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 with John Chaffee, Ph.D. @www.thinkingworld.com |
 About the Artist |
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"My experiences with discrimination have been for the most part about gender, and one occasion stands out in my memory. I had been working for the same person for five years, running his restaurant from soup to nuts, but without a title, when he decided to expand and open up another location. I thought I was the obvious choice to run the new store, but instead he hired a man with a degree in marketing, but with no practical experience in the business. When I asked for an explanation, I was told that a woman couldn't run a restaurant on her own, that it wouldn't be practical. I asked for specifics, not generalizations, but he couldn't come up with one legitimate reason, must vague references to security and heavy goods. I was really angry, and I know that if I have been a man he would have given me the promotion, that he wouldn't have had the nerve not to. I felt helpless and frustrated, because I knew that I was perfectly capable of doing the job, and the only thing that was holding me back was beyond my control. All those years of loyalty and doing a good job were worth nothing because I was a woman. "My employer obviously didn't see me as a fully -fledged manager. He saw me as a woman, someone who assists and takes directions, not someone who runs the show. Somehow he had neglected to notice that I had been doing all the managerial work for years, while he socialized around town, meeting his friends for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I knew it was time for me to move on and to find an employer who would assess me on my ability, not my gender. "I have been guilty of discrimination more than once, and on some occasions it wasn't until afterwards that I realized that I was doing it. Just a few months ago when I was at home for Christmas I met my sister's brother-in-law, and I discriminate against him because of his appearance. Barry was born with cerebral palsy and has physical disabilities as we as a severe speech impediment I automatically presumed that he was mentally challenged, based on his physical appearance and his difficulty communicating. I was wrong. By the end of the vacation I had made a new friend, who was not only intelligent and well-read, but amusing and philosophical about his own disabilities and life in general. had we not been staying in the same house I would have missed getting to know him, because Ii did not initially take the time needed to understand him. "Although this may seem a trivial incident, it is similar to other form of bias and discrimination where people are judged b y how they look and sound, i.e. skin color, dress, language etc., rather than who they really are. I hope that I will be more careful in the future about judging people on appearance alone." Here are some strategies for ridding ourselves and the world of discrimination.
-- Ursula Farrell "Discrimination is part of our society and no matter how hard we try to deny it, we all discriminate against each other in one way or another. many times it's for the most trivial of reasons, like the clothes people wear, the way they talk, or the profession they have chosen. "The color of your skin can be the main reason why you are begin discriminated against. For example, I remember a time my family and I were traveling in North Carolina. I was twelve years old, and I can still remember this day clearly. We stopped at a McDonalds to grab something to eat and stretch from the long drive. When we walked into the restaurant I knew by the stares that we were considered "different" -- we were the only black people in the place. WE sat down next to one woman, and she immediately took her purse and held it tightly to her side. My cousin and I went to use the bathroom and by the time we returned, three other members of my family had ordered and were ready to eat. We ordered, and while I was waiting for my food, I started picking at my mother's food. The woman next to us called for the manager. When he came out he said that we were sharing food, which was inappropriate, as asked, "What kind of people are you?" My mother immediately got up and left the restaurant, and we followed. "Now that I'm older, I believe that people discriminate against others because they are frightened of those different from them. When that lady called for the manager, I think she was acting out of ignorance, miseducated and inconsiderate. "The truth is that I can remember time when I discriminated against others because of they way they looked or behaved. I think I discriminate because I don't understand what makes them different from me, and my bias is limited. for example, I have never discriminated against others because of their race, age, or sexual orientation. But some people are cruel. They live in a world where they believe that if you are not like them they have the right to treat you like garbage. "If we stop and really examine ourselves, we can see that discrimination comes from within. In order to overcome these destructive attitudes, we must consider each other as equals, on the same level. Being discriminated against can sometimes make us stronger, because it can make us proud of the things that make us different and unique." -- Sabrina Florvil "We constantly hear about discrimination in our world, whether it is based on race, age, gender, sex, or religion. It is a cruel world we live in that is led by ignorance and unworthy beliefs. "Two years ago my family and I took a vacation to Venezuela. The day before we were to return home, we called to confirm our flight, as we had been instructed to do, and we were told that we were all set. When we arrived at he airport the next day, it was a different story. As we were waiting on line, we were called to the counter and told that there was no room for us on the flight. As it turned out, all of the flights that were confirmed for Americans, or as they referred to us -- Blancitos -- had been bumped to make room for others of Spanish descent. It didn't matter that we had confirmation numbers, we were off the flights. "We were completely distraught. We were sick with food poisoning, exhausted, and were supposed to return to work the next day. We argued and cried, but to no avail. They told us that there was no hope and that we had to move for other -- Spanish -- passengers to come up to the counter. We were also told that no plane would be available for 24 hours and that we would have to wait in the airport because there were no available hotel rooms since it was the high season. We laid our luggage on the floor and began our long wait. As we were waiting, I listened tot he conversations of the airline personnel and the police. They didn't realize I was conversant in Spanish so I could understand what they were saying: "Los Blancitos estas muy estupido, porque ellos no conosque que todos los personas de esto espanioles es a un flight." (The white people are stupid because they had no idea that they were bumped off the flight to let the Spanish on in their place.) When I respond in Spanish they were shocked, and the police came over and menaced us with their guns. I realized that I better stay quiet to avoid worse trouble. They laughed at us threw curses and ethnic slurs at us. "I remember feeling angry and prejudiced back towards them. Several in our family were severely ill with dehydration and intestinal problems, and we were eager to get back home and check them into a hospital. Eventually sunrise came again and our flight arrived. We were frightened that any objection we might raise would prevent us from going back home. I remember that when our plan landed, many of the passengers kissed the US soil. I can't blame them. "I think that the main dynamic of discrimination and bigotry is ignorance. People are so used to believing and acting like others that they do not develop their own independent way of looking at things. If more people would speak out in favor of tolerance of others who are different, the world would be a better place. But we are all closed up in our shells of shame and embarrassment, and we don't speak what really should be said. I am as guilty as others and I realize that I share the blame as well." -- Annette Grech |
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