounding names receive fewer callbacks than those with white sounding names. Even if you were to get the job, keep in mind that you’ll be working just as hard as your white colleagues but might make 30% less than them.

If you’re black in America and you want to buy a house, your agent might show you fewer properties than his white clients, and if you manage to find your dream home, you might have a harder time getting a bank loan. If you’re black in America, you might get pulled over in your car by the police more than your white friends. If that happens, police are more likely to demand to search your car, and they’re more likely to use force against you if there’s a misunderstanding.

If you’re arrested and convicted of a crime, your sentence might be harsh, much harsher than the same crime committed by someone who isn’t black. If you’re black in America and you get sick, you might have to tough it out. This is because doctors prescribed pain relievers to black patients less frequently than to white patients, and sometimes life-saving heart medication too.

Life as you get older in the USA

If you’re black in America and you’re getting older, make sure to plan ahead. You might have a harder time getting into a nursing home than your white friends or family. Finally, if you’re black in America and you’re tired of this bias and you want to use your vote to change the system, it won’t be easy when you try to learn about where or how to vote. The reason for this is that local officials might not even return your call.

Now, there are some caveats. First Hispanics, Asians, and other minorities face a lot of these situations too, and second this story is based on studies and surveys so not all of these situations are true for every place in America at every time.

Sadly, it does paint a pretty consistent picture. If you’re white, it’s a picture that might shock you. If you’re not you might have faced a lot of this already.

This different treatment has historic routes. Old religious ideas about skin colour being related to purity, the slave trade that happened until the 19th Century, and a legal system that allowed discrimination for a long time are all reasons why this happens.