Discrimination? Still?

            When a teen must fear for his life just walking to the store, something is wrong in society. We applaud ourselves as being an innovated and superior society when we cannot fix problems we have been facing for centuries. What a slave faced many years ago, is still in play today as people still discriminate others whether it be based on sexuality, race, and even age. We may think we have solved the problems long ago when discrimination still plays a role in society and it is not right. Discrimination is still alive and well in our society.

            When innocent people must fear for their lives just because of their skin color no one can make the argument that discrimination is not in our society. Because over time it has become more apparent and I will not pretend it does not exist. White supremacy has been dominating our society from when people first sailed the ocean blue. But now in the smart age filled with personal and technological advancements, this superiority over others should have been fixed, correct? Well no. Just last week a police car pulled over a college student for speeding. This student happened to be white giving him time to explain his situation and in the end having the police officer help him tie his tie. Now this may seem like a generous action but when just this summer a black father was shot in his parked car when asked to reach for his license and registration, it shows the true underlying fear and discrimination still being input in society. The white student had probably been asked for his license and registration just the same as the black father. However, his life was not taken just because he was white. These are problems we thought we overcame but because of misunderstanding and trepidation we are just back where we started.   

            Discrimination not only takes form in race but can be seen in many forms including gender. When the 19^th amendment was passed, women had believed their struggle and fight to be equal to men had been completed. Well once again society has proved that being the gender you are is also not good enough to be equal to the white male. One example of this is the “pink tax”. When buying products there always seems to be something for women. These products are ultimately the same as the regular one however with a little color scheme change the prices seem to increase rapidly. I’m sure that pink dye doesn’t not cost a whole two dollars more but since it is for a female the princes are ranked up. It seems as females are an inconvenience to society and we must make up for it by paying more for a floral scented toothpaste. Discrimination should still not be affecting the way we are treated.

            Discrimination happens every day and to almost everyone at some point in time. I remember one time me and a group of friends had planned to sneak some snacks into a movie theater. We headed to the nearest convenient store which happened to be empty and were all swarming through aisles conversing and just looking for the tastiest of the choices. There was only one worker and around eight of us teens so I understood his worries. However, when he made us all leave the shop making accusations of us stealing and how we weren’t going to pay I as confused. We weren’t bad people and of course were going to pay however his thoughts and fears for the worst made him jump to conclusions causing us to not give him our business. I think that discrimination is fueled by anticipation of the unknown and worries based on doubts. However, no matter how unsure someone is that does not give them the right to discriminate against someone.

            Fear and misunderstandings are key when discussing discrimination. We expect the worst out of situations as revert to stereotypical thoughts giving others an unfair advantage. When we should be trying to empathies and treat everyone equal. Equality is what was strived for and thought we achieved centuries ago. But for our society to have no changed anything is pathetic. We have the ability and the drive to create change and truly create equality for everyone together.