Asadoorian 1 Savanna Asadoorian Professor Wong AAS 115 8 December 2013 Ignorance is Not Always Bliss Discrimination has

been an ongoing issue within society for ages. Humans do not trust what they are not familiar with, and can be intimidated by change. It is natural for people to be afraid or skeptical of things they are not accustomed to. This is evident within the decades of racial prejudice and sexism that society has experienced. Throughout history, discrimination based upon appearance has been an unfortunate shortcoming that prevents society from growing and accepting those who are not similar to them. In his novel Seedfolks, Paul Fleischman illustrates how breaking through discriminatory tendencies will allow people to realize how similar they are to one another, which will contribute to a kinder society. This is exemplified when Fleischman writes about one of the characters, a pregnant Hispanic teenager named Maricela, who is so worried about the way society views her that she wishes for a miscarriage. This young girl who already feels disapproved by society due to her race, feels as though she is doomed to a future of eternal judgment based upon her predicament of being a teen mother. The issue in this is that Maricela is experiencing self-hatred due to the way she thinks strangers judge her. Fleischmans novel revolves around the stories of 13 strangers, completely unlike one another, each having differing issues in their lives, who live within the same area, and all find serenity within the same place: the community garden. This novel symbolizes the way humans are all connected in some way, despite the obvious dissimilarities between them. It also

Asadoorian 2 elucidates how wrong it is to judge people based on their appearance. Discrimination is an ongoing issue that stunts the growth of society as a whole, due to stereotyping, ones environment, and the naive nature of youth. Eliminating the progression of discrimination will allow society to prosper with integrity Stereotyping is the most common form of judgment based upon appearance. It is a generalized belief that usually does not accurately reflect the truth. Stereotyping causes discrimination because it establishes false ideals that people tend to believe are factual. In Seedfolks, one of the characters named Amir stereotypes Polish people based upon what he has heard prior to moving to America. He believes all Polish men are tough steelworkers, and that the women cook lots of cabbage. His perception of the Polish is that they are all the same, rather than individuals. Amirs belief changes once he meets a Polish woman in his neighborhood garden and gets to know her as a unique individual. They find similarities between them, such as taking the same route to the garden and both planting carrots. He does not see her as a Polish woman anymore, and her nationality becomes irrelevant to her personality. Amirs story highlights the errors of stereotyping and how they cloud a persons judgment with little or no evidence. Stereotypes are assumptions that prevent people from learning about those who do not seem similar to them, despite the fact they are almost always incorrect. Stereotypes tend to be learned based upon a persons environment. This connects to the ongoing debate in psychology, nature vs. nurture. Although both are proven to contribute to the development of an individual, ones mindset tends to be established by nurture, or ones environment. The surroundings one is raised in shapes their judgment. For example, a person raised in America will not have the same beliefs as a person raised in Israel. Despite the fact that

Asadoorian 3 they are both composed of the same body parts, number of bones in their body, and humanistic tendencies, the two will not share the same ideals. One may be raised to see the other as an enemy, based upon the general stereotyping that they have learned from a parent or guardian. The environment a child is raised in affects their judgment because as a child, ones naive mindset remains a clean slate until it is embedded with the beliefs one is taught by others. It is due to the innocence of youth, that their minds can become corrupted with false perceptions. Sadly, ignorance is also an issue with adults in society. A major topic of discussion for the past few years in America has been whether or not to legalize same-sex marriage. Many people who were against the reform were those who were raised very religiously and believed that it was an eternal sin for two people of the same gender to be romantically involved with one another. Others however, supported this modern change within society because the constitution promises equality and the pursuit of happiness to all. Those who were strictly against gay marriage were hindered with the ability to educate themselves and erase their ignorance. This innocence turned to ignorance turns society into a much darker, less accepting realm that inhibits development. In Seedfolks, a character named Curtis used the garden to win back his ex girlfriend in hopes of reuniting with love, and just like Curtis the gay members of society also hoped to be able to join others in love. This illustrates Fleischmanns main idea that once people put aside their obvious differences, and open up their hearts and minds, their similarities can bring them together. Ignorance is a defective quality that people exhibit due to the fear of the unknown, or what is not familiar to them. It prevents society from prospering into a place of acceptance and appreciation of the different types of people in the world.

Asadoorian 4 It is novels like Seedfolks that allow one to delve into the idea that the world could be a much better place if people altered their ways of thinking. Society is changing rapidly, becoming a realm of different cultures, ethnicities, and individuals who are all alike in one way or another. The issues that cause discrimination and prevent society from prospering contribute to the dystopia that people attempt to thrive in. The inevitable issues of stereotyping, ones surroundings and ignorance are all connected and contribute to judgment based upon appearance and are proven to restrain the growth of society as a whole. Our world can become a more promising place when more members of society are able to accept the evolvement of humanity.

Asadoorian 5

Works Cited Fleischman, Paul, and Judy Pedersen. Seedfolks. New York: HarperCollins, 1997. Print.