How Does Discrimination Affect People?

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Discrimination affects members of a society in many different ways, most of them negatively. For people who are being discriminated against, their quality of life and most likely their self-esteem suffer greatly. People who discriminate against others run the risk of having legal proceedings brought against them.

Discrimination against people based on their race, religion, culture, health, age or disability is generally frowned upon. In the United States, it is also illegal for employers to deny a person employment for those reasons. Certain exceptions do apply, however. For instance, if a certain job requires frequent heavy lifting or another type of strenuous activity, employers may request that an applicant only apply for that job if they are physically able to perform to the job’s rigorous standards. Sometimes ability is difficult to assess based solely on appearance. For this reason, some employers require certain testing or qualifications to ensure that their employees are well equipped to handle their job duties. Although it’s important to be discerning or discriminating in certain areas, such as when a person is gauging personal safety or comparison shopping for the best deals, discriminating against a person based solely on his or her appearance can have disastrous effects.