This Halloween, I won’t be scared of clowns or gore—I’m more afraid of what’s happening on campus. I fear what has become so normal at Western: the fact that I can feel isolated when I’m surrounded by other students. It feels as if the student body at Western has this spectrum in which you’re either too much of something, or not enough—and there’s absolutely no in between, and it’s scary how people are constantly judged by it. I’ve become very familiar with this feeling; I’m either not accepted in my own community or I don’t fit in with the majority. There’s no middle ground and it’s terrifying how individuals can become separated from both groups. Unfortunately, this is the reality here at Western and many students share this feeling.
Coming from an Indian home in a relatively diverse community, I never really felt directly oppressed; my high school was very inclusive and accepting. I grew up with a lot of different cultures surrounding me. Naturally, I felt as though I’d be right at home at Western due to its known ‘diversity’ and cultural appreciation. Although I love Western and everything it has to offer, I find it shocking how isolated I can feel as a person of colour.
I am a proud member of the South Asian community, but take one look at me and you’ll see that I don’t necessarily fit the traditional “Indian girl” mold. As a result, I often get the question: “where are you from?” When I say that I’m East Indian, people respond with “you don’t look Indian.” Though it may sound innocent, being told that I don’t look like someone straight out of a Bollywood movie, or some other known stereotype of Indian girls, is insulting. Just because I don’t look like a typical Indian girl, I often get written off as being ‘whitewashed’, and I subsequently feel isolated from other Indian people on campus. On the other hand, I also feel isolated when I’m in a group of white people because of the simple fact that I can’t relate to them, and they can’t relate to me.
This idea of a spectrum applies to the majority of people on campus. When I talk to my other friends of colour, they tell me that they’re constantly judged for their appearance. One of my closest friends felt so comfortable in her own skin when she was in high school—she could wear her natural hair without thinking twice about it. Once she came to Western, that completely changed. She could feel complete strangers staring at her everywhere she turned; people would even ask to touch her hair on a daily basis. It’s as though it was a point of fascination for students when an African girl let her natural hair loose. Needless to say, all the unwanted attention made her feel like she had to wear wigs and weaves everyday to be accepted. And she isn’t the only one: a lot of students feel like they have to change their appearance or the way they act in order to “fit in” with the majority. Some people won’t even acknowledge other people of their own ethnicity in order to fit in with the crowd.
If you aren’t extremely engaged with your culture or you’re too involved in it, it’s easy for everyone else to isolate you. Western maintains an environment that pushes coloured people aside to their social clubs and excludes them from opportunities around campus. People of colour have to work so much harder to obtain these opportunities. An example of this could be sophing: I was extremely fortunate to have been placed on a very diverse team, but, when I look at other soph teams, there are close to no people of colour on them. Likewise, if I look at sororities and fraternities, there are almost no people of colour as it’s almost impossible for them to get any positions. This sends a message that rejects the importance of people of colour, making it extremely difficult for visible minorities to put themselves out there to gain the same experiences.
I love Western, but what scares me is the fact that this sort of discrimination is completely normal and no one talks about it. Whether you’re actively involved in your culture, or you know nothing about it, there’s always a chance for you to feel out of place. If we don’t talk about this topic, discrimination will fester and isolation among social groups will continue—is that the kind of culture we want on our campus?
Related Articles:
Want more HCW? Check us out on social media!