Diversity is an inevitable product of globalization however
it is a realm of discrimination in the classroom environment. A school revolves
around different agencies such as the environment it resides, the parents,
teachers and students and homogenous cultures can take place through rejecting
foreign cultures. This discourse was performed during the white Australian
policy however after its abolishment in the 1970s this negative discourse can
leave traces in future generations. Jane Lee’s article “Racism, bullying drove
me to success, judge tells new Asian law association” presents the personal
experience of a Greek judge and how not belonging to the Australian culture was
the motivation he used to achieve success. Espelage and Hong’s study shows that
individuals with Asian and African American backgrounds were often victimized
by Hispanic or White groups because they were associated with stereotypes.
Individuals that have a different background from the
dominant racial group in a school environment are victimized because they are
associated with negative stereotyping. Lee’s article highlighted Mr Kyrou’s, a
Greek judge, history of bullying through a white dominant school environment. He
stated that individuals “should not hold back…by any feelings of inferiority
based on ethnicity, religion, gender or other personal attribute.” This can be
compared to Hong and Espelage’s evaluation on the stereotyping that caused
bullying to Asian and other minorities. Asians were given social expectations
of academic prowess while African American students were expected to drop out
and stray into alcoholism and drugs. Mr Kyrou would have experienced racism in
harsher tone than contemporary victims because he studied during the aftermath of
the White Australian Policy. However his past was not in vain because recent
victims of racial bullying are able to experience hope through his motivational
speeches. Bullying is detrimental to an individual’s social and emotional
performance in any environment in particular, racial bullying is a major form
of bullying because it does not simply victimize one person; it extends its
impact towards the entire race in general. The victims of bullying are prone to
psychological problems that can set them back from succeeding in life and grow
insecurities about their race. Mr Kyrou was fortunate to tackle his negative
past in a healthy way but for others it would not be the same. Diversity is not
only detained in law schools, any school environment will be exposed to this.
Bullying can target different attributes of an individual, apart from race
there is gender, sexual orientation, interests and socio-economic status.
Going through high school I experienced a mild form of
bullying. My classmates frequently associated my qualities to Asian
stereotyping however I found it odd because I did not entirely possess these
stereotypical attributes. I was not an outstanding student and my goals were
not set on becoming a lawyer or a doctor as supposedly expected from an Asian
student. Studying a teaching profession, it is vital to turn away from
stereotyping because it may lead to expectations that students cannot meet. It
also prevents other students from gaining opportunities hence they could take a
down turn in life. Individuals should be able to nurture the attributes they
possess and use them to succeed in life.
J.S. Hong, D.L. Espelage (2012), Aggression and Violent Behavior 17, 311–322
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