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Research and Reflection on Differences, Special Needs and the Impact of Appearances

Susana Ramirez

Pacific Oaks College

HD 361 1P Social and Political Context of Human Development

7/22/2016
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And thus I clothe my naked villainy with old odd ends stoln out of holy writ; And seem a saint,

when most I play the devil William Skakespeare. Such words could not have captured the

concept of appearance any better. We live in a world invested in appearances. Cosmetic surgery

has become that of the ordinary. Changing for the sake of fitting in has become the norm for

those who cannot afford to be different. People are hungry for things to criticize. To be oneself is

not for the faint of heart. We often face being introverts for the sake of not being misinterpreted.

Single minded individuals have thrived on the expense of their preys self identities.

We have become so self conscious that we have stunted the growth of our own

personality. In Autobiography of a Face Lucy Grealy states I was, however dependent upon my

audience. Their approval or disapproval defined everything for me, and I believed with every cell

in my body that approval wasnt written in my particular script (Grealy). Grealy recognizes the

importance appearances once had a hold over her every waking moment. Grealy suffering from

disfigurement at an early age experienced the cruelty of ignorant minds. This cruelty stems from

fear of the unknown. Their inability to understand has hindered their capabilities to feel empathy.

Apathy has dominated the attitudes of many.

Beauty has become a standard few can aspire to. Social media has plagued the minds of

teens with the illogical concept of what so called beauty must look like. Thus the cycle of

oppression begins for those who are different. The fragile minds of developing brains are

subjugated to the manipulative propaganda social media spews on a daily basis. Such

propaganda causes emotional trauma which damages the self esteem of said individual on a long

term basis. Why are we meant to look like someone different from us? This is the question I find

myself pondering when I overhear the conversations of individuals who cannot ascertain specific

body figures deemed beautiful.

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It is of importance to educate our youth about disabilities that exist within our existence.

Gearly remarks The pain these children brought with their stares engulfed every other pain in

my life (Gnearly). Gnearly felt emotional pain, far harsher than any physical pain she has ever

experienced. Unnecessary it was for Gearly to feel such negative emotions; if preventive

measures would have been taken to ensure the population was educated on the matter. The hour

has come to change how we view the world. Shallowness can only go so deep in a world where

love reigns the deepest of depths.

Bullying is and will always be part of the world of academia. Wedgies, Indian burns, and

purple nurples were once the method of torture for the unfortunate victims of the playground

bullies. Now within our modern era and technological advances bullying has reached an

escalated point to where it has its own category. Cyber bullying is the technical term to describe

the method in which an individual is bullied online on social media platforms to the point of

exhaustion. Such behavior often leads the victims to commit suicide. The reason being that cyber

bulling has no time or space boundaries. It follows where ever the victims goes, giving him or

her no rest. In the following I will mention one of the unfortunate cases of cyber bullying. Polk

County Sheriff Grady Judd said Tuesday that he made the arrests Monday after one of the two

girls posted on Facebook as recently as Saturday that she had bullied the victim, Rebecca

Sedwick of Lakeland, Fla., and didn't care that she had died.
Rebecca, who killed herself Sept. 9 by jumping off a cement factory tower, was

"terrorized" by as many as 15 girls who picked on her for months through online message boards

and texts, according to authorities in Lakeland, Fla. One message said she should "drink bleach

and die.''
The online harassment allegedly continued after she transferred to a different school

(USA Today). It is truly heart breaking to see the lost of innocent lives over a matter that could
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have been prevented. It is within our hands to advocate against all types of cruel abuse. We as

individuals are capable of making a difference in someones life by giving a gentle hand to

support them in their time of need.

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Reference

(Johnson, 2006, 2001)

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