Racism
Racism, the belief that race accounts for differences in human
character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others.
All across the world racial discrimination has been a serious problem.
In Africa 80% of the population is black and the 20% that are white
have all the power, is it not true that all men are created equal?
Three stories: Afrika Road, The Prisoner who Wore Glasses, and Why
don't you Carve Other Animals, tell about Africa and how racial
discrimination is a big problem. A more dramatic story is the movie
"The Power of One" about an English boy growing up in Africa and his
struggles. In these short stories and in the movie racial conflicts
are evident in the form of white against white, white against black,
and black against black.
Not all white people believed that they were superior to the blacks,
this concept made the racist whites turn against other whites. In the
movie, PK, the main character, suffers ordeals which no one should
ever have to go through simply because he is English. At his boarding
school the other kids do not like his presence and they make sure he
knows it. Another white kid spits in PK's face and even takes it as
far as peeing on him in the bathroom. Sadly enough those weren't even
the more serious of the acts of hate shown in the movie. PK gets hung
up by his feet and stoned with a slingshot, all this because he is
English. In The Prisoner Who Wore Glasses, the only real instance of
white against white was when the guard took the prisoners side. Even
though he was forced too, the guard took the prisoners side and
treated them as equals, going completely against what the other guards
believed was right. Other than that there weren't many instances of
white against white discrimination in the stories, they were mainly
about the conflicts between blacks and whites.
Racial conflict between blacks and whites is definitely expressed more
in the short stories than in the movie. In Afrika Road, it is said how
even though 80% of the population is black, the white people still
have the power. This idea is also expressed metaphorically in Why
Don't You Carve Other Animals? When it says " The elephant has ruled
the forest for a long time, he is older than the forest, but the
giraffe extends his neck and struts above the trees, as though the
forest belonged to him. He eats the topmost leaves, while the elephant
spends the day rolling the mud. Do you not find it interesting?
Prejudice, the act of judging someone based on outward appearance or social standing. In the 1960’s Harper Lee wrote a book called To Kill a Mockingbird, about prejudice and how hard the times were. In To Kill a Mockingbird, there are many examples of prejudice showing how morally wrong it was. There are several examples of prejudice in the book: Tom Robinson because he is African American, Boo Radley because of his standing in their society, and the Cunningham Family because of how poor they were. The following paragraphs will discuss these examples.
Racism (n): the prejudice that members of one race are intrinsically superior to members of other race (Wordnet search, 1), a controversial topic in today’s society, a subject that many people try to sweep under the rug, but yet a detrimental problem that has been present in America since the colonial era. Will this dilemma come to a halt? Can all Americans see each other as equals despite their skin color and nationality; and what role has it played in past generations versus today’s generations and how will it affect our future? Has this on going way of thinking gotten better or worse? These are questions raised when many think about the subject; especially members of American ethnic groups and backgrounds, because most have dealt with racial discrimination in their life time.
Why racism will never end: prejudices are caused by misfortune. Racism and prejudice have always existed in human history. Being a taboo subject and a controversial topic, many people have tried to explain and find the reason for such human behavior towards another group of people. Such research is the hope of many to see the racial discrimination ending. Vincent N. Parillo, through his essay "Causes of Prejudice" tries to explain the reasons for racism and discrimination in the U.S.
While racial prejudice and racism may seem and sound similar, they are different. According to the Oxford Dictionary racism is “the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races” (Racism); whereas, prejudice is a “preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience” (Prejudice). An important difference between racial prejudice and racism is that prejudice is a part of individuals, and racism is a part of a society. Racism is far more powerful than racial prejudice, even though it takes racial prejudice for racism to exist. Racism is where a “racial group has the social power to act on racial prejudice and negatively impact the lives of another racial group” (Harvey & Allard, 2012, p. 72). Racism is far more impacting and damaging than racial prejudice, even though racism cannot exist without some form of racial prejudice being present. An example of racial prejudice would be to assume that African American teenagers tend to be thieves. An individual store owner may have such racial prejudice simply based on an unfounded preconceived opinion. The store owner may be more suspicious of African American teenagers when they shop at his store that that of White teenagers. Racial prejudice can also happen when a person sees a group of African American teenagers, and automatically views them as gangsters and trouble makers simply based on an unfounded preconceived opinion. An extreme example of racism is when African Americans were not treated as equals in many parts of America before and duri...
Racism is defined by dictionary.com as '1. A belief or doctrine that inherent differences between the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others. 2. a policy, system of government, etc., based on or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination. 3. hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.' The first is most appropriate to use for my purposes, as it most general, and defines what i ill be analyzing. The basic problem of racism starts with the idea that there is something different between different races. Though it is an irrational thought, it is a very common one, that can seem unavoidable. We are all taught that we were all created equal, so the idea that one group is inferior to another goes against something that many people stress, and is an important point in many religions. For the most part, humans like the idea of being equal to everyone else. So why do we discriminate against people of different ethnic backgrounds?
The two earlier existing schools, industrial schools and boarding schools, were united into residential schools by the Canadian Government in 1864 (Reimer, 2010:36). Miller (1996) has explained “the governing of the schools had the form of joint venture between state and church (Roman , Anglican, Methodist or United Church) where the state was responsible for the financing (Miller, 1996:25). ’’ The Canadian Government was responsible directly when it came to establishing residential schools for Aboriginal children.
Racism is increasingly seen as a potent cause towards the health of ethnic minorities. Increased interest in this issue has led a growing number of researchers to investigate the correlation of racism and health outcomes. Ethnicity, a socially constructed concept, sees individuals with a common background or culture belonging to a particular group. This results in individuals using ethnicity to represent themselves in relation to others, especially in the presence of other ethnic individuals. However, racism arises when external gestures are made from individuals who show superiority and preference for their own cultural background, due to biological descent. Racism is a problem faced by many ethnic minority groups, resulting in inequalities that lead towards negative health outcomes.
Can one say that Americans have become tolerant or is racism alive and thriving in America? In recent news reports in print and televised, intolerance of others has been a hot topic. From the Clippers basketball franchise owner to the brothers that host a show on HGTV (Home and Garden Television). Have we not gotten past the racism that saw people sprayed with high pressure water hoses and attacked by trained dogs or has it become culvert to the point where most feel secure to be who they only to be shocked back to reality by things such as aforementioned?
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.
Black youths arrested for drug possession are 48 times more likely to wind up in prison than white youths arrested for the same crime under the same circumstances. Many people are unaware how constant racism has been throughout the years. It is important to understand the problems of racism because it is relevant to society. Racism in America is very real and Americans need to know it.
A lot of people cannot understand that racism is a kind of injustice. Race is an artificial classification made by ignorant people as it is not a natural or a genetic distinction. God has created all human beings equal but sometimes people fail to understand that for many reasons like their ignorance of the history, culture and belief of the other race. Racism has destructive consequences and it prevents the development of society. It leads to division of society and harmful conflicts. Moreover, it can lead to enslavement and even wars and colonization. So, people have to understand its causes that make it still existed to stop it and develop the society as there are no innovations, inventions and developments in a racist
"KAFFIR". When you see or hear this word, what runs through your mind? Do you
Racism, as a dictionary term, is the belief that a person or group of people are meager because of their ethnic background (Webster, n.d.). However, the term “RACSISM” can be applied to many different subjects under prejudicial debate. If one thought about it, the definition of racism can mean more than just a hatred for a specific race or races. The word could imply the discrimination of religion, gender, or sexual orientation. And from this conception, a fixed yet illiterate belief of how certain factions behave, develops. These established interpretations are known as stereotypes, which have a wide range of topics they are used to define. Religion, gender, race, and sexual character are just a fraction of subjects that are often stereotyped.
Racial Oppression Today, a serious problem exists all over the world. Racial oppression takes place in the poorest and the richest countries, including America. Racial oppression is characterized by the majority, or the ruling race, imposing its beliefs, values, and laws on the minority, or the ruling race. In most areas, the ruling race is upper class whites that run the “system”, and have a disproportionate amount of power. In other areas, it may not be the white race, but it is still the race that comprises the majority, makes the laws, or has the most money.