I am I, you are you, and together we are two

I'm asking myself why people often judge others on the characteristics that make them different from the rest of the world's population. As a matter of fact, I grew up in a pretty conservative family, and everything that only slightly deviated from what my parents considered to be normal was immediately and irreversibly abnormal and weird. And I can guarantee you that initially it wasn't easy to break with my family's habits and to start thinking for myself, but I think that in the end I've at least partly succeeded in doing so.

I've always wondered why the people in the world look so different from each other, while there seems to be less variation among animals. I mean, you have several types of dogs for example, but almost every labrador looks the same. The same counts - even more - for cows, they all look so much alike - or am I thinking too simply now? We, people, also have different races, but within those races there are still many subdivisions. Not every Asian looks the same, for example, although I've been told that people belonging to a specific race cannot distinguish between a group of people from another race. I cannot absolutely confirm these findings, although I have to admit that some Afro-Americans and Asians have lots of characteristics in common, but still I can distinguish people within a group. 

Unfortunately, race is one of the most important factors when it comes to discrimination. And I don't like that, not at all, especially because some of the people around me tend to discriminate foreigners, and when I catch myself doing or thinking the same, I always get extremely angry with myself and I feel embarrassed, because it doesn't make sense to discriminate people because of the colour of their skin, and in fact, to discriminate people in general.

This post is about discrimination. Some of you will probably think this is a boring topic, but I think it's high time that people started to be more friendly and tolerant towards people that turn out to be different from the majority.

History hasn't been kind to a few specific races. Especially people with a dark skin have suffered more discrimination than other races. And the people with a white skin were always in charge and in powerful positions. Although history is not my strong suit, I know that the original inhabitants of the Americas were erradicated by white Europeans and that slave ships came from Africa to import workers who could do the hard labour that the whites didn't want to do themselves. Why do white people think they're superior because of the colour of their skin? Why couldn't it be the other way around? I feel very ashamed that people of my race have done - and still do - such terrible things. 

Another thing that triggers discrimination is religion. Let's think of the erradication of the Jews in WWII, of the persecution of Christians in communist countries such as China, or of the fact that all Muslims are seen as terrorists nowadays. I don't approve of the terrorist attacks of 9/11 or of Al-Qaeda and the suicide attacks in countries such as Afghanistan or Iraq, but I think we should try to give Muslims a chance, that is, if they are willing to adapt to living in a non-Islamic country. To be honest, I'm also suspicious of Muslims, especially when I see women in burkah or men in traditional clothing. I immediately deduce from their looks that they'll be radical Muslims. But as a Christian I shouldn't judge people on their looks. However, it is difficult, especially because some of my family members are pure and very stubborn racists when it comes to religion or skin colour. 

Discrimination is not limited to race and religion. It can still appear in other forms. Some groups of people have to deal with so many preconceptions that it's just not fair. Think of homosexual people. I have quite a few friends who prefer a partner from the same gender, so what?! What makes these people "abnormal", as some people - including some of my family members - might call them? I just don't get it. Why can't these people marry the person they love? Why can't they have children? Luckily, in some countries such as the Netherlands, homosexuals can actually get married and have children, but in the majority of the world a gay marriage is still a big taboo. And even in the Netherlands it's not always easy for homosexuals to walk hand in hand, or to kiss each other in public. In some countries, it's even dangerous to be honest about your sexual inclination. I've read on the Internet that Brazil is the most dangerous country for gay people. However, we don't have to look that far to see violence against homosexuals. In my home country - Belgium - there has recently been a lot of violence against homosexuals in the capital. This act of violence shows that homophobia is a menacing threat for the freedom of sexual inclination. 

Also, women are sometimes discriminated on the shop floor. They often do the same job as their male colleagues, but earn less money. In the case of top jobs, men rule. In many countries, we still have to wait to see the first female president, as in the USA or France, to only name two of the most powerful countries of the world. Therefore it was a big surprise when Dilma Rousseff was chosen as the first female president of Brasil. It actually made me very happy and proud, because it's a big step forward in my humble opinion.

And then, to conclude, I want to ask your attention for the minority group to which I belong, that is to say, the group of psychiatric patients. Do we get discriminated? Actually yes, we do, especially on the shop floor. See, the problem is that one day, I hope to graduate and find a job that suits me well. But what will my future employer say or think when (s)he sees that I've been studying for almost ten years? They'll probably get to their conclusions: "something didn't work well for this person, so we'd better don't hire her". And you'll see me standing there, with my BA and (probably) MA certificate cum laude and all my beautiful grades, but without a job :(
Another example: I once wanted to be a PhD student, but there are only a few PhD positions available and therefore there is a lot of competition between students. In normal circumstances, a PhD student dedicates 4 years to his/her investigation. For me that would not be sufficient. I just need more time because of the side effects of the meds I'm taking and because of my reduced energy level. So when I realised that there were new cutbacks here at the university of Leiden, I got to my own conclusions: I'll never be a PhD student, much as I'd like to be one, because of the fact that there will always be people who are healthier than me and are thus better candidates.


Anyway, I'd like to make you aware of the fact that discrimination is spreading worldwide and seems to grow every day. Every single thing that makes you different from the standard human being is a reason to be discriminated. I hope that you catch yourself when you are thinking that somebody is a lesser human being because of some reason or other. I'll try to do the same...