Discrimination Lives Within Everyone

           Discrimination is a negative manifestation of power in each and everyone of us. Whether intended or not, it's omnipresent grip on our beings has contributed to shaping who we are. The question begs, what is discrimination? Is it a natural instinct in similar vein to happiness, sadness and anger or is it an acquired one that's influenced by the environment we grow up in? As people, it is inbred in us to judge people by their physical appearances as well as their personalities. It comforts us to realize that we can pigeonhole people and that everyone belongs in a certain group or demographic. However, where do you draw the line between mere observational oddities and actively isolating people based on their differences?
             Discrimination is the epitome of a dormant disease or gene. In line with today's modern society, discrimination is a dirty word. We try our best to remain unbiased or non judgmental and instead, go all out to accept diversity in people. While this is a positive move towards a more understanding society, people will invariably discriminate against others who are different when push comes to shove. Discrimination starts as a single thought which slowly allows itself to fester in our minds. Whether we knowingly or unknowingly do it, we all discriminate regardless of our race, gender or age. As we grow into a person, this single thought is then fueled by adults' prejudicial opinions which then contribute to forming our mindset. This mindset is rigid in the sense that it restricts our thinking. We, as society come to accept that a person of colour will act in a certain way or a person who possesses less physical beauty is not competent enough. These preconceived notions cause us to discriminate against others who do not fit into the status quo.         
             Racial discrimination, gender discrimination and age discrimination are just some of the more popular forms of discrimination that exist but now there seems to be discrimination spreading to other areas as well such as weight, beauty and character. Each as different in it's terms but just as similar in it's essences. Stemming from social prejudices and misconceptions, it is a horrific magnification on how much our society has regressed. From young, we are taught to discern who we mix with and who we should avoid. From the first day of school, we see concerned parents whispering at their child's ear to stay away from the naughty or weird student. To the impressionable young minds of children, fat equals lazy and neat equals well behaved. While a person's appearance may speak a lot about the traits of a person, it is not a determinate factor. These children are taught to discriminate others even before they are old enough to form their own opinions and this carries on till they reach adulthood. Unfortunately, it then creates a vicious cycle of prejudice and discrimination that will be passed on from them to their descendants.
                  Take for example, the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960's when racial discrimination was rampant and the blacks were treated as a lower class of society. They were made to serve as the help in the privileged homes of the affluent whites. Not only that, there were segregated buses and schools to further highlight the differences between the two races. Ultimately, the message that 60's America was trying to send   to it's citizens stank of the putrid smell of white supremacy. There was a common public assumption that because the blacks had a darker tone of skin colour, they were inferior to the white's abilities. While the blacks were generally on the downside of the economy, that did not render them mere thugs whom were not going to amount to anything. Since then, society has definitely experienced a significant change when America elected a black president in the form of Barack Obama. However, in the more white dominated parts such as Midwest, blacks are still generally being looked down upon. Ironically ,although one of the world's powerhouses have a black man as it's leader, racial discrimination is still rife among most of American society.
                   Let's speak of something closer to home. In Malaysia, most members of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender community are not given equal opportunities as those who may have "normal" sexual leanings. Although Malaysia may be a Muslim country, it does not just consist of Muslim citizens. Even then, a person's religious faith should not be judged by his/her sexual orientation. More than preventing them from deserving the same rights as everyone else, a non-government organization recently organized an anti-LGBT campaign in more than 20 schools in Selangor and Perak. This hate campaign only highlights the organizers as immature and narrow-minded. Is this the type of education we need spreading around our young students?  We should not teach them to discriminate against people who are different, instead they should be taught to embrace it. Only then, they will be molded into great leaders. If Malaysia can accept racial diversity, why can't they accept sexual diversity?
                   Ultimately, as creatures of emotion, we judge. We form opinions about other people and we assume that whatever society dictates must ring true. While prejudice and stereotyping is certainly unavoidable, it can be controlled before it spirals out of control as in the unfortunate case of Travyon Martin. Martin was just another innocent teenager walking home when he was shot because of one man's racial profiling. Although he had not done anything to prove himself guilty, the colour of the skin had became a gratuitous proof of his guilt. No two snowflakes are the same just as no two people are the same. Society has to stop expecting people to merely conform to their norms and instead allow freedom of expression. Learning to embrace each others differences and perhaps, celebrate it will hopefully banish discrimination from our lives once and for all.