When going through life it is important to remember that sometimes, other people can see us differently than we do or we think they do.
In the documentary "Growing Up Among Strangers" (viewable here), several immigrants (four students and three adults) are interviewed about their experiences coming from different cultures and living in Canada. These people all describe instances where they have encountered someone that sees them differently than they view themselves.
For instance, Oryama had an experience where a vehicle on the street was continually driving past him and harassing him with jeers of "Nigger". Finally fed up with them, he flipped them the bird as they drove past again. However, this caused them to jump out of their vehicle and start chasing him with bats. Even though Oryama viewed himself as a nice guy, did well in school, respected his parents, was a member of the football team; these people still saw it as worth whatever may happen to harass and attempt to beat him.
Another example is with Navdep who, shortly after 9/11, was in an airport heading to India to visit relatives, where he and his family were harassed and viewed differently than the other passengers because of the recent tragedy and their race. Now, obviously, Navdep didn't view himself or his family as terrorists, but because of others' prejudices and preformed opinions, he wound up with the short end of the stick.
Both of these examples serve to illustrate the point that, even though we just see ourselves as ourselves, others may view us differently than we think; which can influence our lives.
In the documentary "Growing Up Among Strangers" (viewable here), several immigrants (four students and three adults) are interviewed about their experiences coming from different cultures and living in Canada. These people all describe instances where they have encountered someone that sees them differently than they view themselves.
For instance, Oryama had an experience where a vehicle on the street was continually driving past him and harassing him with jeers of "Nigger". Finally fed up with them, he flipped them the bird as they drove past again. However, this caused them to jump out of their vehicle and start chasing him with bats. Even though Oryama viewed himself as a nice guy, did well in school, respected his parents, was a member of the football team; these people still saw it as worth whatever may happen to harass and attempt to beat him.
Another example is with Navdep who, shortly after 9/11, was in an airport heading to India to visit relatives, where he and his family were harassed and viewed differently than the other passengers because of the recent tragedy and their race. Now, obviously, Navdep didn't view himself or his family as terrorists, but because of others' prejudices and preformed opinions, he wound up with the short end of the stick.
Both of these examples serve to illustrate the point that, even though we just see ourselves as ourselves, others may view us differently than we think; which can influence our lives.