There are 319 million people living in the United States, 41,888 of them are enrolled at the University of South Florida.
In today’s society, we often judge people with no understanding of who they are. There’s no denying it - we’re all guilty. Injustices occur daily across the nation regarding race, religion, sexual orientation, body image. Students are no exception. Students experience injustices daily because of their race, religion or looks. We often develop certain stereotypes about others because of the way we have been raised, or because of the way our friends act towards others.
In the past months, the U.S. has seen countless acts of injustices to countless groups of people. Whether it’s Ahmed Mohamed, Caitlyn Jenner, or the victims of the Charleston shooting, there have been too many stories of intolerance. Fourteen students from five different schools share their stories.
University of North Georgia | University of Houston
July Soe, Burmese
"Back in high school, my Muslim friend and I were standing in line for tickets at the cinema. When it was our turn, the cashier asked if he was a Muslim and when he said yes, she automatically starts badmouthing him for no reason in front of the whole group."
Why does religion matter when a boy wants to see a movie at a theatre with friends? What is it that compels one person to ask another if they are of a certain religion? I don't have the answer to that, and I honestly don't think that anyone does. But, what I do know is that it shouldn't matter. Race, religion, and gender are all aspects of life that shouldn't make one person look down on another. This particular story of injustice was inspired by fear. Fear of a religion that they didn't understand. Fear of the unknown.
Think about Ahmed's experience. Think about getting arrested in a place with which you are so familiar. Now think about getting yelled at for your religion in such a common place for a teenager to visit. Not only is it degrading, it's also embarrassing and no teenager or person should have to go through that. Least of all among friends who may feel helpless to change the mind of the person who has so wrongly spoken of another.
Even though July didn't speak of the injustice she faced herself, she was still able to recognize the injustice against her friend, which isn't that surprising in this situation. She says that, "There are people who actually judge people by their looks and generalize them," and that is something that will never change unless people of all demographics start to recognize and fight against the injustice that the people of our world face. And that's what is important, because we need to involve ourselves in the fight against injustice, even if we aren't facing the injustice ourselves.
Kevin L'Herrou, American
"My brother is half Saudi Arabian, so I've been able to understand a lot of what many minorities in the US might face. He looks fully Arabic, but many people assume he is Hispanic at first glance. Whenever we fly together, he's always the one getting 'randomly checked' and never me. He's frequently pulled over or questioned by police for small reasons, while I have never had this issue. In fact he didn't even realize that he was being pulled over abnormally or frequently for nothing. He complained to his friends and when they said that they've never had this problem, he realized that it was likely race-related."
The realization that injustice is being placed upon you due to your race or religion is a difficult revelation to make, as it makes you feel that you're different from the rest of the people in your life, even if that's not the case. It hits home when your family is being hit with acts of injustice, especially if you aren't, just because they're half of a different race. It calls forward the same question as before. What is it that makes someone afraid of another person just because of how they look? Fear.
"Random" searching is not a new concept, it still should be recognized as a issue of injustice. I've been on an airport too many times to count, and while I've been someone who has been randomly searched maybe twice in the many, I've noticed that most of the people pulled aside are people of color. It doesn't matter if they're wearing suit or sagging their pants so that we know what color their underwear is. It's based on the color of their skin. For police pulling people over, they can't see what type of clothing they have on, only that they aren't white, and it's a "shame that we live in a society where people subconsciously judge other solely based on race and appearance."
When the pope or Donald Trump aren't making headlines, the mistreatment of a certain demographic is. Hell, Donald Trump causes no small rift when he speaks of building a wall to separate Mexico and the United States. Whether it's through stories of refugees and immigrants, or whether it's through police brutality claiming to be a complete misunderstanding, this is all too prominent in our lives. It's time to question ourselves: are we the ones doing it? Does it affect us even when we think it doesn't? What can we do to stop it? Change begins with these questions. These questions can be the difference between "random" searches and proper treatment.
Nousheen Rahman, Bangladeshi
"I'm American by birth, but I'm a Bangladeshi at heart. Growing up in a primarily white state, people didn't see the Bangladeshi part, instead they saw the fact that I was Muslim. Whether it was because of ignorance or unjustified hate, I faced plenty of discrimination for my beliefs because of the wrong doings of a few of billions who had their beliefs completely wrong. The sad part was, it was just a joke to a lot of them. I say unjustified hate because the actions of the few don't account for the beliefs of the many. It doesn't come down to a world of Christians and Muslims. It comes down to the fact that there are good people and bad people. This may be simplistic thinking, but sometimes the world needs more of that."
The actions of a few don't define the actions of the many. It's like that time in high school when a few kids decided to cheat on the huge test that everyone was worried about. You got an A because you studied the entire week, but now that the teacher realized that there was a group of students that decided to forgo the moral high ground, you have to retake the test. That's not fair, right? Neither is saying that you don't like a certain race or religion because someone somewhere killed another person and identified as that specific race.
Generalizations hurt, whether it's in the form of stereotyping Greek Life, the clothes people wear, a specific major someone has, the color of someone's skin, or even their religion. We're all guilty of it, and it's okay to admit that we stereotype, but to make it alright is admitting that it's a problem that needs fixing.
It's important to realize that a person should be seen for the many parts of them that make a whole and not just one characteristic. While religion is a huge part of someone when they choose it to be, it is not everything the person stands for. And more often than not, the wrongdoings of someone else in that same religion doesn't stipulate that everyone who chooses that denomination condones these wrongdoings. This is when generalizations are such a grave danger, and realizing this is the first step to fixing the problem.
This article is meant to open eyes, start a dialogue and educate people. Injustices are fueled by fear and lack of understanding. And it's time for that to end. Please treat everyone equally and with respect. Don't be afraid to ask questions and learn something new.
