Why the Topic of Otherness Should Get More Attention

What is Other, Otherness? According to the major concept’s handout sheet, Other, Otherness is a constructed identity that determines or signals the lack of acceptance and legitimacy in a society. It is an identity of difference. One thing I know about this topic is that people often only consider opposite traits, personality, social class, race, etc. than themselves. It is the thought that no two people are the same in anyway and that there is no way these two people could ever been seen as the same.

Before this class, I never really heard of Other, Otherness in this sense. I knew that some individuals thought that two people could never be comparable or identical, however, I never understood nor went in depth with causes being connected to race and social class. I only learned that sexuality, gender and personality were a big part of one saying another individual is not the same as them, equal. In high school, I was part of an American History class that touched upon this topic in a different way. It was not called Other, Otherness, it was more based on differences between individuals and how there was no equality. In a sense it was how white people are considered Americans whereas blacks are not and why this was said to be true.

In this class, white males were the most superior and most American than anyone else, even slightly above white women. White males were the ones who worked and provided, they could own land and vote. White women could not do any of this, neither could blacks. Blacks could only work if they were slaves. They were brought over from other countries and auctioned off to wealthy white men who purchased and used them for their so-called dirty work. They worked long hot days out in the fields for their keepers. They planted, harvested, and tended to their owners’ crops day in and day out. They did all this work, so the rich, superior white men did not have too, and they were still treated abysmally. Their living conditions were gruesome, and their meals were miniscule. They mostly ate rice, pork that was extremely fatty, and corn crop. There was never a good meal set out for them, slaves were there to work. They were not rich or entitled, the white men were, so slaves got next to nothing. They also got sub-par clothing and sleeping quarters. This pertains to Other, Otherness because they were not seen as Americans or as equal to anyone, even once they were not slaves because of their race.

I would like to think that I am well informed on this topic. I have seen it happen at school and at work, as well as personal experiences. First of all, I work at the Westwood YMCA based out of Pawtucket, and I also work at an elementary school. I have seen Other, Otherness in a few instances in the past two years, whether it is at school or at camp/work. The first example I can provide is from the school I work at. We were playing soccer in the gym and the kids were picking their own teams. One boy, who was dark skinned, was the captain, and another boy, who was white, was the other captain. The dark-skinned boy picked kids of all ethnicities, the other only picked white kids. We got to the end and one dark sinned girl was left, the white team captain said he didn’t want her because her skin color was ugly. He said, she isn’t like us so we don’t want her, she can be on the other team with the other black kids where she belongs. This broke my heart because as a teaching assistant and as a person, I see everyone as they are equal. This little girl, named Amaya, came crying to me, she didn’t feel like she belonged in this group and wanted to go home. Someone made her feel like she was ‘Other’. She was outcasted because of her race and her gender, she isn’t a legitimate American, white female, so she does not deserve the same treatment as others.

My next example is from this past summer as I worked as a camp counselor/ lifeguard. This young boy named Dale, comes to the USA every summer to go to our camp. He lives in Scotland the rest of the year. Dale comes from a wealthy white family who has never struggled for anything. One day, he came to camp with a big lunch, he had leftover steak and rice, as well as some fruit. Another boy, named Adam who was Mexican, came to camp and did not even have a lunch. They sat down next to one another and Dale asked where his lunch was. Adam told Dale that his mom is struggling for money after paying for camp and she could not buy enough food for the house and for lunch at camp.

That instant Dale started laughing at this boy. He was antagonizing Adam by dangling food in his face calling him poor and a loser. Just because the boy’s family comes from a different social class and is a different race does not mean he should be teased because his family cannot afford food every week. I believe this is a good example because Adam is not comparable or seen as the same as Dale. Coming from wealth makes people stuck up and they tend to flaunt it. A legitimate American born citizen who moved to Scotland for his father’s job made Adam, a young boy born and raised in Mexico, who came to the US in spite of a better life, felt lesser than everyone else at camp. Just because Adam does not have the same skin color makes it so he is different and can never be equal to Dale and his family.

I believe that everyone has personal experiences of Other, Otherness whether they know it or not. For me I can think of a few instances where it has been a part of my life but there is one in particular, I would like to share. In high school, I played three sports a year, a total of twelve sports seasons. Soccer, basketball and Track & Field made my high school experience the best it could be. Around my junior year, I experienced a feeling of not being enough and not feeling like I am equal to others. I was one of the only girls who threw weighted implements for track. At practice, I work out with the boys because it is a challenge. The day before our Rhode Island State Track Meet, I messed up on the steps to a throw.

I also did not throw the javelin that far. The boys, who are Hispanic, proceeded to laugh at me and make fun of me. I had been working so hard to overcome a knee injury and I thought no matter how hard I worked that I would fail. After I messed up, one of the guys said, “You throw like a girl”. I was like; What is that supposed to mean? I threw my hardest and failed, there should be no one ridiculing me about it just because I am a female and I am white. I felt like I did not belong on the team, that I was not good at something I have been working at for five years. It was the worst feeling and, in that moment, I wanted to give up, quit and never throw again. I decided that I would just show how great I can be, you know, for a girl. The next day I threw 98.6 ft and placed 7th overall in the state. The boys on my team didn’t even place. They said congratulations, I guess 7th place is good for a girl. Since then, I have felt like I am lesser than everyone else and I have given up track.

The only thing I want to know, considering I am semi educated on this issue, is why do people feel the need to make others feel unequal, and different? Why can’t everyone be seen as equal, we are all here in the US, working the same jobs, getting the same education, what more could others possibly want? It is frustrating to think about and to hear about. This is an extremely important topic in American Society. It happens every day and night and nobody is striving to make a difference. We should be past race issues and gender issues, and people should be more accepting. That will never happen due to the history of America and the beliefs of some grandparents given to kids and grandkids. This is a reoccurring cycle that cannot and probably will not be broken.

In conclusion, I have seen and experienced my own examples and issues with Other, Otherness and believe that more people need to be educated on this issue. Typical Americans are seen as white men and woman who work and were born in this country. This leaves Mexicans, African Americans and many others of different ethnicities who were born in the United States of America feeling like they are less than white people who were born in this country. In reality, everyone should be equal, no one should be identical, but they should be equal, identity does matter, you are not different due to your race, social class, gender or sexuality, you are you.