It is human nature. Being imperfect mortal beings, our greatest flaw is seeing flaws in others other than ourselves. As such, as long as your are interacting with another human being, you would soon become aware of his or her preference, thought and mindset. More often than not, it will conflict with yours and you will have to find some way to deal with them.
Whether you are white or colored, thin or fat, young or old, pretty or ugly, tall or short, smart or stupid, rich or poor, man or woman, someone is going to hate you for what you are. The sooner you realize this, you would quickly learn to accept yourself and not be affected in any way by how others view you.
So, as a case in point ; You are very pretty and that is an asset right? People generally like good looking people as they seemed pleasant to converse with and to look at. Good looking people have more opportunities when it comes to job hunting and some even think they can make more money. But from the opposing camp, you may be viewed as an opportunist using your good looks to reach your goals. Jealousy is sparked as you easily draw attention to yourself, in other words you are seen as an unwelcome distraction. You may even be seen as an airhead since some people think that it is a compensatory mechanism -its either brain or brawn.
Being ugly (by whose standard anyway), other good traits would have to shine. You have to strive harder to be noticed for your talents and some may not see you as a threat if you are not outstanding.
Being smart, can one be discriminated against? Why not. You are seen as one with brilliant ideas and is a problem solver but you may also be viewed as one who is likely to usurp other’s coveted position. People may feel disadvantaged having you around as promotion may be bypassed for them. But being stupid, you are likely to get the short end of the stick, misunderstood, condemned to the status quo and may never receive due respect. At best, a foot soldier in the organisation.
Fat or thin , in excess, can draw good and negative responses as well. Fat people may construed as lazy, unhealthy and likely a liability. They may be seen as happy people too. Being too thin however, may also arouse suspicion of poor health.
The bulk of discrimination is often noticed when it comes to the age of a potential employee. Despite a wealth of knowledge and skills acquired, the older employee is often viewed as having slowed down considerably in pace and intellect affecting productivity. He is also seen as likely to have more health issues and inflexible to the changing world. The young is of course seen as inexperienced, impulsive and less insightful hence prone to making more mistakes.
Probably the characteristic of being tall or short is not so critical where discrimination is concerned but in certain occupations, it could be a requirement to fulfill a certain height. Being colored and otherwise has been an ongoing issue in the topic of discrimination for eons. Such that some countries do not allow race to be listed in employee’s advertisements.
A rich person may be discriminated when he is quoted higher for his purchase because of the perception that he can pay. A poor person may not even get service.
More prejudices are obvious between men and women. Statistics have shown men earning top dollar compared to women for the same job. The glass ceiling is for women though it has improved over the last decade. Women may be singled out as poor drivers and ineffective leaders due to our softer nature. There is often not a grain of truth in this situation. One must not be categorized.
So, with all the prejudices that will go on around us, how does the individual overcome? I believe that the individual holds the solutions to this problem. Five ideas are mooted;
Being your authentic self is the ultimate secret to happiness in life!—Sheri Fink
1 Self acceptance- Accept yourself as someone with unique traits and hidden abilities that have yet to be uncovered. As long as you know that everyone of us is not perfect and will tend to look for the dirt on a piece of paper so to speak. If you know that this is human nature, then you can go forth to to display your unlimited talent on your clean slate. Stand tall and true to yourself.
2 Ignore– Once a young man told me that he was feeling very slighted in his job as he was autistic. I told him that it happens to almost everyone at some time over something that may be imagined as well. He would do well to don his ‘armour’ everyday and toughen his hide to boot. The slings and arrows never stop. And forget about labeling himself as ‘autistic’ all the time . He was clearly an articulate man somewhat disillusioned in the real world that did not meet his expectations.
3 Know your strengths and weaknesses. We all know what we like and what we are good at. Magnify your strengths and this is by gaining more knowledge on what you are passionate about, research and learn more, get a mentor, go for courses etc. Empower yourself ! When your strengths show through in your career and personality, respect will automatically be accorded to you.
4 Spruce up yourself — — in the area of public speaking, appearance, networking, hobbies, habits etc . These are the basic elements of success. One rarely face bigotry when one speaks well coupled with a neat appearance . Networking increases your exposure and opportunities, hobbies make you a more interesting person to talk with and discarding bad habits brings you closer to but never perfection.
5 Diversify– Gone are the days when one work as a teacher or manager or any post from cradle to grave so to speak. Jobs have become ‘touch and go’. In today’s uncertain world that is constantly evolving with new ideas, concepts and applications, it is indeed to one’s great favour to acquaint ourselves with new knowledge and develop a second career or ‘business’. It may turn out to be a roaring success! Continuous learning applies to everyone who wants to overcome difficulties. In any case, life becomes more intriguing with more things to know about.
An author said, “No change can come if those who are impacted the most by discrimination are not willing to stand up for themselves. Let it be an impetus to the discriminated to prove their worth. Only you can stamp out prejudice.
