In the shoes of others

Seeing someone else being discriminated

- When I see someone else being discriminated, it's shocking. It's not something I've experienced myself, and it's not something I'm accustomed to, but some people experience it their whole lives, simply by being who they are. And to come into contact with that is shocking, and quite painful. It makes you realize that some people, through no fault of their own are discriminated against. It's painful to witness and leaves a bit of taste.

- If you find yourself in a situation where, I don't know, a friend, a colleague or whoever is being discriminated, based on just anything, would you tend to say, do something, go towards the oppressor, the victim?

- I tend to react. I tend to say « That's not right » or « That's not okay to say something like that », especially and usually in the context when you don't know the person. I've been in cases where I have stood up to people, the one thing I've said is « Try to understand ». Because I think the source of people's fear and hatred comes from a lack of understanding. So if they can come to a point where they understand a culture or a sexual orientation better, then will come respect, and those cases will decrease in number.

- In your experience, how do oppressors tend to react when you have said something?

- Not well. Because by reacting you put them on the spot. And no one likes that. Deep down, they know it's fundamentally wrong, but it doesn't stop them, so it's putting them on the spot, so it tends to not make things end better, because it makes then angry, and in the cases where I have said « It's not okay » it led to more verbal abuse, so... it's difficult.

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These are the contributions to a social project to promote empathy and fight discrimination.

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