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Effects of discrimination in society
Examples of racial prejudice
Effects of discrimination in society
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While reading Zeitoun, the answer to my pre-reading question hasn’t affected my response. I still believe that America is filled with prejudice, economic struggles, violations of freedom, and injustice. The Zeitoun family has to deal with so many prejudice remarks even though they live in America which is true in our society. It doesn’t matter if your American, its how you look and where you come from. For example, Zeitoun and his family are Muslims living in Louisiana. In the text, it is mentioned several times of instances when Zeitoun and Kathy have been discriminated against for being Muslim. Kathy, a convert to Islam who wears a hijab, was discriminated against in a grocery store by little children who thought it was funny to attempt to …show more content…
“His frustration with some Americans was like that of a disappointed parent. He was so content in this country, so impressed with and loving of it opportunities, but then why, sometimes, did Americans fall short of their best selves? If you got him started on the subject, it was the end of any pleasant meal (37).” It becomes clear that throughout the novel, the narrator and Zeitoun have strong feelings against discrimination. This quote supports my pre-reading response of American discrimination as well as prejudice in America. Another quote that supports my pre-reading response in the same sense is one that describes the prejudice in media for different races. In my pre-reading response, I mentioned that race had a lot to do with the media. “Every time a crime was committed by a Muslim, that person’s faith was mentioned, regardless of its relevance. When a crime is committed by a Christian, do they mention his religion?…When a crime is committed by a black man, its mentioned in the first breath: ‘An African American man was arrested today…’ But what about German
In the novel, Zeitoun was arrested, racially profiled, and labeled a terrorist and a looter. Dave Eggers tells us that Zeitoun, Todd, Nasser, and Ronnie were arrested at gunpoint and later accused of looting a local Walgreen store and of terrorist activities. They are suspects because Zeitoun and Nasser are Muslims from Syria and Nasser and Todd had large amounts of money in their possession. This confirms the higher authorities’ suspicions of the so-called terrorists looting of local shops when in fact they were helping local citizens and animals reach safety. Because they were labeled as terrorists they were denied phone calls, medical attention, and proper care. As we read in Zeitoun and saw in the film When the Levees Broke by Spike Lee, African Ameri...
the prejudice, hate and violence that seem to be so deeply entrenched in America's multiracial culture and history of imperialism, Takaki does offer us hope. Just as literature has the power to construct racial systems, so it also has the power to refute and transcend them… The pen is in our hands.
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
Since they lacked certain physical and/or cultural characteristics needed to belong in the American nation, they were not considered worthy enough to receive the same rights and privileges they deserve. Therefore, Takaki hopes that with his book, people would acknowledge how America developed a society centered to benefit only white people with the creation of laws hindering these racial groups from receiving the same and equal rights they deserve.
He refers to all the immigration groups in a judgmental way. He complains about the intelligence levels of the Italians, how dirty and deceitful the Jews are, and even the immaculate cleanliness of the Chinamen. Although he does possess quite a bit of bigotry that boarders on the line of prejudice when it comes to African Americans he recognizes that they are suffering from racism and he sympathizes with th...
Racial discrimination is the one thing that is in the novel the most. For example, when the Spaniards first came to Tenochtitlan, the first thing that was taken from the Aztecs was their religion. This would include their customs, traditions, sacrifices, ceremonies, and belief of their gods. Every Aztec was then baptized as a Christian and were then given a Christian name. “Have I upset you?” “Yes!” “It’s my obligation to know these things about you.” “What things?” “That you have a Christian name.” “You mean you have to make sure that I have been robbed of everything, even my name” (62). Here Huitzitzilin tells Father Benito that since everything was take away from her, there is nothing left from her past she shows her Aztec roots. This shows how the Spanish thought that they had more power over others because of their race. In my opinion, everyone is the same, everyone deserves equality. No one should be given a title because of his or her race, ethnicity, culture, or
The usage of media is huge in nowadays. People rely on different kinds of media to receive information in their everyday life because they are thirsty for the diverse and informative content. However, inaccurate portrayals of people from different races always appear in the media and audience will exaggerate those portrayals by their inflexible beliefs and expectations about the characteristics or behaviors of the portrayals’ cultural groups without considering individual variation (Ting-Toomey and Chung, 2012); in fact, it is also called as stereotypes. According to a study by the Center for Integration and Improvement of Journalism at San Francisco State University (Stein, 2012), racial stereotyping continues to occur in media and the mainstream media's coverage of different cultural groups is full of biased reporting, offensive terminology and old stereotypes of American society. It specifically emphasizes that majority of the stereotyped characters in media will only bring out the dark side of their cultural groups which many of them might not be true, especially for the portrayals of black community: African American.
The idea of race and the stigma and stereotypes associated with different skin colors have been a constant in our society. From our country’s founding, race has been deeply engrained into our culture—the most prominent example being slavery—and has been the main source of conflict among people. The race issue in America has been illuminated in recent years both intellectually and physically; pieces of literature have been created that explore the repercussions of race in society and the historical implications situations, and events have sparked attention through the media that depict the issues that race creates. An example of examining race in America intellectually can be seen in Toni Morrison’s essay Playing in the Dark, which discusses
With all three of these aspects of racism in consideration, race was a prevalent theme in the book that couldn’t escape the reader’s consciousness. Whether it was through showing the division of the communities, or through the feelings that each race held about the other race, the book portrays the history of racism in America.
As mentioned in Ralph Edward’s review An American Dilemma lies in its demonstration of how the mechanism of prejudice operates to disguise the moral conflict in the minds of whites produced by the clash on the social level between the American Creed and anti-Negro practices.
In the first Chapter of the book ‘A Different Mirror’ by (Takaki, 1993) the author embarks on a descriptive narrative that tries to elaborate the concept of a multiracial America. The chapter begins with the author taking a taxi ride in which he is subjected to racial discrimination. The taxi driver questions the author’s origin owing to the fact that his English is perfect and eloquent. This incident prompts a discussion that transpires throughout the chapter as the author tries to explain to his audience that America is a multiracial country with different ethnic groups that moved from their homelands to settle in the United States. The chapter discusses the settlement of various racial groups such as; English immigrants, African Americans, Asian Americans, Chicanos and the Irish.
Media plays a huge role regarding race relations because there are always racist comments on social media, television, etc. and that teaches people – especially children – that it is okay to discriminate against either different races, cultures, or ethnicities. Discrimination through media is even discusses in the textbook: “during World War II American films often showed negative stereotypes of Japanese and German People.”
My name is Eric Meyer, and during the summer I, along with the rest of the AP Junior English class, read the nonfiction work Zeitoun by Dave Eggers. I enjoyed the book immensely, with Eggers’ portrayal of the protagonist Zeitoun as a kind and virtuous citizen invoking powerful feelings in me at the injustices he later faced in the novel. Eggers made me care about and like Zeitoun, helping convey to me the intended themes of the novel: the unfairness of the prejudices Muslims face in America and the malfunctions of the U.S. government after 9/11. However, reports of domestic violence and attempted murder on Zeitoun’s part have recently come to light, contradicting his characterization in Eggers’ book. Zeitoun allegedly
Racism is based on the belief that one’s culture is superior to that of others, and this racial superiority provides justification for discrimination. Racism begins with categorising by race, and therefore stereotyping particular cultures. A simple definition of prejudice given by St Thomas Aquinas states prejudice as “thinking ill of others without sufficient cause” (1. pg 21). Racism is a major issue in today’s society, affecting a large number of the world’s population and causing political and social turmoil. To evaluate the true meaning, effects and views concerning racism in today’s world, a number of literature sources were researched including novel, films, short stories, poetry, song lyrics, textbooks and magazine articles.
In America our media contributes to the perpetuation of certain stereotypes and prejudice to our viewers from television, newspapers, and etc. The media has a certain way to portray certain labels and preconceptions of people that are from different ethnicities in which we the people watch as entertainment. In certain schools a subject called ethnics studies provides students to understand different cultures, gender, sexuality, class, race, disability and national status based on them, their roots and history on how we confront society.