I just wanted to know what people think about being raised as a minority. Forget what color you are, just if you were the only one.?

You are constantly aware of being the different one, the Other. The majority doesn't have to feel any kind of self-consciousness about themselves because they are the "norm" and the culture reflects back to them that they are normal, the dominant group. So they are not aware of many things they say and do, and the assumptions they make, that are offensive or hurtful to the minority. The "oppressed" are always highly conscious of the behavior of the dominant group, whereas the dominant group doesn't notice many things about the minority and may not even be aware of things that are normal everyday events or customs in the life of the minority. A good example of this might be a black woman who works as a housekeeper for white people, who treat her as someone invisible, though she is aware of every ignorant thing they say. If the minority person gets a chance to be in a place where they are in the majority--for example, say if an Indian-American goes to live in India for a while where they are just one of many people who look like them and are familiar with the same customs, or if a Jew goes to live in Israel--they suddenly have a feeling of waking up to that amazing experience of just being another person, not someone special to be singled out and made to feel different or even ridiculed and despised. Of course, if an African-American goes to Africa, they may be treated like any American tourist as soon as the locals realize they are not native Africans, but just having the same skin color as the majority could make them feel relaxed in a way they never have before.

is like sleeping next to an elephant