Racial Discrimination in the Contemporary World - Essay Example

I belong to the Middle East but I chose to complete my studies in the United States, specifically in the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee, with the prospect of achieving a better future. Though it is believed by most people that racism is not a major factor, which affects the living of a person in today’s world, in my case my life was very much affected by my race. I was one of the very few people in my college in the United States who came from the Middle East. My race was one of the major reasons why not many people in my class wanted to befriend me. I was new in the country and an international student and it was a period when I actually needed help and support. It was very difficult on my part to communicate with people since I realized that most of them didn't want to either engage in conversations or assist me in getting used to the place. I still remember the time when I asked a college mate to assist me with his notes but he refused and didn't even speak any further. The concept that I actually realized was that most of the whites preferred sticking to their own groups. This was the beginning, but with time things changed and we got on better terms after a few months. However, the level of trust wasn't very high but I actually communicated with them. We were colleagues, but not friends who would actually go out or attend parties together. It can't be denied that my race did however, assist me in many matters. I formed a very strong bond and actually made really good friends with people who belonged to different races and were international students like me and most of whom came from countries such as India, China, Rwanda and a few from Somalia. However, it is important to note that these people were better off than me since they did not have a history of conflict with the US unlike the Arabs. They were oppressed basically on the account of their skin color and religion. There was a stronger feeling of trust between us and we knew that we could rely on each other. It was actually the racial discrimination that brought us all together because we were all facing the same difficulties. It was the common experiences and problems that brought us all together and it was after this that I could be very sure that I was not alone anymore. Another important benefit that I acquired was the fact that I became aware of the different races and cultures as all of my friends belonged to different places. This increased my knowledge with regard to the thinking of different groups and people living in different parts of the world. I considered this as a blessing in disguise as it was the racial discrimination that I faced which actually brought me together with my group of friends. I had heard much about racism and the issues that people from my part of the world when traveling abroad for education and for employment. Now I received an experience and I also had an account to share with people. These experiences made me understand the similarities that I shared with the people belonging to my race. I understood the distinction that my race held with the other races and it actually served to provide me with increased knowledge with regard to my racial characteristics. These aspects definitely provided me with an affinity to the people of my race because we are all sharing the same place and had faced similar problems. However, it is almost difficult to blame the Americans for their open show of hatred towards us from the Arab origin. The 9/11 attacks on their soil, which took place in the year 2001 still lingers in their minds. The Al-Qaida which mostly consists of Arab nationalities is believed by most of my fellow students to be responsible for these heartless attacks and this has created a lot of enmity and suspicion towards us even though not every Arab is a terrorist. It has therefore become impossible for Americans to trust us and that is why they continue to despise and harass us since they perceive our communities as hostiles. I used to believe that people such as my instructor are supposed to have an open mind on issues relating to differences in race and should always take the responsibility of making sure that people are treated equally. My instructor in class was very racist towards me because I was an Arab. In class, he never asked me any questions as he used to ask the other students and any time I asked him for an explanation on things I didn’t understand, he always asked me to ask my fellow Arab students. He used to keep on saying that we Arabs are foolish and that is why we did not understand anything in class. He used to say that we are bad people who always concentrated on being terrorists, and that is why we come to America to harm them. The other students were treated with respect and were given a chance of asking him questions which he would answer and make sure that they understood. My race has provided me with insights that I would be otherwise lacking. It made me increase my experience with regard to the world and I also understood the fact that it wasn't necessary that I would always be welcomed in every place where I wanted to be. There are certain difficulties that I might have to face during my life without any mistake on my part and there would always be certain obstacles that would be inevitable. My courage has increased and I have understood that to achieve success, a person will have to face many difficult times but one should never lose hope. It also taught me a lesson that I should never judge people based on racial characteristics and that I should never be judgmental. Life has many lessons to teach and my studies in the United States worked towards teaching me many important things. Read More