How can YOU be judged/discriminated against?

[ScorpioJeni]

Here's my list:
divorced
white
female
back on the dating scene
working mom
skinny
blonde
polish heritage
college educated
in top management at work
youngest member of management
opinionated
a Gator

 

[Camicar]

Here are ways I know I was discriminated against:

1. Female: Not allowed to take certain classes in high school because I was a girl. (We won't get into my home life and my father's disdain for educating females.)

2. White: I was told point blank that I did not get a big scholarship because the next most-qualified candidate was black and since they had never before given the scholarship to a black, they felt they had to give it to her.

3. Age: Two years ago when I tried to switch careers, I was told that at age 44/45 I was too old.

4. Outsider: Because I did not grow up here (nor did my parents or grandparents), it has been made crystal clear to me that my presence is unwanted and that I could never get certain jobs or rise in any volunteer position.

 

[mom2boys77]

white
female
was a teenaged mother
catholic
pro-life
republican
kids go to private school
lived with dh and had a child before getting married
lots of gay family members
did not finish college
sahm
overweight

 

[tiff211]

People judge me because of certain things but I have never been discriminated against because of them. How are you discriminated against for living in a big house? What defintition are you going by?

discriminate - recognize or perceive the difference or treat differently on the basis of sex or race? My judged list would be very different and much longer from my discriminated against list.

Judged
being black
not being black enough
having a child before I was married
Having a child young
Going on welfare
working outside the home
Not breastfeeding
not being a size 2
going to disney
being obsessed with Disney

Discriminated against
being a young single mom (turned down for an apartment and a job)
being black

 

[december]

a white southern female (so of course I'm racist and stupid, right)

moderate Republican who is for gay rights, stem cell research, etc.

working mother - public school teacher

breastfed my kids (my family thought this was horrible!)

short and chunky

had the distinction of having the highest test scores ever in my high school, and being the only National Merit Scholar (sounds great-but people are mean-and some expect me to know everything-I DON'T!)

Christian in the Bible belt who doesn't believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible and believes in EVOLUTION!

Dh and ds hunt-and own guns

Been with dh since age of 15

SciFi geek (Battlestar Galactica is almost back!)

Have had 3 seizures-that scares people

Drive an SUV

Came from a poor family-mother had 2 kids as a teen-both parents were divorced

 

[KelNottAt]

How are you discriminated against for living in a big house? What defintition are you going by?

You might be referring to me since I put that I "live in a McMansion" on my list.

If so, please re-visit my post (page 3). I think you'll see that I don't call myself discriminated. However, I do say I've been harshly criticized. For the sake of this thread, "judged" would actually be the right word.

Whats a WOHM?

"Work-Outside-the-Home-Mom"

 

[momof3littlelilos]

I'm white (for which I've never been significantly discriminated against)
until...
I dated and later married a black man
I got really FAT (oh dear I became a fat white woman married to a black man...someone call Jerry, 'cause there's gotta be a story there.)
I've been on welfare
I've been a single mother
I've been a foster kid
I've live in subsidized housing
I dropped out of high school
I'm too far left to be a democrat
I'm too conservative to be an anarchist
I went to college (believe me to some people this is an issue.)
I was raised Catholic
My parents were divorced (yup, if you're Catholic this can be an issue..)
I have tattoos (which is, of course, my choice...)
I have a disabled child
I'm a pacifist
I'm no longer a Christian
Breastfed my kids
Used cotton diapers (the looks you get when you bag 'em and put them back in the diaper bag?)
I've been a SAHM, A WAHM and a WOHM (There's always someone there to judge you no matter what you do.)

That said, I don't believe that I've experienced discrimination or racism on a level that's in any way comparable to what people of color or gays or lesbians go through.

 

[momof3littlelilos]

I have a bimbo type name.
.

OMG! Yes! Stacey is the name of Barbie's best friend!
I sometimes wish I were an Agnes!

 

[agentpleakley]

I have a bimbo type name.



I know, how can someone be discriminated against by being intelligent... let me tell you. 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 know how you feel -- I have a hooker name.

 

[Conservative Hippie]

I am American
I am female
I am hispanic
I do not speak Spanish
I am married to a white man
I am college-educated
I am a SAHM
I am a Christian
I am a Republican
I was raised by a single mother
I breastfeed
I was raised (and still live in) the South
I do not drink

 

[Miss Jasmine]

I am American
I am female
I am hispanic
I do not speak Spanish
I am married to a white man
I am college-educated
I am a SAHM
I am a Christian
I am a Republican
I was raised by a single mother
I breastfeed
I was raised (and still live in) the South

Same with me, but people come up to me so many times speaking Spanish. I feel bad saying I dont' speak it (then guilty because I know it was my grandfather's fondest desire for us grandkids to learn it. The majority of us took French instead. ).

 

[Conservative Hippie]

Same with me, but people come up to me so many times speaking Spanish. I feel bad saying I dont' speak it (then guilty because I know it was my grandfather's fondest desire for us grandkids to learn it. The majority of us took French instead. ).

My mom spoke primarily Spanish at home when she was a child, until my grandmother married a white man who didn't want Spanish spoken in his household. My mom forgot most of it, and I tried to take it in high school, but it didn't really stick.

 

[momof3littlelilos]

I am human

I can't tell you how often the pigeons and squirrels harrass me over that one.

 

[Mean Queen]

I'm female.
I'm an Atheist.
I'm liberal.
I was a member of the news media.
I'm a WAHM.
I'm part Native American.
I'm tall (5' 11")
I'm larger chested.
My 2 year old still has a paci and I don't care.
I was gifted and so is my DD8.
My DD8 has ADD and is on meds.

I'm sure there are more. We are all judgmental, as much as we'd like to think we aren't.

 

[RealMickeysGirl]

Well, I try not to feel discriminated against even in situations that I know it happens but here is my list - with explanations.

1. I am Caucasian (I have rarely seen a stark paperwhite person) - this mattered in the 3rd grade when my Mississippi public school was integrated and I was the only Caucasian girl in my class (there were only 3 total in my classroom of about 25 kids). From this experience I learned that children can be very cruel; while in the same situation others can be good friends - regardless of their race, income level or religion.

2. I am from the South - I don't have a really big accent but I do have one. Some people think that people from the south are backward, dumb, prejudiced, etc. I think they are sometimes surprised that we wear shoes.

3. I am a liberal - Yes another tiny blue dot in a very red state.

4. I attend a Unitarian Universalist Fellowship - and yes, I consider myself a Christian. A lot of people in the south think that all UUs are atheists or humanists but this isn't so. It requires more of an explanation but I am not going to go into it here.

5. I am in a predominantly male career field. I have been in meetings where I have spoken up and made a suggestion or given an idea of how to do something and it is like no one heard me. Then a man will say the same thing and they are like "good idea, yes we should try that". My boss has spoken up in a couple of the meetings and said "that is just what Sandy said" - he is good about that.

6. I prefer to refer to my race as Human - some people think that is silly and don't get the point that I am trying to make. I have family members of different races, colors and religions. I have good friends of different races, colors and religions. I love them all dearly. Human covers us all.

7. I have gay friends. I have had fundamentalists condemn me for being friends with someone they don't approve of. Guess what, they are my friends - end of discussion.

8. I am obese. People think all overweight people are lazy - not true. People think that overweight people could be "normal" if they would just stop eating and start exercising. Believe me, there are emotional and psychological issues involved not just "oh, you should just not eat xxxxx". I don't expect you to understand totally but I do expect you to be civil. (And please read the "People" above to be "some people".)

9. I have been married to the same man for almost 23 years and we don't have children. Why we don't have children isn't really anyone else's business - even though strangers or people I have just met seem to think it is ok to quiz me on why we don't have children. I scrapbook, I actually had someone in a scrapbook crop ask me why I bothered to scrapbook since I don't have children. Hello, I like to look at nice photo scrapbooks and remember my vacations and holidays to.

10. And, oh my gosh, I live in Alabama and haven't chosen either Alabama or Auburn football teams. I went to Southern Miss and I don't follow the football there either. Just not into football. NO, I don't have to choose a team just because I moved here.

 

[Mean Queen]

I am a Gator

I almost put I'm a Seminole, but I figured most people would think that was the same as I'm part Native American.

 

[Luv2Scrap]

I don't know that I have been discriminated against much, but I can think of one occasion, about 4-5 years ago. My employer told me directly that he was choosing someone else for a manager position over me because I had a family and she didn't. In my state, this is illegal.

Now on the other hand, sure, I've been judged a lot. Most of the time I don't care, so I'm not going to post those that don't bother me. but her are a few that do:

I am just a lowly clerical worker so I must not know much or work very hard
I was too underweight, now I'm too overweight. You can't please anyone!
I come from a dysfunctional family so I must be as bad as the rest of them.
I am an overprotective mother (see above for reason!)
The worst was when I was a child. This would be a case of being both judged and descriminated against. I lived with my dad and stepmother, who are strict Jehovah's Witnesses. That alone caused me MUCH grief, but the, to add to it, my stepmother believed all girls got into trouble, therefore, she did all she could to make me look like a very ugly boy. then she wondered why I rebelled so much in my teen years.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

I almost put I'm a Seminole, but I figured most people would think that was the same as I'm part Native American.

See if you put 'Nole, I would have totally understood what you were talking about.

 

[agentpleakley]

Well, I try not to feel discriminated against even in situations that I know it happens but here is my list - with explanations.

1. I am Caucasian (I have rarely seen a stark paperwhite person) - this mattered in the 3rd grade when my Mississippi public school was integrated and I was the only Caucasian girl in my class (there were only 3 total in my classroom of about 25 kids). From this experience I learned that children can be very cruel; while in the same situation others can be good friends - regardless of their race, income level or religion.

2. I am from the South - I don't have a really big accent but I do have one. Some people think that people from the south are backward, dumb, prejudiced, etc. I think they are sometimes surprised that we wear shoes.

3. I am a liberal - Yes another tiny blue dot in a very red state.

4. I attend a Unitarian Universalist Fellowship - and yes, I consider myself a Christian. A lot of people in the south think that all UUs are atheists or humanists but this isn't so. It requires more of an explanation but I am not going to go into it here.

5. I am in a predominantly male career field. I have been in meetings where I have spoken up and made a suggestion or given an idea of how to do something and it is like no one heard me. Then a man will say the same thing and they are like "good idea, yes we should try that". My boss has spoken up in a couple of the meetings and said "that is just what Sandy said" - he is good about that.

6. I prefer to refer to my race as Human - some people think that is silly and don't get the point that I am trying to make. I have family members of different races, colors and religions. I have good friends of different races, colors and religions. I love them all dearly. Human covers us all.

7. I have gay friends. I have had fundamentalists condemn me for being friends with someone they don't approve of. Guess what, they are my friends - end of discussion.

8. I am obese. People think all overweight people are lazy - not true. People think that overweight people could be "normal" if they would just stop eating and start exercising. Believe me, there are emotional and psychological issues involved not just "oh, you should just not eat xxxxx". I don't expect you to understand totally but I do expect you to be civil. (And please read the "People" above to be "some people".)

9. I have been married to the same man for almost 23 years and we don't have children. Why we don't have children isn't really anyone else's business - even though strangers or people I have just met seem to think it is ok to quiz me on why we don't have children. I scrapbook, I actually had someone in a scrapbook crop ask me why I bothered to scrapbook since I don't have children. Hello, I like to look at nice photo scrapbooks and remember my vacations and holidays to.

10. And, oh my gosh, I live in Alabama and haven't chosen either Alabama or Auburn football teams. I went to Southern Miss and I don't follow the football there either. Just not into football. NO, I don't have to choose a team just because I moved here.

I really appreciated your post. I've had different experiences with being a Yankee coming to the South.

On a humorous note, DH is from MS (I am not - but have lived in the South since 1992) -- anyway, we traveled to Denver this past November (DS won a contest and we went to compete in the finals) -- we were the only people from the Southeast US. The comments were pretty unbelievable. After receiving some not nice comments, I turned to DH, then looked at the speaker and said "We bought him his first pair of shoes for this trip -- he still hasn't learned to tie them though."

 

[kribit]

People judge me because of certain things but I have never been discriminated against because of them. How are you discriminated against for living in a big house? What defintition are you going by?

discriminate - recognize or perceive the difference or treat differently on the basis of sex or race? My judged list would be very different and much longer from my discriminated against list.

Judged
being black
not being black enough
having a child before I was married
Having a child young
Going on welfare
working outside the home
Not breastfeeding
not being a size 2
going to disney
being obsessed with Disney

Discriminated against
being a young single mom (turned down for an apartment and a job)
being black

I have to agree with you on the house thing. I have a big house (big deal) but I don't feel discriminated against because of it. I've also been talked about behind my back for decisions I've made, but I'm not sure if that is considered discrimination either. I can think of a few times in my life when a person might consider it discrimination, but it's a definate grey area.

My list (not sure it's discimination though)

White
American
Woman
Catholic
Pro-Life
Married to Highschool Sweetheart (my only love)
Gave birth to Twins after 4 years trying
SAHM
College Grad but did nothing with my degree
Middle Class then and now

Wow, seems pretty boring writing it out.

Is any of this discrimination though.