Sunday 1 March 2015

That Outsider feeling

Prejudice in various forms has always been in the world and will likely remain notwithstanding the genuine efforts of governments and well-meaning  individuals the world over.
Victims of prejudice go through so much emotionally and while some are able to maintain their sanity, the not-so-rugged hearted slide down the slippery slope down the hole from which emerge persons with a grudge and hatred often directed at the group perceived to have pushed them off the edge but sometimes the hatred and aggressiveness is directed at society as a whole for 'endorsing' the injustice they suffer.

In an earlier article on the subject of racism, I narrated my experience in my country of birth where free movement between cities is met with tribal prejudice. This is hatred of a person of same skin colour, but because he/she has a name that sounds different, is treated like a second class citizen.
In addition to ethnicity, religion is often thrown into the mix and you then struggle to secure employment, develop your career and can even find it hard to rent accommodation because some landlords refuse to let to persons from a particular tribe.

I have come to realise though that this dislike and hatred of people that are different is human nature and exists everywhere from Russia to Sudan, Ireland to Nigeria, humans will continue to hate and consequently generate more hatred.
If considering relocating anywhere, the effect of prejudices is an issue to consider seriously.

Though I have been able to maintain my sanity having suffered prejudice in different parts of the globe, I now worry for my kids. I have seen kids born and bred in England subjected to racial abuse and told to go back where they came from and it makes me wonder how that must feel.
It's no secret that a child of negroid features has a limit to how high he/she can aspire to in Europe because that child's origin is outside continent.
A friend once said that as migrants we should take the blame for putting our children in such a situation- not fully accepted in their country of birth and unlikely to be accepted in any other country including their ancestral home.
It's hard to say why migrants remain in these countries faced with these difficulties. Each individual will probably have a different reason but sometimes it's simply that the decision to leave your home country is much easier that the decision to return before retirement.

The outsider feeling has a greater psychological impact on teenagers who ordinarily at that stage of their life struggle to discover who they are. Rebellious kids and as mentioned above the ones unable to cope with the 'rejection' by society end up seeking acceptance elsewhere and this is where gangs and drug barons step in. This is true in France, UK and United States where youths from minority neighbourhoods and ghettos have resulted in violence in recent years.
With so much online propaganda videos by militant groups today, this disillusioned youngsters sometimes fall prey.

Humans will always wander, seeking greener pastures however it is crucial to be aware of some of the life-changing challenges you are likely to encounter before making the leap.