Body Paragraph 1: Social Position

Even though we are outwardly taught that we are all made to be equal, the truth is, whether unconsciously are not, people are inherently different therefore judged differently. Humans system of life is consumed by categorizing and stereotyping based off of common occurrences and passed experiences. No, stereotyping is not good and leads to  prejudices and blatant  ignorance because people think they know a person based on their title. However, those stereotypes do hold truth to them and humans cannot be blamed for making them because it is almost a natural reflex when you meet a person. Where problems arise are when people start classifying those titles as “good” or “bad” and when people are ranked a hierarchy is established. You are more inclined to trust a priest than to trust prostitute, and you would probably feel more comfortable letting a 20 year old female babysit your kids rather than a 45 year old male, and even if that stereotype or concern may be true 99% of the time, that 1% shows more than the 99% because it shows that there are no absolute truths and that not everything you believe is as simple and black and white as what shown on the surface. This is event when Luzhin accused Sonia of stealing money from him. No one believed Sonia and she was close to being arrested until someone more “credible” stepped in. Luzhin was able to simply declare that Sonia was a thief and he would have gotten away with it if Lebeziatnikov had not stepped in even though his accusal was simply his word against Sonia’s. Sonia would not have offered to empty her pockets if she had known the money was there. However, since Sonia has a yellow card, the police would not have had a problem believing Luzhin, and Sonia’s life would have been destroyed simply because of her title. Raskolnikov summed it up perfectly when he said “it was all due to your social position and the habits associated with it” (page 386). That quote is at the heart of injustice in society, and can explain the murders of Travon Martin and Jordan Davis. In honor of this past Black History Month (because Gulliver always puts so much energy into celebrating every February), it was great to hear that another man did not get convicted of murdering an unarmed black teen  (good to know know that if my sisters loud music hurts my ears, I can shoot her thanks to the stand your ground law). More likely than not, Travon Martin  and Jordan Davis’s fate were due to their “social position and habits associated with it”. It’s evident that the value of people’s life is attached to their social position, and some people’s lives prove to be more valuable than others. Part of Raskolnikov’s justification for killing Aliona Ivanova was that she was simply an “old pawnbroker”. Yes, one old mean pawnbroker’s life probably won’t affect the world as much as someone of greater importance like the president. Whether we like it or not, we aren't just all “humans” and we are far from reaching a society where everyone is valued equally. Even though Aliona Ivanova wasn't someone of great importance, it’s hard to tell if that means her life is so worthless that Raskolnikov can use that as a valid reason of killing her.