How it feels to be discriminated against is one of the most difficult questions one can ask oneself. For as long as discrimination goes on, how it feels like to be discriminated against will never change. We all have experienced some form of discrimination in our lives and if we can recognize the traits that led to discrimination in our lives, we can work towards eliminating it from our lives and live free from the specter of discrimination. Here are some of the many different feelings that we may experience when discriminated against:
First impressions – When people make first contact with you, your first impressions may not always be accurate. Sometimes what you think is true is actually false and others who seem to be nice may have ulterior motives. So when you meet someone for the first time, especially a potential business contact or boss, make sure that you do your research first before you give any details about yourself. Do not give out your home phone number or your cell phone number in the very beginning because it does not say much good about you when you have to explain that you are being discriminated against because of your race, sexual orientation, or gender.
Reactions – Different reactions to being discriminated against take place. Some of them will be good and some of them will be bad. Sometimes when discriminated against, you may even feel embarrassed or humiliated. If you are already undergoing treatment for a certain condition or illness that makes you vulnerable, you will definitely feel bad if you are also made fun of because of the same condition.
Emotions – Being discriminated against can make you really angry. It can make you feel like running away from people, destroying relationships, throwing up tantrums and so on. So if you can imagine what these things would feel like when you are being discriminated against, you can better understand how it feels to be discriminated against. But if you are not able to understand how it feels to be discriminated against, it is probably because you are not really suffering from it. Remember that discrimination is not right, but it is sometimes necessary as a tool to get us to recognize our differences and flaws.
Motivations – Another reason why we feel motivated to discriminate against others is because of our own personal motivators. This is why we sometimes do things that are unconsciously unjustified. It could be that we are trying to make ourselves important and we feel that being just a human being is not enough. Sometimes we try to be more important than others because we have too high a sense of self-worth.
The good thing is that you can still find ways on how it feels to be discriminated against. If you are willing to learn how to react differently to being discriminated against, you can slowly start adjusting your thought processes. You can learn to realize that you are not the only one who feels bad about being discriminated against. Others do feel bad too, and they should not be held responsible for things they cannot control. Who else in the world has the power to decide what another human being will not be allowed to do?