Essay Sample on Examining Discrimination and Its Consequences

Introduction

The essay discusses the concept of discrimination in depth. Discrimination occurs in several ways and can be through race, age, height, ethnic background, nationality, gender, sexual orientation and gender expression, among others (Boutwell15). The most prevalent form is through unfair treatment due to the race of an individual.

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Statement of the Problem

Discrimination is an issue that has been there for an extended period. There are various studies that have been conducted on the same, especially during the racial movements in the recent past. From the findings, there are numerous detrimental impacts of discrimination on people (American Psychological Association). Some of these include poor healthcare, substandard housing, and decreased access to higher education opportunities for a given class, an overrepresentation of a particular group, high unemployment for groups perceived to be inferior, low wages, and fewer medical health services to the races discriminated against.

Statement of Policy

The American community should come out and change the attitudes, prejudices, and stereotypes regarding discrimination; they should train all members from the young children to the old on the detrimental effects on the health and other spheres of life of the people being discriminated against.

Existing Measures and Reason for Their Failure

There are policies that have been put in place to safeguard vulnerable individuals against discrimination of all sorts. Some laws and legislations have also been drafted and are in use to put an end to discrimination. Some of these policies include the development of an inclusive education system. Another policy is aimed at promoting inclusive labor market, proper housing services and infrastructure as well as an inclusive urban environment that is accommodating to even the groups that are discriminated against (UNESDOC). However, these policies have not achieved the complete objectives that they were set for because there is no change in attitude of the American community.

Recommendations

There are other strategies that the community can put in place to combine efforts with the policies. The methodology is to erase the negative values that are attached to the perceived differences among groups (Stokes). The strategy involves training the mind to do away with the problem. They are simple procedures that one can efficiently work on and influence others into the same mindset as well.

Conclusion

It is vital to do away with discrimination because of the detrimental effects that it has on the people being discriminated against. It prevents them from living to their full potential and their contributions to society as a whole. There is thus great need to work on the attitudes of the people, both the perpetrators and the victims. The change in attitude and perception will create the change that is long sought after.

Discrimination in America

Background Information

Discrimination can be termed as the act of creating an unfair distinction based on a group or class in which they are thought to belong. It can occur in two scenarios; prejudicial or justified depending on the situation or the factors prompting the act (Mary and Benard 29). There are various causes of discrimination, which may include the following: gender, gender expression, criminal record, disability, generation, marital status, nationality, social class, race, religion, sexual orientation, height, and genetic characteristics, among others. It involves the perception and treatment of other individuals who appear different and are mostly negative. Discrimination includes the initial individual reaction to another that is not like them in a given category, which goes on to influence their actual behavior towards the individual in that group or the group as a whole. The actual actions can include cases where the individual is restricted from accessing opportunities or privileges (Boutwell15). The individuals as thus barred based on illogical decision making. Discriminatory policies and traditions are in existence in many countries, even in areas where discrimination is looked down upon like America.

One of the categories of discrimination is racism. It refers to the belief that humans have a different behavioral characteristic that corresponds to physical appearance and is often categorized into the superiority of one race over another (Frazier 17). In America, the dominant race is that of the whites, who are thought to be more superior to other races. Racism may mean prejudice or antagonism that is directed towards other people of different skin colors. Presently, modern racism is directed on the basis is bias in ethnic origin, which some assume to represent social perceptions of biological differences. In contemporary social science, the two terms, racism and ethnicity, are considered different, although they both can be used interchangeably based on their similarity and long history (Frazier 23). However, the United Nations has concluded that there is no racial superiority, scientifically, and socially.

Statement of the Problem

Discrimination refers to a state where there an unfair treatment of individuals or a particular group of individuals because they do not look the same as the person practicing the act and may be based on factors such as race, gender, sexual orientation, or age among others. Most people put things into categories to derive sense from the world (American Psychological Association). Even young children develop this kind of assessment on the environment they live in. For example, young children can differentiate the gender of the people around them through classification can know that their friends or siblings are either boys or girls. However, in most cases, the value that is attached to these categories is learned from the environments that the children live in.

Discrimination affects people in many ways. Bias can result in poor health, substandard housing, and decreased access to higher education opportunities for a given class, an overrepresentation of a particular group, high unemployment for groups perceived to be inferior, low wages, and fewer medical health services to the races discriminated against. The impact of these effects is felt in varying magnitudes depending on the immediate environment of a person, such as where they work, learn and worship among others. In the nonwhite communities, discrimination is at its best in America, and in most cases, these people lack the necessary resources and are thus affected more.

Several mental and physical health effects are associated with discrimination. It can lead to conditions such as increased stress and depression, cardiovascular diseases, and in some critical cases, mortality. Prejudicial anticipation in n itself can trigger cardiovascular stress responses. Discrimination also impacts on the general lifestyle of the individuals being discriminated against. Chronic stress from discrimination can lead to several health problems, including anxiety and substance abuse. It is stressful being a member of a group that is most frequently being discriminated against (American Psychological Association). The anticipation that results from the act in itself can play a significant part in the development of chronic stress. Some people might go to the extent of avoiding scenarios that have the potential to expose them to such cases. Some may even refuse opportunities such as jobs and educational maladies.

There are several ways in which discrimination, racism, and prejudice affect health. For instance, discrimination has the potential of deciding the kind of life that an individual has since it can affect life chances in places such as education, housing, and employment. Low social and economic status plays a significant role in the health status of the people (Williams, David and Brigette 110). It has an impact on the kind of healthcare services that the minority group receives. Discrimination also leads to differences in access to medical facilities as well as the quality of the healthcare service (Bulatao). The experience of discrimination has the potential to stimulate psychic distress, which can lead to changes in physiological processes, which is highly detrimental to health (Bulatao). The people coming from these areas with the harsh psychological environment may give in to abuse of drugs and excessive consumption of alcohol, which also impair mental functioning.

There are set laws that are aimed at protecting people from discrimination. Most of these laws apply, especially in housing and employment. One law of the kind is the Fair Housing Act, which protects people against unfair treatment in the sale and financing of dwellings. There are other laws that are put in place to safeguard the interest of the victims of discrimination. These laws include Americans with Disability Act, The civil rights Act and The Age Discrimination in Employment Act. However, despite all these laws, discrimination is still prevalent in America, and one of the most discriminated areas is in employment opportunities. Even in daily activities in different regions, bias is still evident, although in subtle ways. Some of these include more indigent services at stores or restaurants. Some are treated with less respect than the race that is considered superior.

Statement of Policy

The American community should come out and change the attitudes, prejudices, and stereotypes regarding discrimination; they should train all members from the young children to the old on the detrimental effects on the health and other spheres of life of the people being discriminated against.

Existing Measures and Reason for Their Failure

There are various ways through which the US government is aiming to fight the menace of discrimination. One such method is through the promotion of an inclusive education system to expand opportunities to all Americans regardless of their race or ethnicity (Armstrong, Derrick and Len 16). The ideology behind this is that with equal chances at school, there is a corresponding response in the life chances that an individual has since most Americans depend on education to determine their professionalism and get a chance in the job market. The policy is aimed to provide quality education to all the people within the community, which has the potential to build the country and achieve higher growth. This ideology takes note of the notion that educational outcomes vary from city to city and are dependent on whether everyone gets the same share to have equal shares in life chances are provided by education (Kirby 17). The policy goes ahead to support disadvantaged students, addressing the issue of quality teachers and spatial segregation in education. Also, it recognizes that the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) play an essential role in shaping the academic life of students (UNESDOC). There is also an investment in lifelong learning expertise and skill development while acknowledging that individuals with low skills face significant labor market barriers due to the rapid technological and digital changes. Thus they are likely to be left behind. The policy should, therefore, focus on giving adults too with the relevant knowledge to keep them in line with the dynamic tech world.

Some policies aim to promote and inclusive labor market where people from all different backgrounds have equal access to employment opportunities. There is thus promotion of a cross-cutting approach to enhance the labor market to be suitable to all individuals (Borowczyk-Martins, Jake and Linas 110).