For most of my life I never thought about me having more privilege than anyone else, I just thought of myself as just another person with the same rights and privileges as everyone else. I have always seen everyone, regardless of who they are, not as superior or inferior to me but as equals. Unfortunately there are many people that can’t get through their thick skulls this basic idea of equal rights and respect for everyone. This results in discrimination against certain groups of people all of which have done nothing to deserve this kind of treatment.
I find myself growing increasingly frustrated with people that don’t seem to want to give anyone a chance, refusing to give the groups that they are so upset with a chance to prove themselves and their worth. In India this type of discrimination is very strongly concentrated on the oppression of women. They aren’t given the same respect that a man would receive simply because of their anatomy. It makes me frustrated and at the same time it makes me want to laugh that someone would reduce someone’s entire existence to a body part or their physical appearance. It angers me that some of my friends here have to feel insecure about walking around the streets of Pune alone because they’re scared of what might happen. Having to constantly worry about what people are saying about your appearance or what you wear because it might draw too much attention is absolutely absurd.
It doesn’t stop with women, and it isn’t just confined to India. Sadly this is an existing problem all over the world. People can’t be themselves because people seem to think that they have the right to dictate what other people can and can’t do. It isn’t just people’s actions but also their appearances that make people act one way or another. Many times I’ve been discriminated for being Mexican but at the same time I’ve also been discriminated against for looking too White. When will this type of judgement stop taking place? Why is it still existent in our so called “modern” society?
