discrimination

The other week in my Abnormal Psychology class Madison Equality came in to speak to us students and allow us the opportunity to ask questions about their sexuality. Madison Equality consists of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people.  The people on the board that day ranged from gay, lesbian, bisexual, as well as gender queer. It was a very eye opening experience for me and I am grateful to have had such a class. The people that made up Madison Equality were answering questions that hit a broad spectrum of topics but one that shocked me was the extent to how negatively they were treated by the public.  I must be naïve because I thought that in today’s day and age people were a little more accepting of the fact that not everyone is heterosexual. People are more than entitled to have their own personal beliefs and views on such topics as homosexuality but for them to make it known to others is not something I think highly of. This brings me to the topic of the day…DISCRIMINATION! Discrimination can be defined as groundless negative behavior towards a particular person simply because they are in a specific group that the other is not in. The main part of this definition that I feel needs to be emphasized is groundless because to discriminate against a whole race or a whole sex is unnecessary. The people of Madison Equality told us about how a few of them from the group went out to a couple bars downtown and ended up leaving every single one of them. They were not leaving because they were bored or tired like most people would; they left because of other people’s behaviors toward them. The bouncer at one bar didn’t want to let them in, but had no real reason not to so he heatedly let them in. After leaving because of the looks and whispers they were being target by people even went so far as to throw cups at them as they left. This type of negative behavior due to something as little as a person’s sexual preference is definitely discrimination. I think it should be known to everyone that discrimination is not just concerning race, and it is still an issue today.

altrusim

The idea of altruism is all around us all the time. Altruism can be defined as being selfless or the concern for others. Altruism is most common in social structures that contain complex social atmospheres. My thoughts on altruism are on the fence because it is difficult to tell if someone is acting generous towards you due to a true care, or just their need to not been seen differently by the social group. A real life example of altruism to me is when romantic relationships are involved. When emotions and romantic feelings are being expressed between two people things can get sticky. A nice girl could get so wrapped up in a relationship with a guy and betray her best friend. I think in general humans are a race that will look after themselves before others, although there are exceptions. So coming back to a real life example of altruism. A very close friend of mine was seeing this guy for quite some time and saw a future becoming of them. Another friend of ours (lets call her girl B) was approached by the guy seeing girl A. Girl B knowing how much girl A liked this guy didn't give him the time of day. Girl B knew that if she acted flattered by this guy's behavior, and gave into his offers it would very much upset Girl A. This guy is a good looking guy and some girls would accept his offer but due to altruism and the care for other people Girl B chose to be respectful and put her own wants to the side. Altruism is a very complex thing especially in social situations, but it is also a breath of fresh air to know that people really do care and will do the right thing simply for the good of others.