Lyndsie Foster

HUMA 1100

12/13/20

The Importance of Understanding

Through this entire humanities course, the most impactful section we discussed was on

diversity and difference. I wasn’t aware of over half the things we went over. This section is

possibly the most beneficial portion of the course. This is because it taught me that people really

are different and there are specific ways to go about talking to different people. Without this

class, I would have been super awkward around types of people I don’t know about. If I want to

run a business one day, it’s important that I remember what I learned from this course.

I’m always trying to find a way to improve myself, especially for interacting with others.

It’s very important to me to understand how to act with other people’s feelings and best interest

in mind. I believe human interaction is the best way to get your ideas out there and contribute to

the world. That is why I appreciate the diversity and difference section of this course so much.

The concept of understanding other people works hand in hand with working together. In

order to properly work with a team, one must first understand how different people think, act,

and feel. It makes it easier to put people’s talent to work when you understand how to talk to

them. Also, I need to be aware of the privileges I have. These privileges may make me come off

too strong or rude, so it is essential that I recognise what I have.

In order to have something be done about these social injustices, we must first be aware

of the problem and want to do something about it. The best way to bring awareness of the subject

is to talk about it. One can’t necessarily force someone to care about something, but one can lead
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by example. There is no point in trying to get someone to do something if you're not first doing it

yourself. I recently have been working on myself and the terms that I used to describe situations.

Lots of people use the word “guys” when referring to a group of people. That is the major one

I’ve been working with. Now that I’m mostly done working with the terms I say, it’s probably a

good time to work on my actions. From now on if I notice anything out of place, I will no longer

ignore it. I will get involved. Too many times people are ignored and something goes wrong.

Nobody wants to be the cause of a bad situation. Luckily, privilege can be used in a way that

shows others that is not how someone should be treated.

With being a healthy white female, I have a lot of privileges. Some of them that I don’t

have to question if I can go to college, won’t be called a racial name on the streats, don’t have to

worry about places not being wheelchair accessible, don’t feel like my days are numbered, and

the list goes on. It’s important to remember that not everyone is lucky enough to have the same

things available to them. Other people struggle more than one might think. It is my privilege that

makes me feel like I can do something about this. It’s not easy to do something big for a

stranger, but it’s just as good to start with small kind acts. For example, if you were to see

someone having a hard time bringing their groceries to their car, you can easily go over and help.

This works to help pregnant women, elderly people, someone with a lot of kids, and someone

with a disability.

Earlier in this course, there was a discussion on disability that really got me thinking

about all of the things disabled people are missing out on. The original post in the discussion

asked if we knew anyone with a disability and what it’s like to go on a trip with a disabled

friend. The only disabled person I really know is the chemistry teacher at my school. When

people in a wheelchair go on vacations they have to make sure the hotels are wheelchair
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accessible, transportation can hold a wheelchair, and that the place they are going to has

activities someone in a wheelchair can participate in.

It’s hard to consider what it’s like to have a mental disability as opposed to a physical

disability. This is because with a physical disability you can see it, while you can’t exactly

visualise a mental disability. Back in the biblical times, people with disabilities were considered

evil. Our humanities textbook mentions that “people with disabilities are being punished for not

following God’s teachings.” They thought these people were possessed. Luckily we have

become aware of these disabilities as disabilities and are finding new ways to help people get

better.

In the beginning of the humanity course, we discussed the different stereotypes and what

they do to people. Not everybody likes to be labeled. It can feel limiting, at times, to be labeled.

It makes one feel as if they have to live up to the expectations and the stereotypes that go along

with what they’ve been labeled. Our humanities textbook explains that heteronormativity is “the

belief that heterosexuality is normal and any other sexual orientation is not. It grants social,

professional, legal, financial, and educational privileges to heterosexual relationships and

discriminates against relationships that are not.” When I first read over that, I didn’t understand

what it meant by those ideas causing all of those problems. After reading it over again one or

three times it clicked. Some people don’t know how to not agree with someone, but still treat

them with the love and respect that they deserve as a person. That way of thinking can also cause

bias in the decision process for a job, scholarship, and in many more situations.

It’s difficult for me to stand by and let someone be mistreated, so this is something I am

already ready to start leading people into understanding and being part of the help. About a year
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ago, my older brother came out as gay. It was confusing at first, but the more we acted like it was

normal, the more it became normal. We don’t need to look at different people like they are

freaks. We need to treat them like a normal person because that is what they are. We can lead by

example, especially with our privileges backing us up. In some cases it’s difficult to lead by

example, especially when you are not in a high position. In these situations, one should go to

someone in a higher position for help.

Just three weeks ago, we were discussing how life is for immigrants. What they went

through before dividing to leave, the difficult process they go through to enter a country, and

how they are treated now. Many immigrants move to get away from crappy places, but the place

they move to has some pretty rude people. It makes one wonder why that is. The humanities

textbook says that “immigration policies usually reflect economic, social, and political

relationships between the United States and other nations. Unfortunately, they may also reflect

irrational, xenophobic attitudes”. Immigrants have different experiences of entering the US.

Their experience is based on where they are from, how far they are and the relationship between

that country and the US.

The difficult process for entering a new country as an immigrant can make someone feel

unwanted. If we want to make immigrants feel welcome, we must make the process simpler. In

order to do that, one must go to the government with new and simpler ideas. The simpler way

wouldn’t be simpler because it is less secure, but because the things that could be shrunk down

get shrunk down. The difficult process doesn’t help the way the citizens perceive immigrants.

Throughout the humanities course, I noticed that the majority of my posts were on

diversity and difference. Although it’s not enough to just talk about the problems, it’s the first
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step to resolving it. That is probably the reason I felt the need to mention it so much throughout

the course. The next step is to do something about it. They don’t need to be major things, they

can be small things here and there. It really is the small things that make someone’s day.