Minimizing Discrimination
Most of us could name a few things that
we used to do when we were little that we wouldn’t do anymore because it just
doesn’t feel right. Throwing food around, for example, is quite common among
little kids. I would know, since I work at a restaurant and was once a little
kid. I would not throw food anymore now because I was taught not to and I
learned through my parents that it is unacceptable behavior. Most other people
were also taught not to throw food around, so I would look ridiculous and
appear immature if I did so now. I believe we can minimize the amount of discrimination
against other people (racism, sexism, religion, nationality, LBGT,
socio-economical status…etc.) in much of the same way as we teach a young child
what unacceptable behavior is: by guiding them, by reinforcing tolerance for
our differences, and by encouraging more cultural openness. In order to move
toward a less discriminative society, we must strengthen the education of
social skills in the secondary education system in the world.
The core purpose of secondary
education, which is from sixth grade to twelfth grade, is to help students
become better citizens, and it is in the schools’ best interest to minimize
students’ discrimination against others since it will help society become
fairer and less hostile. Unfortunately, most of the school systems across the
world have become more academically focused, which overshadows the social aspect
of a student’s life. However, it would be almost impossible to convince people in
the field of education and parents in general to reduce the amount of academics
in the curriculum to make room for more training in social skills and cultural
awareness. However, what we can do is
integrate lessons and activities into daily lessons with the underlying notion
that everyone is different, but that there are also many ways in which people
are the same. This will strengthen students’ ability to think critically and
make more positive decisions about how to treat others with respect.
Designing lessons that promote the idea
of people can be both different and the same at the same time, along with the
regular curriculum, will require efforts from educators both individually and
cooperatively within departments, buildings, and even the entire district. Perhaps this issue could be discussed at the
beginning of a school year and implemented when school starts. This is a great time to collectively discuss
strategies and brainstorm ideas on how to incorporate this important initiative
into the regular curriculum material. Then the teachers can design specific
activities on their own. For instance, a teacher may design a little research
project in math class on how math varies in different cultures; or a science
teacher could be show a video of how all humans’ DNA is practically identical.
I believe the point here is not only create an environment that supports the
idea that people can be both different and same first, but to also help
establish a new norm. If this is integrated across the curriculum, it will raise
awareness among students so they will be more likely to practice it in their
daily lives. The hope is that it will become the way in which they think. I was
watching a YouTube debate video on women’s rights in Islam. It was a British
network show, with one Muslim woman debating/explaining women’s rights in Islam
with the mostly non-Muslim female audience. What started as an educated
discussion soon turned into a heated exchange of words. Both sides failed to
realize that there is no right or wrong, but simply a cultural difference. The
purpose of the show seemed to be forgotten- to gain a deeper understanding of one
another through discussing the similarities, differences, and the background
information on the Islam practices and views on women. Instead of giving a good
explanation or counter-argument to show their cultural differences, it became “how
to show the other side is wrong.” No one wants to be wrong, so emotions
exploded. I thought the mess could have been avoided if the participants would
have displayed more understanding that people can be different and the same at
the same time. If they would have respected each other more and debated points
that matter it would have been more educational. Instead, it was a shouting
match of people trying to make sure their point was heard without taking the
other’s point of view into consideration.
Watching the British network show, I
realized that many of my ignorant thoughts or feelings towards certain situations
or people or culture occur simply because my understanding of them is poor. This
motivates me to try to be more conscientious about refraining from a rush to
judgment. It also reminds me of the true
meaning of religion is to understand there is someone or something out there
that’s way more powerful than us, and therefore to humble ourselves. This is
one of the main themes in most religions, including Daoism, which is popular in
Taiwan. There isn’t a definite God in Daoism, and therefore worshiping God
isn’t the way. Instead, we observe how things work in nature, and we strive to mimic
the natural way because that’s how God wants it to happen. I use this Daoist
way of thinking when I think about different cultures around the world: First
observe the culture, then I try things from the new culture that I am
interested in, and through doing it, I decide if it fits me or if I should
customize it into something that suits me personally. This is how I learned to
assimilate into American culture during the past ten years. I have tried many new
and different things in the American culture, and take what I like and make it
custom fit just for me. On the other hand, I have many American friends,
despite how impossible people in Taiwan told me they could be, because I have a
good understanding of the American culture. Now the American culture is the
norm for me, mainly because it is a lot easier to communicate with American
people. I have very few issues with American culture or its people.
I also have had experience with people
from Central America, such as Mexico, because I work as a server in a
restaurant with many Mexican people. I always try to gain an understanding of
their ways of living, even though they are sometimes different from mine. With
the humbleness of knowing that I have yet to know everything, and the eagerness
to learn about other cultures, I have become a more tolerant person, and I
believe students can really benefit from this way of thinking, too. I do not think
it is too hard to weave this type of thinking into school situations. On top of
incorporating culture/self discovery opportunities into their lesson plans,
educators can also model this way of thinking every day. This would be one of
the most important habits we, as responsible adults, can help students
establish because the more they understand how people behave in different
cultures, the better they can make informed decisions for themselves. They can decide
whether their thoughts and feelings about a situation or person’s behavior are
because of cultural differences. Thinking this way shows tolerance and
intelligence.
It is crucial for students to be able to
think critically, so they can make the best decisions in real life situations,
such as how to draw a line between like/dislike and right/wrong. Likes and
dislikes are personal opinions; right or wrong is more of a culture/moral
opinion. It may be a blurry line, and it is impossible to establish an absolute
rule to categorize the two, but through learning critical thinking skills and
tolerance, students will be able to judge situations fairly and act
accordingly. However, the ability to think critically depends heavily upon
students’ self-understanding, their level of the knowledge of other cultures,
and their willingness to think from multiple points of view. I personally do
not like to eat apples, but is that wrong? Would you go the extra mile just to
try to make me eat an apple? Who would start a debate over an apple? Would you declare
war over an apple? Sounds silly, right? But if we now replace the word apple
with words such as Muslim or Homosexual, it becomes very complicated. So should
we refrain from expressing our feelings? I believe when we express our likes
and dislikes, which is more feeling-based, we have to do it in a specific and
non-hurtful way. We also have to be tolerant of others when they express their
feelings or opinions. But if we are expressing our opinion on whether or not
something is right or wrong, which is more logic-based, we have to supply
evidence and reasoning to support the claim. I have heard people say, “It’s not
like I don’t like gay guys. It’s just wrong!” It is a very confusing and rude
statement. The statement makes it clear that the speaker does not like gays.
But the only reason is because being gay is “wrong,” whatever than means. Where’s the evidence or rationale supporting
that claim? I do not like apples because the skin always gets stuck in my
teeth, but I will eat one if it’s peeled. I also don’t like to see gays (or
anyone else) making out in front of me. But I don’t have a problem with homosexuality
in general, and I think gays should have the same rights afforded to everyone
else. This is tolerance and equality.
Knowing the facts is also crucial in
critical thinking because the assumption we make is usually based on what we
already know. Therefore, we must promote students making decisions only when
they have gathered enough information. I often hear the phrase, “Just because
it is on the Internet doesn’t mean it is true.” This may be a joke to many of
us, but there are many people making decisions based on one source from one
website. Something similar happened in Ferguson, Missouri, recently when a
deadly confrontation between a white police officer and an unarmed, black teen
was caught on a cell phone video. Hidden racial tension between the mostly
white Ferguson police and the mostly black community members, exploded. I thought
the Michael Brown’s family handled the whole situation well, considering the
circumstances. Initially, they tried to get the police chief make the incident
report pubic, including the name of the officer who killed their son. When the police chief failed to do so, they
started to protest with the goal of finding out what really happened. This is
not the case with many of the other protesters. The moment they saw the video clip
on T.V., and blinded by their anger, they rushed to judgment and demanded punishment
for the officer involved. Tension mounted and they pushed the whole situation out
of control. I believe that those protesters actually screwed themselves over by
rioting and making this a racial issue. I don’t think the officer was guilty of
being racist, but he did unload the whole clip on an unarmed teenager, which is
not ok. I think if people would have kept calm, things would have worked out
differently in Ferguson.
I want to change the world through
teaching, but I am not an expert on child psychology. I did not get my
education degree, I have not studied much psychology or sociology, and I am nowhere
near coming up with a solution to solve the problems with discrimination. But
what I am is aware and eager to learn and know more. Problems are always
changing its shape, so we must continue to learn in order to keep up. With the
technology today, the world is ever smaller. We are no longer isolated in just
our state or country, so we must learn more about the world, as do our
children. We must establish a learning environment that promotes the idea that
people around the world can be different, and at the same time, we are the
same. We also must provide students with opportunities to learn about their own
culture in addition o other cultures, and we must strengthen students’
abilities to think critically in order for them to make better real life
decisions. By guiding our youth with these ideas, I have faith that they will
become more tolerant and culturally open, and hopefully discrimination will become
a thing of the past.