Mentality Vs Us Research Paper

The “Us” Versus “Them” Mentality?

Throughout history, there have been various topics that have been considered taboo to talk about and even think about. Race is one of those topics. Race is a socially constructed idea created by individuals hundreds of years ago but this social contract still continues to define and affect the lives of every individual in the United States. Why does a concept that was created centuries ago govern the lives of individuals who live in a totally different context?

Race, like other social constructs, was created to simplify the complicated world in which we live. By creating race, people were able to divide into the categories “us” and “them.”

Racism still exists in the United States because it has been engraved in every aspect of society. Something as simple as driving a car

In the past, race has created much discrimination. Through race, there has been a hierarchy created which ranks individuals by their importance. In the past, a black male’s life was worth 2/3 of the life of a white man. This was due to the issue of power. This was due because states in the U.S which had a higher population of slaves would have more power in determine the fate of the country. Race also divided the colonial society and created a work ladder in which individuals from African decent were placed at the bottom. There was a selfish need for cheap labor. This labor was even free due to slavery. It is difficult to talk about a topic that causes many peoples to be displaced. In the colonial times, individuals from mostly the western coast of Africa were shipped to an unknown land. Their forced displacement deeply affected their population. Native Americans were displaced due to the mentality of others which placed them lower on the hierarchy of worth. Millions of lives were lost due to slavery, and the trail of tears which these two populations had to