Racism and It’s Effect on Individuals

Mesut Ozil, a German footballer, quit the national team, saying that he has faced a lot of racism and disrespect over his Turkish roots. Racism is not that simple as the word, which we hear in our daily lives. It has damaged the lives and dreams of many people.

To figure it out let us go deep on Racism like what does it mean? Why there is hype in our social life about racism? How does it impact one’s normal life? There’s so much to find out. I’ve tried to answer all these questions below to put a focus on the social issue of ‘racism.’

Racism described as the belief of superiority of one race over another, which brings out the discrimination towards other people based on their race. It plays a vital role in bringing out the inferiority and superiority in one’s mind. The discrimination because of racism has an insidious effect on the lives of minorities. People suffer a lot in society because of it. A few examples would be like, not being able to get into the universities for which one is qualified, being passed over for jobs and shut out of housing they can afford and much more.

This discrimination also leads to tangible effects on our mental health. It raises the risk of many emotional and physical problems that adversely affect mental health, increases depression, anxiety and psychological stress in those who face it. Racism also increases hate crimes, which even lead to murder. There are a lot of severe impacts on our society because of racism. Here’s the spotlight on the significant disadvantages of racism.

Disadvantages of Racism:

• Hatred among Individuals: If there is racism, there is hate. Racism develops hostility among people who belong to different races. Each race would always try to dominate the other one, and thus hatred will be promoted among different individuals. It results in wars, conflicts, and many more controversies. When there is hate among individuals, communication cannot happen healthily. People won’t share their ideas, knowledge, life experience which limits the openness of mind and lowers the invention level in this world.
• Inferiority Complex: The discriminated part of society will always feel insecure and demotivated because of racism. The impact of this inferiority complex will lead to lack of self-confidence, suppressing an individual opinion in a group. Indirectly, racism is also affecting the personal growth of a human being.
• Impact on Mental Health: There are a lot of adverse impacts of racism, and it affects our mental health the most. It tends to develop the long-lasting feeling of depression and mood disorders. According to a statewide survey conducted in Wisconsin, the rate of suicidal ideation among black students in high school is 16% while 4% of white students reported that they attempted suicide at least once in the past years. Racial discrimination is the predictive factor of anxiety and depression in black people. This mental stress and anxiety in society can create an environment of unhealthy coping methods. However, medical treatments have been introduced to cope with it, but still, racial discrimination has to stop in the very first place.

Racism Towards Famous Personalities.

Many people face discrimination in their daily lives even celebrities. Hundreds of stars talked about the discrimination they have faced in their life and how they have overcome it.

Sports persons are facing it a lot especially when they lose. Balotelli, an Italian soccer player, suffered from the discrimination of racism a lot when he played for Italy and was accused of being responsible for Italy’s elimination from the world cup in 2014. Who can forget about the racist abuse on the former president, Mr. Obama.

The amazing character of Sherlock Holmes played by a British actor Benedict Cumberbatch was initially denied for this role for not being sexy enough. The very popular British actress revealed that she lost many opportunities just because she was too fat. The famous talk show host, Oprah admitted that she faced racism at a store in Zurich and the list goes on and on, but here’s a lesson we need to learn from all of them. They never allowed racism to demotivate them and defeated it anyway and are now successful in their respective fields.

There are numerous ways to deal with racism. The best way is to educate yourself and the people around you about racism and its effects on our society. I have listed down some of the easiest ways to overcome racism, let’s have a read.

Put an End to Racism :

The best possible way to overcome racism is to educate ourselves more and more. Understand why people look different. Always try to keep an open mind and come out of your shell. In most cases, racist stereotypes are rooted due to ignorance. They have to confront the ignorance with truth. One has to learn more and more about other races, languages, and cultures to understand people better. Knowledge is power for everything. Here I am writing down a few ways to overcome racism in the best possible way:

• Read books on different cultures and educate the people around you as well. Keep this motto in life: Learn to teach and teach to learn. Learn to absorb as many perspectives as possible.
• Don’t hold anything inside. Speak it out and discuss with people, try not to assume anything and make a perception out of it. Experience it first and learn with time.
• Listen to people and understand them. Try to find out things in common. Always strive to make a peaceful and respectful discussion over racism that helps empower everyone in society. Understand the importance of unity and the uniqueness of the human race to create a friendly and safe community.
• Act when it is needed. Believe in yourself and take your stand when you come across injustice, prejudice, and discrimination. Never be afraid to stand up for someone when mistreated. Always be bold in such cases to help the victims of racism. Think about how you can be the one among those who are against racism and are helping to make this world a better place to live in with peace and harmony.

Conclusion:

In the end, I would like to conclude it with that it is us, the people who make society. It depends on us how we are going to run it, what are those things that we should focus on and what needs to get rid. It is essential to educate ourselves and the people around us regarding these social issues to create a better future.