Why Sexism? No Gender Equality?

Imagine the world, where everybody is equal. There will be no discrimination, no conflict and no assault. We all once dreamed that it will be what the world is going to be, but unfortunately, that is not what the world wants to be. Not everybody is nice as we think, and they will make obstacles to stop our dreams from happening. Discrimination, sexism, things that stop the dream we all long for it to be true. Religion and cultures have their own practises, but that does not mean that there cannot be a female priest, female that take the roles that are stereotypical male roles. At the current rates, the world is changing, with the first lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, and the first female resident in the world, Marma Estela ‘Isabel’ Martinez Cartas de Peron of Argentina.Even though those people have broken walls of gender discrimination, there are still many barriers made from culture beliefs to religion. Every female should have a right to education, to learn even the basics of how to read and write, that girls can play any sport they want, even if it is a boyish sport like contact rugby, and women should have the same wage as men for the same jobs.

People say that ‘education is a right, like the right to have proper food and a roof over your head.’ For many, it is funny that girls do not need to go to school, and part of the reason is that they do not have a choice. They might not have enough money, or their parents do not want them to go to school, and instead helping the farm etc. Many girls in the world are rejected for what they want to do, going to school. According to the book ‘I am Malala’, she was shot in the head for what she wants to do. Yes, the talibans have their reasons, but people in the opposite sex are humans as well. And it is normal for humans to go to school. In other countries, girls can go to school without people shooting their head because they go to school. They face a different obstacle, things like pregnancy, child marriage, poverty and school based violence. In worst case scenarios, those people get discriminated because they are trying to get through those obstacles that others might not realize. They are discriminated because they are different than the other students around them.

According to the UN, there are 7 main advantages for girls having a good education. (some not relevant)
- Education beats poverty. One extra year of schooling increases a person’s earnings by up to 10%. 171 million people could be lifted out of poverty if all students in low-income countries left school with basic reading skills. This explains that education is proven to help people to get out of poverty. - - Education can help people to get out of those harsh rural areas with bad living conditions to the great white way.
- Education promotes gender equality. Women who went to school understand the danger in processing a child, and this helps them to control how many children each family can have. For example, in Mali, a women with at least a secondary education have an average of 3 children, while those with no education have an average of 7 children. This explains that with education there will be a decrease of population, and the world will not be so overpopulated, and that people will not produce a lot of children knowing the dangers of producing a lot of children.
- Education contributes to provide maternal health. Women with higher levels of education are more likely to delay and space out their pregnancies, and to seek health care and support.
- Education helps combat HIV, malaria and other preventable diseases. This facilities access to treatments and fight against stigma and discrimination. This means that education can decrease the world’s death rate, whether it have a positive effect or a negative consequence.
- Education helps global development. ‘An estimated $16 billion in aid is needed annually to reach the EFA goals in poor countries. However, in 2008 poor countries received only $2 billion aid for basic education. The worldwide military expenditure for 2009 was $1.5 trillion.’

Stereotypical girls, do they have to sacrifice of what they want to be in the future just because of their gender? This theory applies for jobs. One of the main streaks of employment discrimination is gender. Why can’t girls work as an engineer? Rejecting a female because of her natural habitat? Rejecting a female just because… because she is a female? The world can create any kind of nonsense they want us to face.
(Unfinished)

Sports. Either its rugby, baseball etc, many debate that girls should not play boy sport. Firstly, how will you define boy sport? A sport that only boys can play? Can’t all girls play boy sport? Why not just make a girl team? Many say that girls are not as physically strong as boys, but girls can play what sport they want to play. Girls are generally stereotypically at home, as the men are stereotypically known as wiser. Sports like football, contact rugby and baseball are generally known as boy sport. Some people have to give up what they love because of what they are born into. Girls are just as good as the boys. Maybe with longer hair, silkier skin, slightly shorter, a little less masculine, they are just the same. Some girls could possibly have equal skills perhaps even better. Having their own rights is like having a cupcake that was yours, and was given not by choice to another person. Girls could be tougher than the boys who think they are the best at sports.
Personally, I play quite a lot of sports, but people judge me because I am smaller, shorter and look like I have no muscle at all. Little did they know that I was trained for a long time, and even if I have already showed them that I can play that sport 10 times better than them, they still believe that I am a total brat that is nothing but showing off. Women have their own skills and qualities, but if they wanted to play boy sports, then let their dreams come true. I have also been there when boys discriminated of what sports I should like and what sport I shouldn’t. I have always liked playing sports like badminton, basketball, touch rugby and many other sport, and yet I am still this small. People do not usually believe that I even play sport, generally commenting on the size that I am in. Only a few people see that I always have tanned skin and spotable muscle on my legs and arms. People have to understand that we girls can play whatever sport we want, and might not have to be the same team as the boys. The teams does not matter as much as enjoying the sport itself.

In the world, there are lots of confusions. Disagree or not, those rules have been set to make the world better. Even if there are many people that follow those rules, there are people out there that disagree of what it is made for the better. What we are living now is only the beginning. There are many other challenges in the future that is waiting for humanity to face. We are only solving the first pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. The world need to stop discriminating people. Be the change you want to see in the world. Follow your dreams. Support gender equality.

Racial Profiling: Reasons and Solutions

He walked down the street, looking at the surroundings of the beautiful city that he was in. On this cold day in Chicago, he wore some baggy pants and a hoodie to cover up from blistering cold winds that made his body shiver. As he walked down the street, he caught a few glimpses of people looking at him. A white lady, maybe around her 20s, walked passed him, and he could see her hands squeeze tightly onto the Channel bag that she was holding. Suddenly, as if a pretty girl walked into a room, everyone who he walked passed started acting different. The car door locking, the sudden motion of a man keeping his phone in their pocket, and the occasional police officer precariously putting their coffee down after making eye contact with him. Everything in the city now seemed dull and pessimistic to, like the rancorous emotions he felt towards everyone in the city who just discriminated him.

When you meet a person, you immediately to start to form an impression of them in your mind. This first impression lasts for a long time, and it does not usually easily succumb to change. It just so happens that the first impression of someone that you make is based off appearance. This frothy way of forming impressions based on looks can be deceiving and beguiling. A big part of what in influences these thoughts, positive or negative, is the media. The impressions that is posted on the news, and on social platforms change how we might feel about certain types of people. As a community, we are all in the movement to stop racial profiling, and to stop certain stereotypes about other people, but how can we actually do that?

Racial profiling is a sad yet common phenomenon that happens in daily life. This unfortunate event happens on a daily basis. A former black NFL wide receiver Nate Burleson, mentioned in his podcast that he has had experience with racial profiling, and how he was treated for being a black person. “You are very well spoken” was one of the comments that he was told when he met with a member of the public during an event. Now, many might take this for a compliment, but not Nate. Nate, being black football player, felt offended by these comments. He felt that this person created a stereotype for him, supposing that he was a ‘common black person’, and felt surprised by his formal manner that Nate presented.

Another example of racial profiling is the amount of times that black people have been pulled over. Based on a report by the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, 46% of drivers and bikers in Chicago who were stopped were black, even though black people only make up 32% of Chicago’s population. This might suggest that the black people from Chicago might be targeted more, intentionally or unintentionally, by the mainly white police force that can be found in Chicago. In the same report, it is said that 3 out of 4 searches on the drivers or bikers, white people who were pulled over were more likely to be carrying a contraband item compared to black people. So why has the Chicago Police Force have numbers as high as 46% for the pull over rate for black people, even though white people have been proven to have a higher chance of having illicit items in their car? This issue about racial profiling when driving has become such a large issue, even the President of the United States, Barack Obama has addressed this. He said that he himself has been pulled over for no particular reason in Chicago, before he became the president.

But why do people profile black people? Some people feel threatened by black people they see, sometimes locking their car doors, or people holding onto their bags tighter. Based on a survey done by David L Goetsch, a retired college Vice President and professor of business and political science, most white people, both male and female, do not feel threatened by all black people, but only certain black people. A black man with baggy pants, a hoodie, tattoos and a strong attitude seemed to be factors that made these people feel threatened or uneasy. Therefore, it wasn’t their skin colour that made them feel threatened, it was their attire.

So why do people still associate badly with black people? This due to the media, and its effects on us. Mainstream media that says racial profiling is a branch of racism is complicit in that people of a certain demeanor are criminals. It is unfortunately true that the media, either intentionally or unintentionally, portray and report stereotypes about black people. With the average American using the television for about 5 hours daily and 75% of Americans believing what they see on the television, these numbers might be the reason why racial profiling has escalated into such a large problem.

But how can we stop this behaviour of racial profiling? The first step should be addressing the issue, and letting the people who are being discriminated against that actions will be taken. The next step that could be taken is reducing the publicity of black people doing wrong things, but increasing publicity of black people doing good things. In a paper written by Professor Jonah Berger from the Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania, he explains about bad publicity and its impacts. “When a rumor circulated that McDonald’s used worm meat in its hamburgers, sales decreased by more than 25%.” This offers evidence of how all the negative publicity can harm how people view black people. Reducing the amount of coverage on these events could reduce the stereotypes about black people, and how people view them. We should also have a positive and open mindset towards black people, or anyone who is being discriminated. Instead of picking on the wrongs they did, and saying something like,“Watch where you’re going!”, you could highlight what they did well, and pay them a compliment, like, “Thanks for using your turn signals when you changed lanes”. Simple words like this can make a whole world of difference, and will help to break down the walls of racial profiling.




Sources:

"Analysis: Major Racial Disparities In Chicago, Illinois Police Traffic Stops."Analysis: Major Racial Disparities In Chicago, Illinois Police Traffic Stops. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.

Lafraniere, Sharon, and Andrew W. Lehren. "The Disproportionate Risks of Driving While Black." The New York Times. The New York Times, 24 Oct. 2015. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.

Lavender, Paige. "Obama Talks About His Own Experience With Racial Profiling." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2015

"Mr. President Could There Be Other Reasons for Racial Profiling? - Patriot Update." Patriot Update. N.p., 31 July 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2015..

Ashkenas, Jeremy, and Haeyoun Park. "The Race Gap in America’s Police Departments." The New York Times. The New York Times, 02 Sept. 2014. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.

Dr. Mirko Janc (Tech Typeset) 427 1999 Feb 15 15:33:29. Positive Effects of Negative Publicity (n.d.): n. pag. Jonahberger. Jonah Berger. Web.