The Impact of Racism, Prejudice, and Privilege

　
These forces are continuously present in our daily lives and communities. I have personally experienced prejudice on a daily basis, and sadly enough, so have countless others. Prejudice at work is commonplace. As a part time cashier, it would be reasonable to assume I am on the same standing as that of other part time cashiers. Evidently, this is not true due to my age and gender. When a customer is confronted between asking for the help of me or an older associate of the same gender, a customer will inevitably choose the older associate, or go even farther to reject the both of us, and seek a male’s advice. This person, though meaning no insult to me, or my coworker, has used personal prejudice to create inaccurate depictions and judgments of people they have not met.
Another example of my personal experience of prejudice extends itself not just with the workplace, but with recreation as well. I became involved with a local Tae Kwon Do dojang, or a martial arts training hall. The dojang consisted of me, a young female, and about twenty to thirty males, ranging in age from teens to late 50s. The only other female present was middle age women who did not train in normal classes, but rather worked as a sort of secretary for the dojang. Being the only female, it was difficult to command respect. In addition to this, I was the shortest and lightest person. My skills were often excused to pure luck, or the inability of my partner. Regardless of this prejudice, I steadily gained in rank. When I rose to the ranking to be an instructor, I still encountered the same problem. Despite the fact that I was in an authority position, I was still disrespected, because I was the only female in an instructor position. I could not complain because of my position, and because of the fact that complaints are often seen as excuses, and therefore, weak. This system made it impossible for me to be respected, because if I was disrespected, I could not address the issue.
I am sure similar situations have been experienced by a large number of people, even in our own communities. Because of white privilege, it has become impossible to do everyday tasks, or even recreation without encountering racism or prejudice. It is seen in the sports world, the media, business and economy, politics, and just about every institution in our culture. In order to end discrimination, we must first acknowledge the presence of white privilege, and then but into effect regulations in order to avoid it. However, this alone cannot entirely end it. It is up to the minds of the people to make the decision to take action against, and ultimately end, racism, prejudice, and privilege.