Seperation and Discrimination | Teen Ink

Seperation and Discrimination

July 4, 2016
By Dhoney SILVER, Park City, Utah
Dhoney SILVER, Park City, Utah
5 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Its kinda weird- we are all the same, but we are so hateful. We leave people out. We ostracize, we disregard, we are prejudice. All these things come from a human need to categorize things. We want to sort everything in our lives, create a sense of order in the chaos. We sort the good and the bad, the pretty and the ugly, the normal and the different. We sort by skin color, gender, sexual orientation, and age. As a result of this innate categorization, we tend to exclude, include, or give certain privileges to certain people. What makes the weird girl different from the popular one? What makes one girl be any less likely than another to speak up in class? The answer is nothing. There is nothing stopping us from being 'normal' or 'popular', or breaking down barriers we believe are there. These perceived barriers come from our need to categorize people into 'popular' or 'weird',  'in' our friend group our 'out' of it. Because of these perceived barriers, people cut themselves off from opportunities they would otherwise have. The 'weird' girl will stop herself from getting to know the 'popular' girl, and miss out on a great friend because of it. At the same time,  the 'popular' girl will cut herself off from the 'weird' girl because she is ‘too different’. These mental categorizations prevent people from being truly happy with who they am. They lead to stereotypes that will decrease self-esteem and maybe even lead to depression. Someone who is really pretty may not try hard in school because they have been taught to categorize pretty separate from smart. Pretty girls can also be categorized as ‘s****y’ and never get the respect they deserve. Girls who are maybe a little different from everybody else are classified as “weird” and ostracized because of it. They are categorized separately from the “popular” girls, and it effects their emotional health and their overall happiness.


The author's comments:

I really feel strongly about this topic. I want all people in all places to be happy, not bullied or ostracised or ostracised. I want to change the world to make it a more welcoming and peaceful place.


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