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Sexism

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Who suffers more? As someone who feels that they are aware of racist and sexist people as well as actions in their community and the world, I was initially shocked when I read this debate topic. I was surprised by it because it comes across as an incredibly basic question. I couldn't believe I had never thought of it before. Both of these poor attitudes permeate societies across the globe. Most people would acknowledge that large numbers of people are forced to endure a great deal of emotional and physical pain as a result. So, who suffers more?

As noted above, racist and sexist attitudes can be seen in a variety of different people and global locales. It is the differences between these peoples, perceived or otherwise, in combination with fear that is responsible for racism. Racist actions and ideologies have spawned wars and enslaved populations of millions for generations. Sadly, they continue to do so in the present day. Regardless of whether you live in a developed or developing country the sickening specter of racism is easy to find.

Perhaps in order to determine who suffers more, we must ask ourselves how many sufferers can be attributed to each of these attitudes? Which represents the most fundamentally ingrained problem in our society?

I believe that if we consider the problem from this perspective the resolution to our debate begins to reveal itself. Men and women count more members in their respective groups than any racial, ethnic or religious group. I hope I don't need to present any statistical evidence to confirm this. It is likely that every man and woman could recount some event or experience where they were a victim of a sexist individual or system.

Real and perceived sexual differences have allowed us as human beings to create working societies, different cultures and accepted ways of interacting with each other. They have also engendered us with a deep-seated belief that we are different from each other. This is a correct assertion but all too often we view this difference in a negative light.

People who are affected by sexism feel it in all aspects of their lives. When interacting with the opposite sex a person may be made to feel inferior as though they are incapable of carrying on a conversation or doing a job properly. This may be perpetuated when that same person is involved with members of their own sex who accept these stereotypes and encourage others to do the same.

Sexism represents a far more fundamental problem than racism that affects both genders. Unfortunately, women are usually far more likely to be impeded by this deplorable attitude than men. In my mind, victims of sexism find it much more difficult to escape from their tormentors or to find someone who actively sympathizes. If we hope to resolve both of these attitudes we must address the fundamental issue of sexism first.

Learn more about this author, Tristan Holotnak.
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