Of Discrimination

A week ago, my students and I, read a story  entitled Chun. The story's theme revolves on the idea of discrimination. The whole day my students and I discussed the definition, types, examples, causes and effects of discrimination. I wanted to let my students understand that prejudice and discrimination, any type of it, should never be tolerated.

Discrimination, we said, is an act wherein an individual or groups of individuals treat another individual differently or groups of individual based on their physical characteristics. It can happen through distinction, isolation or preference. People can be discriminated through gender, age, sex, sexual orientation, political view, religion, social status and many more. This kind of exercise is highly prohibited, but sad to say...

I am happy that my students understand what discrimination is. I am even happier because they know that respect is the underlying value that is being violated everytime they treat someone differently due to their physical attributes. I am hopeful that whatever we discuss in the classroom will be applied in the outside world.

Recently, I was angered by the news of a certain condominium in the Philippines which disallows household helps to use the passenger elevator. First of all, I cannot and can never understand as to why there is a need to disallow, drivers and household helps from using that specific elevator. Don't they live in the same room where the household helps and drivers are?

This is a form of discrimination. Helps and driver should never be asked to ride another elevator. If the management is trying to protect their image of luxury and what have you, then this is the wrong way to go.  People should never be treated as second class citizens in their own country.