How can YOU be judged/discriminated against?

[Tasha+Scott]

I encounter this a lot too. Though I am part Native American, because I live in Florida, I often have people start speaking Spanish to me thinking I am Cuban. I've also been called Italian, Greek, Arab, pretty much any dark haired, darker skinned nationality. I even had a boyfriend break up with me in high school because he said I must be half-black after I got very tan on vacation. When people ask what I am, if I want to be nice I explain my heritage, if I want to be sarcastic, I answer human, if I want to mess with them I say Irish. That's true, but my family is what's called "black Irish." We're all dark hair, dark eyes, darker skin.

See, here's the crazy thing though. I really don't think I look Hispanic or Native American. I am seriously as pale as a ghost. My skin tone should give me away IMO because you really can't get much paler than me. When I was a kid and lived in Florida I had such a beautiful tan. But, since moving here, I can't keep a "real" tan to save my life. And I rarely lay in tanning beds so I look pale most of the time. I think the majority of people do think I look white but since I live in a state where a lot of people do have some Native American blood somewhere down the line I guess they think I do too. My grandfather (on my dad's side) did say he has Cherokee blood in him but he's been known to make things up so who knows. He sure doesn't look at all Native American to me either. I guess it's possible it's in my bloodline somewhere though.

I look A LOT like my mom's dad who was half Italian and half German. We are the only 2 in my family that are dark like this. Everyone else is much fairer with red hair, blonde hair (including my dd), and light brown hair. I am the only oddball now that my grandfather is gone. Like I said, I think the majority of people can tell I'm not Hispanic but I had a couple of people argue with me that I must be at least half-Hispanic, as though I don't know my own heritage. I had one girl argue with me in high school because she thought I was full-blooded Native American. My hair was really long back then and thick and dark so I guess that's why. I'd have no problem having Hispanic or Native American blood in me so I don't know why people assume I'm lying simply because I say I don't. It's been interesting, but I can laugh about it at least.

 

[PlainJane]

I'm female
I'm white
I'm German
My brother's gay
I was homeschooled
I don't plan on homeschooling my kids
I'm a Christian
I'm a conservative
My parents are on disability
My father has PTSD, and has been in a mental hospital
My father is a Viet Nam vet
I was a cheerleader
I'm asthmatic
I'm attractive: I put this one last because I knew I would have to explain myself. I'm a shy person, and when a person is shy and pretty many assume they are also a stuck up insert word here. It hadn't even entered my mind that that would be the reason until my peers mentioned that was the reason they weren't friends with me when I was younger. To my knowledge no one has ever assumed that I was stupid because of it.

Many of the things I've listed I'm sure have also benefited me, but the one thing they all have in common is that they have also been used against me.

 

[Conservative Hippie]

I agree that most of the stuff listed here (as well as on my list) is really more about being judged than discriminated against. But I did think of one way I could be discriminated against (and thankfully haven't yet): I breastfeed in public. I do use a cover-up for my own comfort (I think women have a right to breastfeed without a cover, and in FL it is a legal right), but I still get dirty looks occasionally (not too often, though). I go to WDW a lot, and don't always go to the Baby Center when I need to feed my child (the Baby Centers are wonderful, though). I could make a whole list of the places I've nursed at WDW!

 

[djm99]

What is block busting?

Plenty of white women benefitted from affirmative action.

Arguably, more white women have benefited from Affirmative Action than black people in general. More distinctively, more women (black, white, and brown) in general have benefited more.

 

[arminnie]

My name is Cindy- the name of many famous Playmates, nude models and Cindy Brady. All of which were not high on the intelligence scale.

.....

I can't tell you how many job interviews I have been on, where the boss/supervisor was well thinking Cindy=stupid, or Cindy=sexpot before I even fully walked in the room.

I have a confession to make - I named my sister Cindy.

I was 11 years old - my mother had not planned another child and was convinced she was going to have a boy so she told me I could name the baby if it was a girl.

My sister is a very "crunchy" vegetarian who has never worn makeup. She lives in tshirts, shorts/jeans and tennis shoes. I asked her if she minded being a "Cindy" which now makes me think of a blonde cheerleader, and she said "no" that she like her name. Thank goodness.

 

[islandmum]

my sons were the only white children in their school on the island .... never once did they say a word about noticing the difference in the fact that they were "unique" in that scenario.

I dont believe, and hope they never think, this is something they should ever highlight as a thing to remember in their lives. They were children at that school, plain and simple, amongst some great friends. All children - not races.

Highlighting a difference in race in such a situation is not a mature or intelligent thing to do.

 

[Jennasis]

How in the deuce did this old dinosaur get ressurrected???

 

[islandmum]

bizarrely using the search facility for "judgements"

 

[Jennasis]

bizarrely using the search facility for "judgements"

It wasn't a dig at you. Honest. I'm just surprised to see a two year old thread brought back. But I'm guessing you've got something on your mind that prompted you to search for that word in particular. Everything okay?

 

[Robinrs]

How in the deuce did this old dinosaur get ressurrected???

 

[Kennywife]

I'm Epileptic
I'm a woman
I have IBS
I am bi-sexual
I was homeschooled as a child
I attended a very liberal private college
I am agnostic
I am very liberal
I am pro-choice
I have an admittedly high IQ
I married a man who is half-Japanese
I want to have children in my thirties
I still live near my parents
I travel for a living...travel writer. (I get the gee...it must be nice to be rich. Yeah, I wish I knew what it was like too. )

 

[ginna74]

I'm white
I'm a woman
I'm a disabled veteran
I never was in a war
I am pro choice
I gave up my first son for adoption
I don't belong to a political party and vote for who I think is right for the job
I'm bipolar and have been hospitalized
My parents devorced after 27 years of marriage
I don't get along with most of my family
I am not a perfect mother and have made many mistakes
I don't own a house and probably never will
I am not skinny anymore
I got a GED