STOP DEMEANING OTHERS! 

This might sound ridiculous and hilarious. Many might think that is this happening around? Do people really demean others just to feel better? This is quite true, and sometimes it is hurtful that it can break someone's heart and develop a feeling of sadness, depression, and low morale. 

Demeaning is not always by words but can be reflected with simple gestures like someone rolling their eyes at something you said or laughing at someone else's argument. Either of the actions is not good. Creating the feeling of negativity and unhappiness, one of the things to understand here is Demean behavior usually arises from suppressed emotion, but this cannot be generalized. 

In our everyday life, we come across a situation where people pass comments that might seem casual but are more linked to demeaning others. Some of the comments are:

• Someone is referring to the counter person in a relationship as Property. Well, you both are equally in a relationship and not owing to each other.
• They are using ethnic slurs that are not only deteriorating but also make people feel low.
• Homophobia people use terms like gay or lesbian as an insult. The truth is, this is not something to insult but is a comfortable lifestyle.

But before understanding the solutions to stop demeaning others, it is essential to know the causes:

• To make themselves feel better
• Out of jealousy
• To make themselves feel important
• To be liked by others
• Attention seeking tendency
• Need to control others
• Using displacement as a defense mechanism
• Manipulating others
• Carrying a negative outlook in life
• Low social and emotional intelligence
• Carrying stereotypes
• Lack of listening skills
• Lack of communication ability

So, what should you do when you face such a situation? Some might think that it's better to walk away, while others will be ready to fight since they are frustrated by the continuous nagging. But either of the solutions is short-lived and can even lead you to feel depressed and unhappy, landing in the same situation where you might demean others in the process. 

So, some of the ways where you can make others aware they are wrong but politely are:

• Realize that their comments reflect on them, NOT you. The power of consciousness helps to build emotional intelligence.
• Counter Evidence is good. Agreeing to disagree by politely addressing the situation and remaining positive can resolve the issue.
• Be firm with your perspective. But it does not mean that you will always be correct. In a situation where you want to hold on and put down the negativity, this is best.
• Never attack back. There is an old saying, "An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind." So instead, empathize with them, which will lead the situation to stop consequently.
• Share how you feel. This isn't easy, but when you share how their comment makes you feel, you might find the other person quite apologetic.
• Say goodbye to negativity. Such people are best when you minimize the communication with them. So, refuse to engage more.

While there might be thousands of solutions to the problem, the most important thing is to initiate the step towards a change. Standing against such a person and supporting the targeted one is key to this change. Just let people know and remember one thing:

Whoever is trying to bring you down is already below you.