ID Number
This paper presents a brief summary and response of the reading Being an Other. In this essay by Melissa Algranati, the author shared her difficulties she experienced after being racially discriminated in the present American community. Algranati believes that people must perceive one another on the basis of characteristic traits or values instead of racial identification. Further, the author claims that gathering demographic information establishes labels which tend to influence the view of others through stereotyping. In most part of the essay, Algranati discussed her parents’ lives and the struggles that they encountered. In addition, Algranati talked about their ethnic and cultural background.
In a diverse nation like United States, race issues have been common norms. This issue has, in fact, been part of America’s history. The apparent division between the Whites, the Blacks, the Hispanics, and the Asians remains visible up until now. There seems to be a never ending competition particularly between the Blacks and the Whites. Diversity is not just an ethnic or a cultural problem. In actuality, diversity is the perceived differences among individuals.
Racism, bigotry, prejudices, and discrimination refuses to leave the American culture. In principle, racism is when a person is denied something or forced to perform something that is of their disliking, a case in which a person is judged based on the color of the skin. Racial discrimination can mean different things to different people. People in the United States are separated into four groups: Indians, whites, blacks and colored. These classifications identify the access to accommodations and services. When someone tries to pull down other people, he is also likely to pull down one’s spirit thereby preventing the other person to accomplish beyond his capabilities. Racism is robbing off other people of their future. Under normal circumstances, injustices done by another is settled by the court and this is the fact of the evil deed. On the contrary, a person who values oneself will never allow other people to cause him turmoil and salvage his spirit through unjust behaviours.
Despite the many incidents of racism, stereotyping, and discrimination, if a person has great love for oneself, racism can be set aside. Loving one’s self means being concerned with one’s needs. Racial discrimination is a demoralizing act that may lead someone to identify the other based on how the person looks, acts, or what other people’s judgments of them are. It is a form of judgment without having any basis of information. It is making the other person less good just because he belongs to the Black race or other races.
Media which is use for information retrieval has been used as a channel for discriminatory acts. One example would be the black women always playing the roles of a helper or a caretaker while the white women are always the elegant ones. Parents’ prejudice or personal judgments towards someone always influence the children’s view of things. Children, young as they are, look up to their parents. Their parents are their role models. For them, everything about their parents is perfect – free from sins and always on the right track. When parents start to express their judgment to a certain thing, children normally perceive this as something which is appropriate, valid, and with sense. Hence, the children emulate their parents.
