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Diversity In Today's Society

Decent Essays

Today’s society is filled with many unique and fascinating people. Each person has had their own experiences. Some people have traveled the world, and others have participated in marathons. However, everyone is not equal in the world. While times have in fact changed dramatically over they years, such things as racism and discrimination still exist in today’s society.

Coming up to Berkeley was definitely a change of landscape for me. I’d always been, for the most part, surrounded by like-minded people, so I never really had to question myself on the things I was saying, as it was accepted. After moving to to Berkeley and into the residence halls, I found myself not only being questioned by others but also questioning others. I had to ask myself …show more content…

First is the act of discrimination. This is when one person or group of people will treat someone else or another group of people unequally simply because they belong to a different social category. This takes place depending on race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. Avoidance is also influenced by privilege. Something as small as looking away when speaking to someone else can show privilege. Another is exclusion, which is when one group doesn’t allow someone in. This socially bans this person, which makes privilege more of an issue. Johnson states, “Of all human needs, few are as powerful as the need to be seen, included and accepted by other people. This is why being shunned or banished is among the most painful punishments to endure, a social death.” This quote describes life and the way it’s always been. No one wants to be excluded or discriminated against. Avoidance might even be less hurtful than the other two acts. Privilege is also represented in the work place as well as in the community. Sometimes the way we act is intentional and on purpose.

Johnson discusses all of the talk about “racial healing” and “healing gender wounds,” but he continues to state that these issues are far from over. For a lot of people, it’s hard to even fathom the idea of privilege and how it is also seen as negative. Everyone is privileged as well as oppressed and that is how the world works. Before coming up to Berkeley, I didn’t really see myself as privileged or oppressed, but I’ve learned that I am

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