This is the 21st century where our world is still ridden with discrimination against gender, caste, creed and colour. When children are born they are blind to these differences. What happens to them as they grow up? Are you at a stage where you see these differences or are you blind to them?
Author: Alice Gupta
Category: B (13-16)
This is the 21st century and we all live in a world that is technically equal. We are blessed with equality as our fundamental right. Our government has also made many laws to prevent discrimination. We have achieved significant success in combating discrimination.
However, there are still many incidents of discrimination based on gender, caste, creed and colour. For example, People from lower castes may not be treated fairly and often seen as unholy. Their touch is believed to be polluting. Discrimination based on creed is also prevalent. For instance, a Hindu boy was as threatened because he was dating a Muslim girl. In addition to discrimination based on creed and caste, colorism is a significant issue. For instance, one of the most prominent ways the beauty industry promotes colorism is through skin lightening products. Gender discrimination remains a serious issue. For example, many transgender children are abandoned by their family. Despite several efforts to combat it, these incidents show the presence of a biased society.
Everyone agrees that discrimination is an evil practice, yet many people still do it. We have to accept that even a single incident of discrimination hinders the development of a healthy society.
Think for a moment, were we always like this ? Think about your first day of school, were you aware of these differences? Did you use to notice these differences in your friends and classmates? Had you ever asked about a friend's caste before making one? The answer is "NO". We didn't use to see these differences as the concept of discrimination was not born with us. We learned this from our family, elders,friends and society as we grew up. Also, good manners were not born with us. But we need to learn them to lead a good life. But discrimination is not a moral ethic that we need to live a peaceful life. Moreover, it ruins our relationships with others.
It's important to remember that we were born as blank slates. The society in which we live plays a crucial role in shaping our identity. The character of a child depends on its upbringing. A child's mind is sensitive and even the smallest things have a deep impact on it.
Children learn by observing the behavior of the elders around them. If they see their parents, teachers or friends making negative comments or treating certain groups of people differently, they may start to follow those behaviors. Moreover, children may be directly asked to do this by their family, parents or elders.They may be taught to stay away from a certain group of people.
Children's experiences can also shape their attitudes toward different groups of people. If they only interact with people from their own background, they may develop negative stereotypes about people from other groups. Moreover, if they are bullied by someone from a different group, race or gender, they may start to view people with these differences negatively. If they see people making fun of a person with different skin color, they will also start accepting it as right.
Media such as television, movies, music and books also influence a person's choice. For example, women are often portrayed as quiet, submissive and pretty, while men are shown as powerful. People of dark skin color might be rarely seen in leading roles. As a result, children may start to believe the stereotypes they see in the media, or children from negatively represented groups may experience lower self-esteem.
Observing harmful practices like physical or emotional abuse, exploitation, can also lead children to develop stereotypes against those communities. For example, People often think Muslim women live a restricted life.
In a word, children learn a lot from the people around them. If they see elders treating others unfairly because of their caste, gender, creed or color, they may begin to do the same. The things they see and hear shape their ideas about right and wrong, and unfortunately, sometimes those ideas can include unfairness and bias.
After all, I don't believe in these differences. I think everyone is unique in themselves and deserves respect. These differences do not matter to me. According to me, we should judge a person by their behavior, not by these differences. We should interact with people around the world as it helps us to learn new things. Different cultures, different features, different minds, but we all are humans living on the same planet. And I believe that one day we will create an equal world where everyone will live with peace and love.