Racism in Our Society
Race relations are becoming increasingly important in our civilization. Despite this increasing importance, the question, 'Is our society racist?' is commonly debated. After investigating this subject, it is evident to me that American society is racist.
There are various definitions of both racism and society. It is important to clearly define these terms when addressing such a controversial and emotional issue. 'Racism' is defined by Merriam-Webster as "a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race" or "racial prejudice or discrimination". The latter of these two definitions is what I will use as my working definition. The second term, 'society', is defined by Merriam-Webster as "a community, nation, or broad grouping of people having common traditions, institutions, and collective activities and interests." My working definition for this paper, however, is "the American population as a whole". When a topic as substantial as racism in society is discussed, all Americans must be taken into consideration.
Under these definitions, racial influences have played a large part in the formation of America today. 'Racism' as defined in the above paragraph, has existed ever since the independence of America in 1776. In fact, racism was acceptable and often the normal way of life in society. An obvious sign of this was that slavery was growing in this new country. Violence against black slaves was only a part of the racism happening in America. Along with this, there was heavy fighting between those trying to expand America's territory and the Native Americans already settled in these te...
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...e overwhelming evidence that proves society is racist, there are people that think society is not racist. These people often claim that society is fairer than it has ever been and, therefore, it is not racist. Although it is true that, publicly, society has become more tolerant, it is not true that society is not racist. It does not matter how racist the society is, the point is that the society is still racist. Racism should not be measured; it is either present or it is not.
Racism is not always obvious to the public eye. Racism is passed down from generation to generation. It is in the minds of nearly all Americans in some way, whether it is; prejudice or stereotypes they have formed or an extreme hate for a certain race. Racism affects all of society, from the medical world to public schools. It is quite clear that American society is a racist society.
...So the question still remains, has American society really come that far in race relations and where do we go from here? Martin Espada answers the question by illustrating the intense level of racism experienced by a minority living in modern society. The civil rights movement did make positive changes for the African-American community on various different political and social levels. However, racism needs to be broken down to its smallest components, which are the individuals who support and teach racist attitudes. The family itself is the basic unity of society. Therefore, the only way racism will be completely eliminated on a social level is if it is stopped on the individual level. Treating racism as a social phenomenon will provide short-term solutions, but will not treat the virus of hatred perpetuating its continued existence in our society today.
When speaking about the topic of race even today, it is a sore subject among all Americans. The history of race in America has been a long and trying road, one that most Americans tend to ignore and attempt to gloss over. The book, How Race Survived U.S. History by David Roediger, goes into great detail about how discrimination towards others that we deem different than us has always been in American history, and shows no sign of going away anytime soon. In fact, Roediger states that, “race-thinking will survive and in new destructive permutations” (230). The main points of the book include that: race was gradual, discrimination was not only against those of African descent, and that progress has only
Racism has been in the United States since the beginning of time, when the whites first settled here they were racist against the Indians, they beat killed and cleared out their tribes, bust because they wanted their land. Then you see a different form of racism between blacks and whites, it was present just because of skin color; you see segregation between the two races up until the 1950s when schools became integrated, but the racism was still there. Whites refused to sit next to blacks, use the same bathrooms, use the same drinking fountain, and wouldn't be seen in the same church. The only reason for racism is people were so stuck in their own ways and they would deny the fact that a person is a person despite their skin color.
The impact that race had on individuals throughout American history is clear. The role race had on social and political relations were nothing but negative and struggled to make positive progression. Starting from the last 1800s, the recognition that, for example, blacks were unfairly treated and seen as unequal was newly acted upon. From the early years of being seen as just economically useful, the feelings of blacks were overlooked and almost irrelevant to the leaders of society. One of the first displays of action against this discrimination is shown in the Plessy v. Ferguson case. While being the victim of segregation in the south as a black man, Homer Plessy challenged the courts when he directly acted against the laws separating whites and blacks by being a passenger on a white-only train. The outcome, however, directly meant nothing, leading to the legalization of segregation laws stating that the separate but equal laws didn’t imply inferiority. The decision made in Plessy v. Ferguson was an immediate disaster for racial relations in the US, but you can only push people so far until they finally snap.
Since the beginning of colonization, America has been controlled by religiously and ethically diverse whites. The most profound cases of racism in the “United” States of America have been felt by Native Americans, Asians, African Americans, Mexican Americans, and Muslims. Major racially structured institutions include; slavery, settlement, Indian reservations, segregation, residential schools, and internment camps (Racism in the U.S., 1). Racism has been felt and seen by many in housing, the educational system, places of employment, and the government. Discrimination was largely criminalized in the mid 20th century, and at the same time became socially unacceptable and morally repugnant (Racism in the U.S., 1). Although racism was
Racism comes in many forms ad can be expressed in many different societies in various ways. 1 The dictionary defines racism as 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. This definition of racism makes it clear that it is a perceived point of view that implies prejudice towards people or a person based solely on their race. Racism has been an issue in many societies for many years and still is an issue in modern society. 2 Recently in the U.S. many cases of racism towards African Americans have been shown in the media. However racism is not just a U.S. culture based issue but also a cross-cultural issue
Racism has been around since the dawn of human existence, coming in many forms and effecting all types of people. In the twenty-first century, racism still plays a part in ever society on the plant. But instead of overt racism people find different ways to disadvantage certain groups. The current American culture views overt racism as unfair, rude, and wrong, but that does not stop people from using unconscious racism. Unconscious racism is when the offender disadvantages another based on race without being out right racist to the person. From not giving a job to a person based on the color of their skin to calling out the president for not being born in the country, racism effects people at all status levels. Starting when the first settlers arrived to internment camps to modern day unconscious racism, racism has token many forms and changes according to the time. The key factors that help unconscious racism thrive in our society are the changes to the policy that determine what is a racist act, the formations of stereotype through the concentration of ethnic groups population, and the negative effects of Affirmative action all played a part.
The most prominent demonstration of racism in America had to be the slave codes that were in place in all states where slavery was practiced. In “From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans,” John Hope Franklin went into detail on slave codes on pages 137-138, “…these laws varied from state to state, but most of them expressed the same viewpoint: that slaves are not people but property and that laws should…protect whites.” One law stated that those enslaved could not bear arms or strike a white person, even in self-defense, but when a white person killed a slave it wasn’t even considered murder. Africans had no standing in court, they couldn’t testify or be a party to a lawsuit and their marriages were not legally binding. Raping an African American woman by her master wasn’t considered a crime either. The slave codes were designed to oppress, persecute, and humiliate blacks by the hands of the whites. With the slave codes and the eventual Jim Crow laws and any oppressive laws and segregation practiced in America, the idea of blacks being inferior was stamped into the minds of any person living in the country. African Americans were treated as subpar, they weren’t considered human beings and to this day the same belief is held unto, although not nearly as outright or not as blatant as in the past centuries. Slavery in itself is a large example of how racism is and may always be embedded into American society; blacks had to fight to even be considered citizens, be able to vote, and be given basic human rights. Though many would deny the existence of racism, the sad truth is that racism may be an ever-present concept in American society.
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
Tishler, William P. and Stanley K. Schultz. "Racist Culture." Review 5 2007 n. pag. Web. 29 Nov. 2014.
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 were 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. It was these conditions of America's past that promoted the development of racist practices and ideas that continue to be embraced by many to this day.
Racism comes from different cultural values, ethnic backgrounds and also the physical appearances. The conflict of racism happens when the majority group of society feels that the different cultures and values of the minority group bring the deviance to the society. Race was created socially and primarily by how people perceive ideas and faces we are not quite used to. Racism have been one of the most significant issues that people have been facing and fighting for, and it is still occurring around us without we even notice. First, this paper will discuss about the definition, causes, types, and effects of racism. Second, it will discuss about the solutions to racism. Lastly, it will discuss the importance to reduce racism. Racism is a serious social crisis and it can be solved through several ways such as through individual action, family action, active interaction with the society, government policies, and education.
“Today, U.S. society remains imbedded in a racist system.” (Feagin, 267). America allows racism to take priority over social class, education, occupation, gender, age, religion and culture. Even in the smallest parts of society, like music or literature, racism is still present. Certain types of music and poetry are classified as black or white (Audrey and Brian Smedley, 19). However, people are more discriminatory towards certain races than others. Because of this, certain races have more job opportunities than others. Studies show that there are more black and Hispanic people in poverty than there are white or Asian American (Anderson and Collins, 65). This goes to show that some people are remarkably narrow-minded, and they won’t even let people of a different race work at their company, so these foreigners or people of different skin color lose the opportunity of finding a job that can support them. Blacks or Latinos then end up at the bottom of the class system which means they have less money than white people, who would be at the top of the class system. Racism isn’t only towards adults, but
America has been thought of as a place represented by fairness, different cultures, power and the dream of having a better life for everyone, whether a person is white black, brown, red or yellow. The truth is that racial groups have been segregated by the American society. There is no doubt that racism has been around for a long time. It was said to start around the 1400s, mainly between the black and whites during the days of slavery. So what comes to mind when you hear the word racism? The reason for racism is because some people felt high class, entitled, better and more deserving of any better than others who were a different color then them. Racism has had a negative impact on everyone but specifically for African Americans. African
In the world today, racism and discrimination is one of the major issues being faced with. Racism has existed throughout the world for centuries and has been the primary reasons for wars, conflicts, and other human calamities all over the planet. It has been a part of America since the European colonization of North America beginning in the 17th century. Many people are not aware of how much racism still exist in our schools, workforces, and anywhere else that social lives are occurring. It started from slavery in America to caste partiality in India, down to the Holocaust in Europe during World War II.