A Different Opinion

Racism and sexism are two of the many aspects of human nature that can never truly be eradicated. We can create laws to protect against discrimination; we can promote diversity until we are blue in the face, but we cannot ever completely rid ourselves of sexism or racism. That is not saying that humans should just give in and allow our societies to return to the time of the KKK and Nazis. We should protect against all forms of racism and sexism, not just racism targeting minority groups or sexism targeting only women. Unfortunately, if a white man claimed a female employer did not hire him because he was a man or if the man claimed the minority employer did not hire him because of skin color the man would be the one accused of sexism and racism. Hardly anyone would stand up for the white man.

What is even more unfortunate is that educators and people in respected positions tend to only teach sexism and racism as targeting only women and minorities. On March 25 Dean Womack presented and led a discussion on racism and sexism. While the presentation and discussion was wonderful, it felt like every other discussion I have attended on the topics: racism targeting African-Americans and sexism targeting women. What about hearing about how men and Caucasians or any light-skinned ethnic group is targeted?

Yes I am aware that the discussion was held in honor of National Women’s History Month, but would it have hurt to hear from the other side of the fence? The only time discrimination against men was brought up was to compare the treatment of male sex offenders versus female sex offenders. Even then the discussion targeted the unfairness of how the women were treated.

On the topic of race, the only other ethnic groups mentioned were Native Americans and (briefly) the Irish. Racism targeting African-Americans was the main topic in that part of the discussion, from the evolution of Aunt Jemima’s depiction to O.J. Simpson’s picture on TIME magazine. How about discussing how many Caucasian people are afraid to call out someone at fault because the person in question is a minority?

The receptionist at my mother’s workplace grossly exaggerated and outright lied to the administration and had my father banned from the building. What happened? My father waited in the front lobby for my mother and stuck his tongue out at the security camera. Surely that is nothing to ban a person; however the receptionist filed a report stating that my father licked the security camera and made a general nuisance of himself. The company could have easily watched the tape from the security camera and call the woman out on her lie but they did not because the woman is African-American and known to cry discrimination over anything. That is the product of racism and racism only being taught as something that only targets minorities. And that is disgusting.

It should not matter what hangs between a person’s legs or how much melanin is in a person’s skin pigment, but it does. A member of a minority group may get more scholarships to “promote diversity” or a white person may get hired over a minority who is just as qualified. A woman will receive more pressure to become a sex-starve stick figure or a man will labeled ‘male chauvinist’ for holding the door open for a lady. It is disgusting but, unfortunately, it is reality.

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Grade: A
Professor's Comments:
"Thoughtfully and passionately written. What do you think is the basis for the point of view you're challenging?"