What is is like to be an "Other"?

Question

this is a follow up question to flyinghorse's question about demonisation and otherness.

Answer 1

Men are the newest "other" on the block.

Ain't Life Grand?

Answer 2

In order for a species to survive, it has to demonize others to a certain degree.  A zebra must know the lion is its enemy...obvious analogy, but not a comparison in that human relationships are different and advanced.  We see "otherness" contextually:  we are contextualized as "others" depending on where we are in any particular society at any given time.  It appears necessary for humans to differentiate and categorize, to design and create hierarchies and policies based on superficial circumstances and then common consensus.  We create those designations in order to make sense of the world...we need labels to differentiate between a dog and a bear so that we can communicate among ourselves.  In cultural terms, certain labels come to have positive or negative attachments, as in the denotation of a particular word carries a weight which also weighs down the object being denoted.  Being an "other" is necessary; it's the labels attached to that particular form of otherness that are at issue when demonization is involved.

Answer 3

Well, of course it's uncomfortable and often dangerous ~ physically and emotionally, especially for a young person.

But there is also a level where it can be empowering if you let it.

By which I mean, if people are already decided you are outside their circle, you are free to be who you want without having to conform to stereotypes or try to live up to ridiculous rules made by and for others.

And the other 'other' people are much more interesting than the insiders. Yes, they really are, and more fun, too, lol.

Of course, that applies where people can live safely as 'other' without fear of any more than isolation or ridicule.

In many places, even in free western countries, you can be imprisoned by the state or even killed, by the state or your 'friends and neighbours', for being the odd one out.

And to an extent that underlies everything in your life.

Best wishes :-)

Answer 4

To be an "Other" from my personal point of view, is to feel less, because you don't fit in the eyes of others.

In a light sense, as in my personal experiences:

Being treated differently  because of my passport

Being treated differently because I didn't fit a macho mentality culture

Being treated differently by my father just because I was the only girl, although my brothers just stole money from him.

And by differently I mean, treated as an inferior..etc..

But these cases are light, very light to worse scenarios:

Being treated as a non human. because you happen to be the enemy, decided by some politicians

Being treated as non human, because you are a trophy of war, like war rapes

And so many other examples concerning racism and homophobic views.

It seems that if we are not all coming from the same factory, same brand, same way of dressing, thinking, same color, same religion, always someone somewhere is going to just make you feel less. Absurd I know, but oh it happens just to often

The other, is always, the alien. It doesn't fit in a way. In a personal level means nothing when the same mentality is translated into conflict zones

Answer 5

This particular situation may not seem like the biggest deal ever, but still, it's a specific example I can give that might help.

I'm female, I play video games, with a paricular fondness for MMORPGs. I got really into World of Warcraft for awhile. There are a good number of women who play WoW, but the majority of players are still male, and the community has a very "guy's club" vibe to it. Except when I'm dealing strictly with people in my own guild, I tend to get treated like it's weird that I'm there, and like I don't count, don't belong, and aren't competent. I've had guys explain to me how it makes perfect sense for top end guilds to refuse access to females, because you see, the guys in the guild might get a crush on us, and that would create drama, which would be our fault. Except that they don't actually say "guys", they say "people". "People" when they're talking about guys, "girls" when they're talking about girls. As if I'm not actually human or something. A lot of them act like they think having a girl in the group is a liability, like they're going to have to hold my hand and babysit me the entire time. The flip side of this are the guys who treat every female player like a goddess, which is equally insulting. These guys also tend to think you're a mindless bit of fluff, but if they give you gold and pass on all the loot you might want, maybe you'll have phone s*x with them! =I Why can't they treat me like just another player who wants to enjoy the game?

I feel like playing WoW has turned me into a different person. I'm MUCH more acutely aware of it when people treat me like an inferior now, and being a female gamer is one of the reasons I feel so strongly about feminism. It's proven to me that we'll probably never be SOCIAL equals, even if we have equal rights legally.

Answer 6

i think i am an other.

i'm liberal on some issues and republican on others, which means ii get thumbs-down from BOTH political parties.

besides the fact that i'm totally insignificant and can't make a difference at all, it's not so bad. people hadn't beat me up or thrown rocks at me since my parents took me out of NYC middle school and put me into suburban high school, so that's that.

i was brave enough to read star trek novels in middle school in NYC in the cool-obsessed 80's and i'm brave enough to challenge "positive" thinking now (proudly negative here! "positive" people think their thoughts are enough to change reality and all they seem to do is 'demonize' people who think for themselves instead of positively).

and i don't change the world one little atom, niether back then, nor now.

edit: haha, i quit playing WoW for similar reasons as below, tho i wasn't discrimitated at so bad -- i was undead warlock lol. UGLY rotting woman ;)

then i found a guild on the allience side, but my guild had 6 adult females in it, but guild-mates also thought animal torture was funny, so i left and never playing MMORPG again. at least guys who play it are not known for their dating ability!