Effects of Racial Categories on My Life and Those Around Me - Personal Statement Example

Many people in the world tend to have an element of identification that makes them belong to certain groups in society. In attempts to assert a person’s sense of belonging to certain racial categories, a tendency of discrimination against those who do not belong to that particular racial group arises. In this case, many effects arise out of racial categories with the main cause being racial discrimination. This paper discusses the effects of racial categories on my life and those around me.

In essence, racial categories are the major source of conflict among many nations across the world, as each race attempts to assert itself as the one superior to all others. In my life as a student, I had to deal with certain elements of racial discrimination that almost caused stigma in my life. While many people do not want to agree to the fact that racial categories are indeed the greatest source of discrimination in schools, many students continue to suffer under the same vice. Perhaps at this point, it is important to mention that every race is unique and in racial diversity, the society becomes stronger.

However, when put to bad use, racial categories can sometimes taste bad owing to the disgust with which racial discrimination can get. One of the scenarios of racial categories that have happened to my friends at school is poor performance. While racial discrimination may appear as if it is one race against the next, the reality is that the black the greatest burden of racial discrimination. In this case, racial categories often result in racial minorities and racial majorities whereby the racial minorities tend to look down upon the minorities.

While blacks are not the only racial minorities in my neighborhood, I have to admit that most of my friends who are black have to deal with the stigma of being the odd one out. Although other racial minorities like the Hispanic face similar racial discrimination, theirs is not extreme when compared to that of their black counterparts. Indeed, racial stigma in students can lead to poor academic performance because the students are normally in a depressed condition. Perhaps the worst-case scenario of racial categories that I have ever witnessed is a suicide attempt by one of my classmates.

Some of the students took racial discrimination to such a level that the student victim could no longer take it anymore forcing him to contemplate murder. Nevertheless, the student was later taken for counseling in order to overcome the stigma that had caused him great depression. This just demonstrates the adverse impact of racial categories in our societies especially in schools where the students do not have adequate experience to deal with such cases and overcome them. Personally, I have gone to a point of almost becoming depressed due to negative remarks about my race by my peers both in school and at home.

These personal experiences together with the experiences of those around me have taught me not to discriminate against any race or ethnicity, as every one of them has its unique strength from which all of us can milk for the greater benefit of the society. In conclusion, racial categories can bring as many benefits as the challenges that come with it, only if the society unites for the good of the nation. Certainly, when a nation stays united even in times of adversity, great benefits can come to the nation’s way.