Generally, people are good. Because of this, we sometimes mistakenly conclude that stereotyping, discrimination and bigotry are not very prevalent, that they are topics of the past. However, these attitudes still play their dirty role in today’s world.For instance, think back to Sept. 11. Soon after that devastating event, we were all warned that Muslims were not terrorists. Christian preachers and Muslims were sounding that message after it was reported that a select few people actually had committed acts of violence against Arabs, and it’s certain that a strain of mistrust and misconceptions grew out of Sept. 11 and previous terrorist attacks. Even now, our society has not outgrown it.
One Muslim, a student of international business at Mississippi State, said in an interview that he feels uncomfortable even going to Wal-Mart and that he often receives fearful and intimidated looks and gestures from others.
“Some college students will look at me strongly as if I am up to something … I think because of my Middle Eastern looks and my beard, people think that all Muslims are terrorists or supporters of UBL [Osama bin Laden]. In fact, I hate UBL. Despite this, I am seen as one of ‘them,'” he said. He added that he has had problems with police officers in other cities because of his ethnicity.
Another international student, who is working on his master’s at Mississippi State, said that sometimes people judge those from other countries too quickly and that people in the workforce may mistreat international workers because they can get away with it.
“I did have a boss that let me go once because I couldn’t retaliate and didn’t have a lot of options,” he said. However, he added that the majority of people are understanding, a trait that is key to overcoming these types of problems.
But stereotypes of Muslims and people of different ethnicities are not the only form in which prejudice is manifested. To talk about this, I sat down with Jade Cummins, an educational psychology student at Mississippi State who has a traumatic brain injury. She said that some people are afraid of her and don’t know how to approach her because she uses a wheelchair.
“They will baby talk me like I don’t understand them,” she said. “It dehumanizes me, lowers my self esteem, like there is something wrong with me.”
Although most people are kind-hearted and unassuming, there is always room for change in our society, even in this college town. As Jade also said, “We’ll always have that one person” who just doesn’t get it. Discrimination still exists. We shouldn’t treat it as something buried in the past.