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Effects of racial discrimination on society
Racial discrimination impact on society
Effects of racial discrimination
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Prejudice against African Americans can lead to many horrible occurrences, even death. According to the article "Trayvon Martin," an African American with the same name was shot just because a person named George Zimmerman thought he was "dangerous; because he was dark-skinned and wearing a hoodie," in other words, "the uniform of a dangerous person". This shooting likely would not have occurred if Zimmerman were not prejudiced and believing stereotypes. Prejudice can really mess up someone's thought process; according to the article, "it was the skin color that was going through Zimmerman's mind when he saw the kid." Skin color is no reason for prejudice because it does not show who you really are, as a person. Furthermore, African Americans
At some point in life, every individual has been treated like an outsider. It occurs
Although African Americans make up just 30% of the total population of the United States, they are accounted for 60% of those imprisoned! That’s an enormous difference! What is the reason behind this? The obvious answer is racism. Maybe it’s because the police officers are racist and more suspicious about African Americans, but then again, maybe it’s because the African Americans commit more crime. Even if they do, it’s quite likely that this criminal attitude is roused when they are treated unfairly and discriminated against. Anyway, racism is the action of setting up unfair differences in between people of different races. The thing in our mind that provokes racism is prejudice. Prejudice is a negative thought that exists inside our mind, and it causes us to treat different people in a different way. But why does prejudice exist in the world? What is the reason behind our inexplicable tendency to differentiate between others?
Ever since America was found, there has not been social equality. African Americans were slaves for hundreds of years. During World War II, people discriminated the Japanese. Today, people are discriminating Muslims. People have repeated this part of history so many times, that it keeps happening. South Carolina Slave Laws, established in 1740, starts out article ten by saying “Slaves being objects of property...” (Bowdoin College). In the eighteenth century, people didn’t even think of African Americans as people, just property. This feeling has been passed on from generation to generation. In, To Kill a Mockingbird, Tom Robinson, a black man, was accused of raping a white woman. After being claimed guilty, he was shot and killed. “In Maycomb, Tom’s death was typical,” said the narrator Scout Finch (Lee, 275). People were not fazed by a black man being killed because it has happened so many times in the
There's a saying that you can't fight fire with fire. If violence is fought back with aggression, then all you do is end up getting burnt, and the problem intensifies. That is the view of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “Hate can not drive out hate: only love can do that” (Doc. A) This quote rings true, because if the African Americans were to become violent against the whites, then it would just shine more bad light on them. They are already looked down upon as “animals” and people who aren't worthy of the same “privileges” as blacks. If the oppressed turn violent, then that violence will become another thing that the whites can accuse them of. This can be used as another excuse for the whites to hate African Americans and be ten times as violent back.
Across the nation, millions of Americans of all races turn on the television or open a newspaper and are bombarded with images of well dressed, articulate, attractive black people advertising different products and representing respected companies. The population of black professionals in all arenas of work has risen to the point where seeing a black physician, attorney, or a college professor are becoming more a common sight. More and more black people are holding positions of respect and authority throughout America today, such as Barack Obama, Colin Powell, Condelezza Rice and many other prominent black executives. As a result of their apparent success, these black people are seen as role models for many Americans, despite their race. However, these groups of black people are exceptions to the rule and consist of only a tiny fraction of all black Americans. These black people in turn actually help to reinforce the inequality of black Americans by allowing Americans of other races to focus on their success. A common thought is, "They made it, why can't you do the same?" The direct and truthful answer to that question is Racism.
Nobody denies that in the past and present there has been racial acts against the African- American race. When the Africans first arrived here from Africa as slaves, they were not treated equal or considered humans, and were called heathens because they did not worship the God of Christianity (“Racism Timeline”). Most people would find it very hypocritical that the first European settlers of America came over for freedom of religion and to escape hate of the other religions, but were so quick to hate someone they have never seen before that didn’t share the same beliefs as them. Slavery separated families, degraded black people until they felt like animals, and placed value as property on another human being. Slave owners used this hierarchy to justify slavery and support that Africans were biologically inferior; Caucasians (whites) Ethiopians (Africans) Mongolians (...
According to Realist conflict theory, the stereotypes about African Americans formed from the competition for limited resources between European settlers and slaves of African descent (Lecture 3/29/16). It is important to understand the social psychological implications of stereotyping and prejudice, to consequently become more tolerant of others. Stereotyping and prejudice are thoughts that can lead to negative actions such as discrimination, which can lead to a decreased quality of life for any group in America. In a land that has based its constitution on life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, it is profoundly unacceptable. Through recognizing stereotypes, you will realize that your perceptions of a group are not always accurate, which will ultimately help to combat prejudice.
While browsing through articles on the internet, I came across many related to the topic of racism. I am beginning to feel as if I am surrounded by stories of racism. From the KKK’s aggressive campaign against immigrants, to the police violence against black people in cites throughout our nation, racism and discrimination continue to be problems. One story stood out to me and continues to make me uncomfortable. Malachi Wilson, a five year-old boy, could not attend his first day of kindergarten in Seminole, Texas. What could he have done to warrant the principal’s rejection? His hair was simply too long.
Have you ever been discriminated against simply because your skin is darker than the next person? Have you ever been told by someone that “your pretty for a dark skin girl or boy?” Have you ever been racist toward your own race? Since long before we or our parents were born, the black community has faced this problem with racism within the same race. In the black community, it is said that if a person have a lighter skin complexion, than they are superior to those with a darker skin complexion. Racism within the black community is a serious issue that needs to be addressed.
Welch, Kelly. 2007. “Black Criminal Stereotypes and Racial Profiling.” Journal of Contemporary Justice 23(3): 276-288 also talks about the discrimination within the courtroom, in the court it has been shown that the prosecutors when fighting a case against the defendant who’s client is Black use their race as an argument to win the case. They try to show how Black people are prone to be violent due to racial factors and therefore should be sentenced harshly. Given the history, unfortunately this argument sets in well and therefore leads to sentencing and prison time for the Black
People in America are not all seen as equal, and this is especially true when it comes to people of color. According to “Theories and Constructs of Race” by Linda Holtzman and Leon Sharpe: “The continuous racial targeting of people of color and the privileging of whites, along with the misinformation about race passed along from one generation to the next and reinforced through the media, has imbued people of all races with a distorted sense of personal and group identity” (Holtzman and Sharpe 604). This quote means that people of color are often targeted in a negative way, which shows that racism and discrimination is something that can be passed down or learned from the media. Today, there are people who still think minorities are inferior based on the color of their skin. “Theories and Constructs of Race” also mentions how from an early age, minorities become the target for racism, blame, and overall hatred. According to “Theories and Constructs of Race” by Linda Holtzman and Leon Sharpe: “The myth of racial inferiority and superiority has been upheld not only by physical violence and discriminatory policies but also by the psychological violence conveyed through stereotyping and racist messaging” (Holtzman and Sharpe 604). This quote means that minorities are constantly targeted both physically and psychologically, which shows that inequality is a “monster” due to the damage it causes to individuals on multiple levels. Racism can also lead to internalized racism, which causes individuals to adapt a self-deprecating attitude and engage in self-destructive behavior. Furthermore, hate, racism, and discrimination often result from people not understanding that not everyone is offered the same opportunities due to the lack of
Human beings have always feared what they don’t understand and, in this case, they started to hate people of different skin color and races as a result of that fear. It’s a common belief that African Americans are constantly involved in some form of trouble. An example of this can be found in Bryan Stevenson’s novel Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption. Bryan Stevenson is a nationally acclaimed professor and lawyer who challenged the racism in the criminal justice system. Growing up in Atlanta, Georgia, Stevenson often witnessed acts of racial discrimination from authorities. In one situation, Stevenson became the victim of such discrimination while sitting outside of his Midtown Atlanta apartment listening to music. Authorities soon approached him, accused him of being a thief, and illegally searched his car. At that moment, Stevenson realized that we, as a society, still have a long way to go in accepting the progress African Americans have made and getting rid of negative
... the shooting. The issue that caused the events which transpired was not purely structural issue or a lack of tolerance, but that overwhelming fear and hatred causes pointless violence and makes both sides lose their humanity. Whites did not understand African Americans and vice versa. They were both afraid of what the other might do and because of it, they both suffered. This still happens today like how George Zimmerman was accused of killing Trayvon Martin because he was not the right color.
A mixture of stereotypes, the lifestyles that come along with growing up in poor and dangerous surroundings, and other factors play a big part in why many fear black people as a race. A black male is walking near a women and crosses the street in order not to cross paths, as she spots him she sets her face on neutral, with her purse straps strung across her chest (521),gets in her car reaches over and locks her door.. You see these kind of things everyday, either on television or in real life. Mark Cuban, the owner of the nba franchise Dallas Mavericks had this to say on the subject in light of the Trayvon Martin case, "I mean, we 're all prejudiced in one way or another. If I see a black kid in a hoodie and it 's late at night, I 'm walking to the other side of the street.. And the list goes on of stereotypes that we all live up to and are fearful of." Another example of this fear can be seen in the case of the black 22 year old John Crawford. While playing around with a toy gun in Walmart, a police officer gunned him down, claiming he believed it was a real gun. Would this have happened if the young man had been white, or if he had been wealthy? In the early 1900s drastic measures used to be taken because many feared that blacks would become too wealthy or accomplished. Even black people today Hangings, lynchings, kkk violence, and other violent acts would take place to stop this from happening. Some believe this still may be the root cause of today 's oppression of black people in this society. Conspiracy theorists even say the murder of Tupac Shakur, world famous rapper and black activist, was even a calculated step in order to stop black people from becoming too powerful. The same is thought of the deaths of Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X. While it cannot be proven, there are no facts to disprove these
Racism and prejudice has been present in almost every civilization and society throughout history. Even though the world has progressed greatly in the last couple of decades, both socially and technologically, racism, hatred and prejudice still exists today, deeply embedded in old-fashioned, narrow-minded traditions and values.