Arguments Against Racism

I, Lyvi King, am a southern, white female with no racially diverse ethnic identity besides western European. Proving my credibility to define such controversial topic is hard but I feel my surroundings make it that much easier to write about. Every day, I am surrounded by people that fall into two categories: considerably racist people, and another group that are the farthest from it. “Racism is a man’s gravest threat to man- the maximum of hatred for a minimum of reason,” said Abraham Joshua Herschel. On my own, I chose to draw the line between a history of hatred and my basic human/Christian moral. Like many arguments humans face today, Racism is typically a topic of discussion that people have little education of. Most commonly because

It dates back to ancient Rome, in the form of slavery, which was a critical practice in order for Roman society to flourish. Unlike in the United States, slaves in the Roman Empire practiced manual labor, but also were considered skilled professionals such as physicians or artists. Their talents were used as an advantage, rather than a segregated labor force. Through the progression of time, racism in the US has taken its toll on Native Americans, Immigrants, and today associates primarily with African Americans. Since the 1960s laws have been passed limiting the ability to be unkind or create outburst pertaining to the dislike of African American

That’s exactly what reverse racism is. Though in the US this idea is often ignored because minorities find it hard to break the down the wall of hierarchy whites have built. In the work force, companies strive for diversity but do not actually want to train and retain minority workers. Studies show, “on average white applicants receive 36% more call backs than equally qualified African Americans and typical names such as “Lakisha” and “Jamal” versus “Emily” or “Brandon” would be the kind of names that signal race and ethnicity” causing them not to get the job. From these studies, it appears (some) business owners have the mindset that a black employee is more likely to do wrong in their work space. These ideas may not always be overt and are often influenced by the way people are taught from birth. Victims of subtle racism often undergo blatant remarks of negativity such as bad service at a restaurant, or the assumption that someone cannot afford something due to their skin color. Every day before she begins her talk show, Oprah Winfrey gets her nosed slimed, lips thinned, and hair flattened in order to look more appealing to her audience. All features which are associated with African Americans, are deemed “too black” so her makeup team changes them. Though it is deemed “subtle”, hating, hurting, or degrading someone