If I could change one thing in the world we live in today, It would be more inclusion of people who may seem different from us. These people might not have the same gender, sexual orientation, values and belief systems as us, or come from a different cultural or social background. Whenever I go on social media now, my feed is flooded with stories and posts about people advocating for the rights of different groups of people, whether it may be the LGBTQ community or Black folks. This tells me that maybe the world isn't so bad after all (Although there is still the Coronavirus pandemic going on and there are still injustices taking place in this world). I am actually starting to think that maybe this can be a chance for us to prove that humanity does exist and maybe it isn't all that bad and there are people who care about these things going on in the world.
I realized how there are many movies that came out and discussed these differences. Some of them that I can name off the top of my head are Love, Simon, The Hate You Give, and Crazy Rich Asians. Although Crazy Rich Asians wasn't necessarily centered around a specific injustice of any kind, it still dealt with the model minority aspect and how it affects those of Asian/Pacific Islander descent. The other movies directly pointed out issues more closely correlated with being different from others, whether it is in terms of sexual orientation or racial identity. I liked how these movies help raise certain issues without being overly dramatic about it or making things appear fantasy like. These movies handle the situations really realistically and I am sure those who have watched it can give it kudos for bringing light to and helping raise awareness of things that are usually unspoken.
I think that is what we need to tell people out there struggling with their identity. We should tell them that they don't have to pretend or fake another identity. I feel like oftentimes, when we can't turn to anywhere else, we often end up trying to be something that we are not. This is the reason why what I find incredibly beautiful about all the stuff many are doing with activism and awareness is that it speaks words to people. I am obviously not talking about literal words but actual thought and perception. All this activism is letting people know that they are not alone and they don't have to pretend to put a mask on of another identity. There will always be a community made up of kind souls that get them. Once they find these communities that are starting to form more rapidly than ever, due to all the things that are going on right now in this world, I hope they realize that there is some good in this world after all..