Being Overlooked And Underappreciated In The Modern World

In today's world the thought of being overlooked and underappreciated is just at an all time high in today's society, it feels as though society is repeating what happen almost sixty years ago. As a black man being born and raised on American grounds I go through a daily stereotype and prejudice in which can be uncomfortable at time. Who would want to feel the presence of being watched all the time every time you walk in a store or hearing the sound of car doors being locked when you walk by a car or seeing people switch sides of the street or holding closely to their items when you walk by. These are daily things majority black men face in today's society and have to overcome and ignore on a daily, why have someone still go through this when all this happened in the past?

One way i'm overlooked and underappreciated is the fact that i'm stereotyped, one main stereotype that i go through on a regular is the fact that i have dreads, with me having dreads people see me being a potential criminal or even a possible drug dealer. Also with me having dreads it can be bad when it come to applying for a job because people perceive dreads as being dirty or not clean. Another stereotype I go through is the simple fact that i'm black, being black in america people view you different as if you don't even exist in society, not all people look at it like this though. If I was to go into a neighborhood that have nice houses the caucasian race would look at me as if i was to be in the wrong neighborhood or maybe planning to do some criminal actions. With me having dreads AND being black, that gives off the impression to other races as if I could maybe be uneducated or even be ignorant, since the proven dropout rate in the united states is 69% for african american, 73% for hispanic and 86% for white graduates. Sometimes the way i dress it may give off a certain feeling that i could be in a gang because my clothes are baggy or maybe because my pants could be hanging off my waist slightly. All these cause are some of the reason why I am overlooked and underappreciated by others.

Another reason i'm overlooked and underappreciated is because of the location i live in. The high school i attended was one of fourteen schools in the county which had student body of 50/50 male, female percentage and the total minority rating being 55%. With that being said when you hear about my school you think about how great the football team is, but no ones pays attention to the test scores. My school wasn't a bad school when it came to academics but it did have a name to it for all the fights and drama that would take place in the school, at one point in time i can remember there being fight everyday of the week for almost a week in a half. Besides the schooling of the location i was in,another thing that was an issue was being in the suburbs, being where i lived at, there were more white people then black so certain areas white people would make a funny gesture towards you like a “why are you over here” or if you were to walk in a gas station in that area the cashier would watch you and make sure you wasn't stealing. Never understood the point of being watched upon entrance of a store, that right there tells someone you don't appreciate them if you feel the need they may steal because of their race but not question another race that enter a store.

Finally one last reason why i'm overlooked and underappreciated is just because of my socioeconomic background. I was born in a middle class household, something most americans are also known as “white collar”. Being in the middle class are usually a financial stable family or a family that are able to take at least one vacation a year have one family car to transport them to where they need to be. So to someone who maybe more financially wealthy than me they may feel as though they are better because of their income or the simple fact that they were born in an upperclass family. Although because of the class I was born in wasn't the only reason why i'm overlooked, but the simple fact that i'm a minority. Being a minority in the USA can be positive and negative, some positives in being a minority in america is the fact that there are scholarships for being a minority that you can apply for and use to your advantage in college, but on the other hand the negatives to that is the fact that people will actually judge you by the color of your skin before you meet them if they're on the opposite race. The fact that racial slurs are still being thrown around and the fact that racism is still present in society shows a bunch of unappreciation, almost as if history is repeating itself from almost fifty years ago.

In conclusion these are a few things I go through almost on a regular in america, all these little things add up and can make someone feel as if their overlooked or underappreciated in america but with all the negatives things taking place it's only best to prove others wrong and make them regret counting you out because nowadays the caucasian race don't want to see the african american race being successful, they rather see us tear eachother apart and not be successful or even bring the old america back, which is why you have to give them a reason to appreciate you. These several ideas i mentioned are some of the reasons why i feel as though i'm overlooked or even underappreciated.