Live GR: Discrimination, 18th of May, 7:30 pm AEST
Hey everyone!
This Monday we're going to be having another live discussion, this time to do with Discrimination.
Discrimination can take place in many forms, and is present pretty much everywhere. It affects everything from someone's day to day life to the kinds of policies we see in government. This has profound effects on people's welfare and mental health, and this is definitely something to remember with all of the news and information circulating right now!
Because discrimination is so pervasive, sometimes we might not notice it in circumstances that don't affect us, or we may even take part without realising it. Which is one of many reasons why it's so important to discuss and keep discussing topics like sexism, racism, ableism, and other forms of prejudice- as well as how we can tackle them as a society!
Beyond this, this Getting Real chat is a safe space to discuss discrimination and how it has affected you and your loved ones, as well as how to cope with it and who to reach out to for support- whether personal or professional!
We'll be kicking off the discussion at 7:30 pm AEST on Monday the 18th of May, and hope to see you all there! 😄 
Also, anyone who wasn't online tonight is welcome to add their own responses and keep the conversation going!
Goodnight everyone! 🙂
Help educate people and participate in social action. Do what you can each day to reduce stigma. It can be big or small but keep trying and don’t give up.
@Eden1717 I think those are really important points. Correcting someone's misconception or use of stigmatising language is a brave thing to do. Sometimes, the other person doesn't know that they are being discriminatory, so it's good to keep this in mind and try to correct them in a nice way rather than starting a fight.
Hmm it depends what the situation sometimes family can help you feel batter or a friend sometimes you may need to take things further either legally or to some kind of authority.
Just checking in with yourself, and noticing your own behaviors. Even just little things like noticing when you're using gendered language for a person you don't know. I've noticed even professionals use language such as 'he' when referring to GPs etc. 'They' is always a better option unless you know a person's pronouns! Another thing can be volunteering and trying to increase friendship groups by mixing with people you don't normally communicate with... it can sometimes be a good way to increase your understanding of others!
...Also, everything @WheresMySquishy just said. 
@Hozzles That's so true. It's so easy to do things like that. I remember a funny moment once when I was running participants through my study. We were waiting for another participant and I said something like, 'He's still coming... actually I don't know their gender'. 
@Eden1717 I like your point about men in health care, that is definitely an issue. It's also true that there are a lot of things discriminating against men, e.g. thinking 'men can't cry/ show emotion', etc. Sometimes, things hurting one group can inadvertently hurt another (e.g. 'crying is a female show of weakness' hurts both men and women).
Also discrimination against poor people and people who are or seem less educated.
@Eden1717 exactly! 'Pink tax' is so real. I also kinda feel the same way for Pride and things, in June which is Pride month companies start painting their products rainbow colours but when the month is over all that support is gone... sometimes companies try to manipulate a show of support when in reality they're just trying to get you to buy something!
@WheresMySquishy exactly, in psych I've read a lot about the 'halo effect' -- we tend to attribute positive qualities more to people we consider more attractive! Interesting stuff.
I think that discrimination can look as though it's blatant or be subtle. It can occur in any kind of context, such as in a friendship or relationship, an employment or service context, or just through overlooking people's needs when designing a building. I think that some forms of discrimination can start off with 'good intentions', such as benevolent sexism, while others can be more malicious. I think we all discriminate at some point.
@WheresMySquishy really great points! For sure, 'oversights' count as discrimination, it's annoying when you start to recognize that a lot of places aren't wheelchair accessible, for instance. Recently I've found I sometimes engage better with texts when they're read out to me, and it's sad how hard it is sometimes to find words-to-speech software available for all websites etc. It's important to recognize that not everyone's perfect, and we can discriminate in some ways even if we're not aware of it. It's human!
Hi everyone! We've just been having some technical problems but hopefully we'll be starting shortly 🙂
Omg, this looks like such a good topic. Lot's to talk about! I'll be there if I can 😄
Also, @Hozzles I just realised that your profile picture is Celeste from Animal Crossing! I love Animal Crossing, you playing the new game?
Yay! 
@ApplesRoses - it is! And I am, we have a thread about it here!
time!
Yay! Can't wait to contribute and read responses as soon as I can- a very important and interesting topic indeed!
