Discrimination: The Big Question

So far the world keeps being the world, with everyone having differences in almost everything down right to our genetic makeup, then discrimination would not cease to exist

Perhaps an enormous number of individuals budding into adulthood or who have reached a peak in adulthood might disagree with the tales I am about to tell here. You, who read this, would probably disagree. But take a step back, maybe grab a pin, you might need it to reassure yourself that you’re not dreaming. And finally think outside the box. 

Discrimination is a controversial subject and our postmodern sensibilities think it's a vile thing. And by postmodern, I mean the broad characteristics of skepticism, subjectivism, or relativism; the general suspicion of reason and an acute sensitivity to the role of ideology in asserting and maintaining political and economic power or any stance. Maybe I need to water this down a bit. But modern sensibilities just refer to sitting on the fence and not knowing what side to take or choose based on several reasons which I would not like to bore you with. Even though discrimination is a vile thing, some (including me) would argue that discrimination has its perks, which I will try to make clear in the following paragraphs. 

A number of you have faced discrimination and tried to justify why that happened. Not thinking of why it happened, the events leading to it and what say you have or could have had in the matter for which you were discriminated against. I’ll try to relate an event and forgive me if you’ve not seen the movie Oppenheimer 2023. 

But one of the numerous examples I can think of when discrimination is mentioned is the Hiroshima wipe-out performed by the father of the atomic bomb, and maybe I’m using this event because I am a yet-to-bloom scientist. Oppenheimer (Oppy/Oppe) faced discrimination during his search and procreation of the vice that destroyed Hiroshima, needless to say, this same scientific discovery/invention still plagues our world today. This discrimination was due mostly to his affiliation with a certain “who shall not be named” group—The communists.

He was discriminated against and did that stop him from discriminating against another? No! He did the same thing to Edward Teller famous for the Hydrogen Bomb. And for what? Control over atomic and nuclear weapons? Or did he foresee that his invention would plague the world? Did he regret ever stumbling upon such a marvellous yet deadly discovery? He was no God and I can’t travel back in time, speak less of reading minds. However, there’s one thing that I can bring out and it is the fact that his discrimination did not stop him from discriminating against another who would yet discover another invention that outdid what Oppy’s invention did and still does.

Discrimination is the upended need to justify why the war against the Gaza Strip is being dismissed as a war crime; the same circumstances are justified as war crimes when Ukraine and Russia are swapped for Gaza and Israel. Some may argue otherwise, but what do I know? Discrimination is according to Oxford, the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of ethnicity, age, sex, or disability and I’ll add affiliation or ideology to that list. This is why when man thinks of discrimination, he thinks of the worst. Would discrimination ever end?

Lord Byron

I know you may be wondering why I told you to think outside the box when I’m still outlining the same things as you would when discrimination comes to mind. Indeed, all of the above-outlined discrimination is bad, worse and if there were any additional vile words to describe it, it would be horrid and more. But certain people have become resilient to discrimination and I would argue that that is the good side of discrimination. The ability to make a comeback stronger than those who discriminated against you would have imagined. I may be going off track here but take it from me and if you won’t then…

Think of me as a storyteller, and I’ll relate the tale of the Great Lord Byron, famous for his malicious yet fascinating poetry and his choice of words to question the ideologies of the “great men of court” amongst other things which I would not state here. (You can find it on the “almost know it all” of the internet and Fiona MacCarthy’s Life and Legend.)

Lord Byron contrary to some narrations was born with what is popularly known as a “club-foot”; some say his was different and medical terms that would bore you explain his slow development of bones around his feet. 

In his early life, even though he was born into a decent family with fortunes in the 1800s to make him earn his title as a Lord, he was demeaned in the court because not only was he young, or he had just stumbled upon great wealth, but because he had a limp causing him to wear a special stocking that would make his feet appear “decent enough” and take the stares away. He had to learn from the discrimination against his age and disability; maybe he learned too much because he would grow to question “love” as a feeling of affection between two sexes, but that’s a discussion for another day.

My point is this: discrimination is bad, can you grow from being discriminated against? Definitely! Is it going to be difficult? Damn right, it will. Did you think outside the box when you read this? Maybe not. Like me, I didn’t but I took home a lesson; fighting back discrimination. The bitter truth is this; so far the world keeps being the world, with everyone having differences in almost everything down right to our genetic makeup, then discrimination would not cease to exist. Living with it would certainly lower your expectations of how you’d be treated when you first move to a new place, a new job or voice out a different opinion.

Something else popped up that might make you think outside the box like I am: Did you maybe think that those discriminating against you fear for their lives, properties, culture, traditions and most importantly; THE TRUTH?

I’ll add Lord Bryon’s poem for effect:

I want a hero: an uncommon want,
When every year and month sends forth a new one,
Till, after cloying the gazettes with cant,
The age discovers he is not the true one;
Of such as these I should not care to vaunt,
I’ll therefore take our ancient friend Don Juan—
We all have seen him, in the pantomime,
Sent to the devil somewhat ere his time.

I am not justifying or encouraging discrimination. I have most certainly suffered from it on countless occasions whether purposefully or not. Rather, I am trying to convince you that you should be prepared for it whether or not it comes.