Nick D'Souza, Grade 11
UWC-USA
2020 certainly hosted its fair share of defining, paradigm-shifting events. Ranging from devastating forest fires to a generation threatening pandemic to the deaths of some of the most influential, innovative, and inspiring people who have ever lived, we may not experience a year more filled with chaos, loss, devastation, and most importantly, change. Our lifestyles have been subject to the most drastic change, tremendously limiting restrictions being implemented for the sake of our very lives. In a year so packed with large scale events, the little things that made us smile or brought a bit of joy to our lives are often overshadowed.
On a personal level, the most interesting issue that COVID is possibly the dehumanizing stigma that developed and the ease at which it was developed towards Asian-American people. This issue is so fascinating because even before the onset of the global pandemic, people tend to pounce on any opportunity they get to treat someone differently because they look or sound different. In today’s world, it is illegal to in any way treat any person less favourably solely based on their physical attributes, such as sex, race, disability, or age, yet there is not a single person on this planet that can say that they operate completely impartially because bias is something that is fundamentally engraved into our subconscious and part of human nature. We inherent bias and prejudice, whether we want to and are aware of it or not. Humans are naturally emotional and limited in their perspective and scope of perception. Impartiality is only possible if you know everything about everything involved in the situation and have no opinion on anything, so anyone who claims to be impartial is either a fool or a liar. For this reason, it seems to me that we have designed a law that demands a concept that is completely opposite to what is possible for humans. We strive for something impossible, and although it may give us hope, it seems just simply unrealistic.
Due to surging stigma from the disease's fear and anxiety, Asian people worldwide have been socially shunned or avoided on account of a global stereotyping of them. Stigma greatly affects mental health, and I know of a few people who have gone through a lot in order to fight it and show signs of resilience operating with flawed social construct, a position that they never should have been forced to be in the first place. One day I was eating with some friends when I ran into one of my Japanese friends who attended a different school than I did. I quickly stepped aside and began talking to him about the effect that the introduction of COVID into the US was having on him and his family. He told me that he was fine, and
On a personal level, the most interesting issue that COVID is possibly the dehumanizing stigma that developed and the ease at which it was developed towards Asian-American people. This issue is so fascinating because even before the onset of the global pandemic, people tend to pounce on any opportunity they get to treat someone differently because they look or sound different. In today’s world, it is illegal to in any way treat any person less favourably solely based on their physical attributes, such as sex, race, disability, or age, yet there is not a single person on this planet that can say that they operate completely impartially because bias is something that is fundamentally engraved into our subconscious and part of human nature. We inherent bias and prejudice, whether we want to and are aware of it or not. Humans are naturally emotional and limited in their perspective and scope of perception. Impartiality is only possible if you know everything about everything involved in the situation and have no opinion on anything, so anyone who claims to be impartial is either a fool or a liar. For this reason, it seems to me that we have designed a law that demands a concept that is completely opposite to what is possible for humans. We strive for something impossible, and although it may give us hope, it seems just simply unrealistic.
Due to surging stigma from the disease's fear and anxiety, Asian people worldwide have been socially shunned or avoided on account of a global stereotyping of them. Stigma greatly affects mental health, and I know of a few people who have gone through a lot in order to fight it and show signs of resilience operating with flawed social construct, a position that they never should have been forced to be in the first place. One day I was eating with some friends when I ran into one of my Japanese friends who attended a different school than I did. I quickly stepped aside and began talking to him about the effect that the introduction of COVID into the US was having on him and his family. He told me that he was fine, and
Guest Writer - UWC-USA |
I said that I was here and willing to listen and support him through potentially difficult times. A few days later, he called me and started talking to me about all the times he was verbally and even physically harassed just because of his appearance. This profoundly moved me because it made me aware of issues, bringing them a lot closer to home. Often when something large starts happening somewhere else in the world, our initial reaction is to have the thought process that we will be fine because the location of the incident is so far away, but this interaction had the effect of making everything real to me and bringing everything into my community. This interaction served as a reality check and led me to the realization of how easy it is for people to bottle up pain and suffering to maintain a strong exterior. When my friend opened up to me, and I was able to reassure him and watch him smile over FaceTime, I was profoundly happy and maybe found the most joy I experienced my entire quarantine to that point.
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