Essay Sample on Living a Life of Discrimination: My Realization of Injustice

Introduction

Many at times, I found myself despising people with certain medical conditions. I often regarded them to be outcast from society, people who were less deserving and ones that needed to be treated with a lot of contempt. I kept asking myself the reasons as to why the school would allow such people in our midst; didn't the leadership know that they needed some special accommodation away from the rest of the society?. Without realizing that I was discriminating them, I would refuse to share sitting position or even learning materials with them; too bad. I was a negative person when it came to conversing with those who were sick, leave alone playing with them. To add to my misdeeds, I had a classmate who had a medical condition; HIV/AIDS. The fact that we were sharing the same classroom did not work in my favour. I felt deep down my heart that I needed better than to be bundled together with such a calamity in my view. However, there was an article that caught my attention. The article was about a boy who was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS at a younger age. Did the piece have an impact on my attitude towards people who are not medically stable? Yes, I developed a whole new view of the medically ill and realized that I needed to be more accommodative that I was. The article changed my opinion about the sick students in our midst. Every ill person needs care; accommodation and tolerance as a way of making them feel like part of the society.

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Attending a public school, one had to interact will type of students. There was no discrimination whatsoever on the basis of race, gender or medical condition. This, in my view, was the steppingstone to the attainment of what I view today as the achievement of my social inclusive attribute that I brag of today. Since not everyone could afford money to go to private school, most children were forced to attend public schools. My school had children from different background and races. Cases of discrimination and bullying were common in our school. Students could be discriminated because of the way they dressed or even because of their conditions; for example, those with hearing problems were being bullied because of their state. I was among the cheerleaders towards this kind of behaviour. I would refuse to share my belongings with such children. Little did I know that it was not their fault to bein such a state? During all this time my mind was still not matured, contributing to such kind of behaviour. After reading an article about a young boy, whose condition led to the passing of a bill into law, had an impact on my personality.

Ryan White was at the age of 13 when he was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS (Who Was Ryan White? 2016). At the time he was being diagnosed with the disease, the community was not well conversant about the nature of the disease; hence, anyone with the condition was considered an outcast or an abomination. The society was quite careful in the manner by which they interacted with Ryan almost in every way. Ryan had to battle with discrimination at school and at the same time overcome the stigmatization back in his neighbourhood. His doctors had suggested that he will not live past the six months; how wrong they were. When all these things were happening, the community was forgetting that it was not Ryan's choice to be the victim; he was simply a victim of circumstances and that he had very little to do concerning his medical condition. His condition was as a result of a blood transfusion gone wrong. Ryan fought for his right to attending school and also to be accepted in the community through court hearings. In the end, his voice was heard, and he became a public figure. Additionally, he made a change by causing the passing of a law that will help safeguard the wellbeing of those living with HIV/AIDS.

In the article, there some points that I agree with and should be done towards the change of our attitude towards others. The article unearths some of the misleading myths that surround the sicknesses about HIV/AIDS. It is necessary for public schools to introduce guidance and counseling sessions about medical conditions. It is essential for people to understand that being sick at a young age is not someone's will, in my case reading the article about Ryan White changed my personality(Diaz, 2018). Not everybody will have the chance to read the article and change their perspective about others in society. Also, the negative attitude might be as a result of our parents. Parents may advise their children in the wrong way. Therefore it is necessary for public schools to call in medical experts, to educate the students about the medical conditions of others. After which the students at home can change their parent's perception about those who are not medically stable as their children.

Also, the reason as to why the article changed my perspective was the aspect of compassion people should have towards others. Ryan was being rejected to attend school by the school which he was attending before being diagnosed(Augustyn, 2019). The school was not compassion about Ryan's condition. I have been a victim of rejection and could not imagine what Ryan was going through. The psychological torture he experienced at a tender age. The neighbourhood where they were living also discriminated him. This forced them to move to another neighbourhood where he was accepted. He also transferred to another school, where the school board understood his condition. The new community also welcomed him just the way he was since it was not his choice to be a victim of HIV/AIDS (Markel, 2016). The article enlightened my understanding that there was a need to feel pity for those who are unfortunate in society since it is not their own will. Additionally, it is not in our position to judge others because of their medical condition.

Conclusion

In reexamining my perception about the less fortunate in society, I had to change my opinion concerning them. I learned that it was not their will to be in such a state. They too are human beings and have emotions and could get heart. It is not in our position to judge others because of their differences. People should learn to respect the feelings of others. One should consider being put in the same shoes as the person being discriminated to understand how it feels. Also, there is a need to sensitize the public about the condition of people with HIV/AIDS to change their perception and way of viewing things. Lastly, the article enabled me to develop the aspect of being compassionate to others and change the way I treat those who are different from me.

Reference

Augustyn, A. (2019). Ryan White | American AIDS victim. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ryan-White

Diaz, J. (2018). Ryan White Facts. Retrieved from https://biography.yourdictionary.com/ryan-white

Markel, D. (2016). Remembering Ryan White, the teen who fought against the stigma of AIDS. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/remembering-ryan-white-the-teen-who-fought-against-the-stigma-of-aids

Who Was Ryan White? | HIV/AIDS Bureau. (2016). Retrieved from https://hab.hrsa.gov/about-ryan-white-hivaids-program/who-was-ryan-white