Discrimination has become a major problem in society today. It may not seem to be such a large problem to some but it plays a big role in how people treat others and how people look at themselves and the world around them. Discrimination affects people of all different races, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, social affiliation, social class, and it also affects people with certain abilities or disabilities. Discrimination affects everyone, even though you may not notice people being discriminated it happens every day, everywhere around you.
Sometimes people are discriminated out of hostility on purpose but majority of the time it occurs out of favoritism, without intent.  “Most discrimination in the U.S is not caused by intention to harm people different from us, but by ordinary favoritism directed at helping people similar to us…We can produce discrimination without having any intent to discriminate or dislike for those who end up being disadvantaged by our behavior.” (Favoritism, Not Hostility, Causes Most Discrimination, Says UW Psychology Professor.) Even though most discrimination occurs unintentionally it still has similar effects, maybe slightly less severe, as intentional discrimination.
There are many different possible effects that can occur because of discrimination, both short term and long term. Some effects are emotional, others physical and sometimes both. People who are discriminated against might start to feel isolated, depressed, rejected, withdrawn, stressed, and humiliated. They may also develop low self-esteem, low self-worth, fear, anger, and might start to either loose or gain weight. Discrimination can also cause some long term effects in certain people such as loss of motivation, long term depression, and increasing behavioral problems which can lead to restricted opportunities, limited access to services, difficulty communicating, lack of education, and lack of achievement. Discrimination isn’t just a minor problem that should be brushed away it affects everyone and changes everyone.
Some types of discrimination that can occur are discrimination against race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, social affiliation, ability, appearance, and social class. Racial discrimination occurs in housing, education, the legal system and in the workplace. "The most frequently filed charges within the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission involve racism." (Totally Tolerant page 42) When it comes to religious discrimination many people are bias toward very religiosity people as well as non-religious people. Some of the less popular religions such as Judaism and Islamic encounter a lot of bias and even some religious groups are targeted by hate crimes. The religious groups that are more commonly targeted for hate crimes are Muslim people, Jews, and Christians. Ethnic discrimination comes in when all members of an ethnicity are expected to behave the same way. People of different ethnicities are stereotyped because others think they need to act a certain way. Discrimination that comes from sexual orientation is probably one of the most common discrimination types. Sexual orientation discrimination is based on what others views or belief are about whether a person is straight, gay, transgender, or bisexual. Gay teens face a lot of harassment in school, public places, and sometimes even at home. "More than 30% of gay youth were threatened or injured at school in 2001."(Totally Tolerant page 52) Gender discrimination is most likely the least problematic type of discrimination. This type of discrimination puts boundaries on what others think specific genders abilities should be and it also puts up standards onto how a person should act, it puts people into certain roles that are limiting. Social affiliation is also a not so problematic type of discrimination. It refers to the groups that people join and the people they hang out with. People are judged on whom they hang around and who they're friends with and are sometimes put into stereotypes like braniacs, jocks, popular kids, and outcasts. Discrimination that comes from ability is most likely the biggest cause to some of the effects of discrimination. It refers to what people can do and some people are made fun of because of their weaknesses and strengths, especially people with serious disabilities. Appearance discrimination is the most common discrimination in the fact that society is obsessed with appearance. People automatically judge others by appearance or how a person looks. Bias over appearance happens when others shun people for not being attractive. People are teased for being overweight, underweight, as well as if they aren’t wearing the “right” clothes. Appearance discrimination is most common in middle school and high school. Discrimination about social class according to some refers to a person’s wealth, also according to some there are three social classes, rich, middle class, and poor. It is said by some teachers that children of the same social class usually create groups together and that certain social classes are discriminated from each other and also are stereotyped because of others beliefs on their social.
Sometimes discrimination can go to the extreme and in most cases it turns out being very bad, this extreme is called a hate crime. Hate crimes are any crimes motivated by racial beliefs, religious beliefs, beliefs about gender, sexual orientation, and/or other prejudice. They are basically based on a person’s beliefs regarding the particular status of the victim. Around 30 states across the U.S including the federal government have some sort of law against hate crimes. There are several different types of hate crimes that are usually harmful, robbery can be a hate crime if a person robs someone because, for example, they’re gay. Kidnapping can be a hate crime if it occurs because of the kidnapper’s belief about the victim’s status. Murder and beating or physically harming can be hate crimes as well. If a person commits a crime because they believe something about a person’s status it’s a hate crime.
Discrimination has become a large problem today because of our society. It is society’s fault that discrimination exists because society cares too much about status. If everyone just judged people for who they were on the inside, discrimination would almost virtually disappear. Even though people would still judge others it would be for good reason and not for how a person looks, what their religion is, whether they are straight, gay, or bisexual, or by their class or abilities. People would look for what’s on the inside not outside or what everyone else thinks. Discrimination is a problem, but with a little courage, time, and effort it can be avoided and the world will become a brighter and better place.