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History of racism in the us
The history of racism in us
Is stereotyping a cultural theme
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Mankind hates mankind. Humans are innately afraid of change and difference. This could’ve possibly stemmed from an instinct from caveman times where anything different was deadly. In today’s age, we often treat people who are diverse whether it be age, gender, or race, differently. We treat other human beings as hostile because they are different, and when I think about that I wonder why can’t we be friends. First of all, racism and discrimination is imbedded deep in human history going farther back than most people think. Discrimination can be traced back as far as the medieval times when there was a class system. The lower class were often the servants of the upper class and it was considered normal. In American history, the main root of …show more content…
Everyday people act and treat you differently if you’re of another race. I can recall a couple times being followed around a store and once even asked to empty my pockets. Society often places stereotypes on different ethnicities and most people are quick to accept it. Unfortunately, this leads to the stereotypes becoming an everyday normal. We make these stereotypes such as Hispanics all mow lawns or if an African American wears a hoodie then it means he’s up to no good. This kind of thinking is what still keeps us segregated in this day and age. There are also things such as BET, Black History Month, and Hispanic Heritage Month. These are noble on the surface, but if you think about it, it’s a month for one specific race. That’s a form of segregation, hidden by the muse of celebration. Even music genres are race oriented such as gangster rap being focused on black people, and country music is focused on white people. There are many barriers we place to keep us apart but it’s time to come together as one instead of being …show more content…
People might think that we did away with racism after Martin Luther King’s movement, but that’s not the case. Granted, it did help break down the barriers and better the relationships but it did not eradicate it completely. Human nature doesn’t change in a couple years. Instead, it takes numerous amount of years to get an ideal, such as racial equality, set in the hearts of all of mankind. Some people might just not have seen it up close or had it done to them and don’t realize it. Even though evidence of racism and discrimination is all around us, we do little to stop or change it. The times we do try to fix a problem, it’s not always the best solution, for example, all of what’s happening in
In the world today, the globalization process happen around the world and people come together to exchange the culture, information, technology, education and knowledge, however; another side of society always try to ignore other people with different color by violent, the unawareness, and their behavior. Racial discrimination occurs in the world mainly in this area which is stereotypes, unfamiliarity, egotism, and education. The three films I had analyst on American History X, Remember the Titans and The Blind Side showed, everyone is constantly fighting to be better than their neighbor, and the skin-color stratification is just another excuse to look down on them. Many Americans think of racism as something of the past, something back when
Let’s begin with racism, which dates back to as far as humans can remember. “It may be defined as the hatred of one person by another -- or the belief that another person is less than human -- because of skin color, language, customs, place of birth or any factor that supposedly reveals the basic nature of that person. It has influenced wars, slavery, the formation of nations, and legal codes” One of the most known acts of racism was the enslavement of Africans in the new world. This racism was a result of the racist belief that black Africans were less human than white Europeans.
There are so many ideas that explain how racism began. According to polygenesis theory, racism rose from the different treatment for each race with existence of stratification among people. Racism can be broadly defined as an attitude, belief, behavior, or institutional arrangement that favors one racial group over another (Farely, 1995). From this definition we can see that racism is not only a distinction about the color of skin but can be elaborated to the bigger scope. Discrimination that assumes one race is better than another race and an environment that serves different treatment for each race can be described as an implementation of racism.
We have a long history of racism in America that has been structured to favor White people. Structural racism can be defined as, “a system in which public policies, institutional practices, cultural representations, and other norms work in various, often reinforcing ways to perpetuate racial group inequity. It identifies the dimensions of our history and culture that have allowed privileges associated with “whiteness” and disadvantages associated with “color” to endure and adapt over time”(Structural Racism, 2004,p. 11). Overt racism became illegal during The Civil Rights Movement that took place between 1954-1968 (Tuck, 2015). Although society seemed to be heading toward a more socially acceptable society, the movement enabled white people to blame the struggles black face as a character flaw. White people will believe that black people have a lot of problems because their culture is bad or they have bad values. The message they are reinforcing is that being black is inferior, and this is an example of structural racism operates. Structural racism is a system of forces that keeps people of color in a permanent second-class status, and it is the foundation of racism in our society. Society is structured in a way where the hierarchy of white people oppresses Blacks, Latinos, Native Americans, etc and has
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.
“…Everybody jumped on him, and beat him senseless… Everybody was hitting him or kicking him. One guy was kicking at his spine. Another guy was hitting him on the side of his face… he was unconscious. He was bleeding. Everybody had blood on their forearms. We ran back up the hill laughing… He should have died… He lost so much blood he turned white. He got what he deserved…” (Ridgeway 167). The skinheads who were beating this man up had no reason to do so except for the fact that he was Mexican. Racism in this day and age is still as big of a problem as it was in the past, and as long as hate groups are still around to promote violence, society is never going to grow to love one another.
Dating back to the beginning of times people have always been looked at different depending on the color of their skin or what your religion, race, or beliefs may be. It is in our human nature to not like people for certain things that they are. Many will argue that in this day in age we are no longer at a race war but how can you be so sure when you actually open your eyes and see reality. Rapper Kanye West once said “racism is still alive, they just be concealing it” and these words are everything but false. You must ask yourself the real question about racism and it is how could you ever cure such a thing in people’s minds? People are free to think and believe what ever they would like and old habits such as racism will never change in people.
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.
Rather racism is due to not wanting a lesser to be equal, due to a war, or due to wanting to eliminate a race. Racism is racism and will always be around. There will always be a group that people hate and will be racist, prejudice, or have intolerance towards. Francis Biddle may have found a reason behind racism. “In tense times such as these, a strange psychology grips us. We are oppressed and fearful and apprehensive. If we can’t get at the immediate cause of our difficulties we are likely to vent our clammed-up energy on a scapegoat” (Girdner 105). Whether that is the real reason behind racism; one thing for sure is…. Racism will always be around. Racism is seen throughout history and will continue to be seen in future history as long as there are humans who know how to hate or are capable of hate.
Racism can be defined as "any set of beliefs, which classifies humanity into distinct collectives, defined in terms of natural and/or cultural attributes, and ranks these attributes in a hierarchy of superiority and inferiority" (Blum 5). It can be directly linked to the past and still, centuries later, serves as a painful reminder that race continues to be one of the "sharpest and deepest divisions in American life" (Loewen 138). What are the causes of racism? How did it develop historically? In order to answer those complex questions, I plan to examine the conditions of America's history, from colonialism to present day society.
When looking back at our country during the civil rights movement, many people are appalled at how people of color were being mistreated and hated for so long. In our society, today, people like to pride themselves in not being racist and being accepting of all different races and cultures. Although people like to think that they are not racist and that our society is entering a “post-racial” phase, the truth is that we are all somewhat subconsciously racist and to think that we will ever become a post-racial society is unrealistic. People may not believe that white privilege is a real issue but the truth is that it is real and it is happening in our country more than ever. Sadly, race still plays a huge and important role on how you are treated and looked at in this country, there are still people in our society who treat others differently simply because of how they look and because of the color of their skin.
Racism appears everywhere and is playing an enormous role in society, not only to the Hispanics, but also to the African Americans. In fact, Being Latino in American society can be challenging there are many stereotypes that are said about Latinos. Not only do politicians give Latinos immigrants a bad name, but they also attempt to debase immigrants. From living in a Caucasian neighborhood, and going to a high school with five percent Hispanic. Politicians giving Hispanics a bad name, I know firsthand experience does not only affects me but everyone. Racism is an issue that was introduced to our environment through Cultural beliefs.
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.
In the United States and internationally, there is a multitude of indicators that the racial environment is changing. Environmental pollution and racism are connected in more ways than one. The world is unconsciously aware of environmental intolerances, yet continues to expose the poor and minorities to physical hazards. Furthermore, sociologist continue to study “whether racial disparities are largely a function of socioeconomic disparities or whether other factors associated with race are also related to the distribution of environmental hazards” (Mohai and Saha 2007: 345). Many of these factors include economic positions, health disparities, social and political affairs, as well as racial inequalities.
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.