Race And Racism

What we as a community cannot overemphasize is the fact that we cannot barely undo the legacy of a distinctive system such as apartheid overnight. It is our duty to continuously strive towards nationhood, transformation, reconciliation and as South Africans. Nevertheless, nation states are political constructs and thus have to be continuously molded through social engineering. It is hazardous to our democracy for anyone in this community to hold or possess the view that racism is a given. Since time immemorial all the justifications advanced by apologists of this prejudice have been proven untrue. Despite this, some people in our community are still prone to racism and this is the problem which we should address.

Racism is a serious social menace not only in the US, but also the world over, including Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. The situation has escalated to a new high, especially in this twenty-first century where technological advancements have necessitated mass and quick sharing of information (Nairn et al. 188). Indeed, social media elements like Facebook, Snap Chat, Twitter, Instagram, and What Sapp has been core in enhancing globalization and its effects, some of which affect and influence racial discrimination both directly and indirectly. As opposed to the views that racism is real and has gained momentum globally, the work of media has on the other hand chosen to report the manifesting cases on the extreme degrees, so that it appears as though the world has come to a halt because of such discriminations. At a critical approach, scholars have noted that media is a channel that creates awareness about racism, and hence could easily escalate the situation if a critical balance on the news and reports aired to the public are not balanced between estimates and practical occurrences (Baker and Rowe 443). While discussing the subject of racism and racial discrimination, it is not only essential to outline how the situation is apparently but also imperative to confirm that race relations are depicted to be really bad in today’s times but the media tries to persuade people to believe an exaggerated side of the situation.

In our everyday life, we see some form of racism being portrayed in movies, tv shows, and media. For many of us, it is hard to distinguish and truly uncover the racism being portrayed. There are forms of racism that one can easily see, but it is hard to reveal full insight. For instance, in the film The Help, racism was portrayed because the women working as maids were African American whom worked to pay for their necessities. This film showed how women of color suffered double the hardship because of their race and sex. However, some white women were also discriminated by men and amongst each other. In addition, this could be traced back to the article Take a Closer Look: Racism in Women’s Lives, because it speaks of the different levels in which racism harms an entire society. Also, the article talks about the advantages/privileges that whites have. Although the article and the film are fairly similar, they also have some differences. The film portrays both racism and sexism, and the article focuses on how children’s upbringings develop racism, and how others resist racism. Both the article and the film interrelate with one another.

Race and racism are concepts which are unavoidable in one’s day to day life. When my mother was laid off from her job in Colombia 12 years ago she made the choice to immigrate to the United States. I was six when I arrived in the United States, but I had never really dealt with the matter of race before then. The concept of race is not as prominent in Colombia the biggest divider is socioeconomic level. In my six years of living in Miami, I don’t remember any racism directed towards me or my family. We relocated to Kentucky when I was around 8. Moving to the state gave me the opportunity to become aware of my race and the race of others.

Racism has been around for many centuries and it has affected many people around the world. Racism affects people mentally and emotionally and can cause many terrible actions to happen to people. Racism happens to every race around the world but the most common and frequent race being affected by racism are the African Americans. African Americans have been affected by racism very harshly throughout centuries and have caused many to have mental and emotional issues. African American women and children have always taken a big toll when it comes to racism. Racism has always been amongst African American women and children and it has been affecting their psychological state of mind.

This paper will examine how race and racism plays in a role in today’s society, like which races are giving more opportunities because of their skin color, and is racism still a big part of today’s world like it was back in the early 1900s or are we turning a blind eye to racism? We will also take a look into racial oppression in today’s society and how it is playing out in our lives. We will not only look into how African Americans deal with racism in everyday life but also other races that face racism because of their skin color and systemic racism. Also take a look at some basic concepts and theories of Race/Ethnic relations.

Racism is defined as ‘prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior’ according to Oxford Dictionary. When talking about racism and discrimination, many people think back to the time of the Jim Crow laws. These laws allowed racial segregation in the southern states of the United States of America. Having separate restaurants, drinking fountains, and even different schools for whites and blacks was all common during the Jim Crow Era. People most likely think back to the violence and riots that were a result of these laws. Although physical violence was a major aspect of the time, most do not realize that mental and emotional abuse was a huge result as well and often times went unnoticed. W.E.B. Du Bois and James Baldwin share that racism not only results in physical abuse, but also mental and emotional abuse which can lead to mental health issues and unique ways of processing the world by describing these effects as diseases.

Racism has been a growing concern in the United States for many decades. Many individuals of color are treated unfairly just because they are of pigment. Recently many individuals in the African American Communities sparked out in outrage when individuals such as Michael Brown and many more were racially profiled by the police and were brutally attacked. Racism does not only limits individuals of color their freedom and rights but has further impacts on health. However, when one mentions inequalities and racism, people may look at it in terms of a justice problem, but not much attention is given how racism and inequalities impact people of color and their lives. Racism needs to be resolved because this issue is spontaneously growing across the nation targeting innocent victims of color and creating long-term health issues.

Racial inequality is a disparity in opportunity and treatment as a result of someone’s race. Listening to S-Town I encountered myself with various examples of racial tension. One of the most common scenes displaying racial tension was at the tattoo parlor shop. Bubba and his friends explain to Brian having a big tattoo parlor shop would attract too many black people. “Someone mentions offhand that the small tattoo area in front is about as much as you want here in Bessemer. Otherwise, the place will be filled with black people who’ll piss you off and won’t pay anything”. I was curious to why racism still occurs in 2017; therefore, I decided to answer the question: Is there a link between lack of education and racist attitudes? Personally, I am interested in this topic. A few facts that I know about racism include: racism is a major problem in the United States, Southern states tend to be more racists, and there are many associations that combat racism. What I would want to know, is what are the major factors that influence people to have racial attitudes towards black people. My motivation for finding the answers to this question is simple. Racism is a small problem compared to other major world problems. Global Warming and world hunger are problems I believe are more important. I strongly believe racial attitudes and behaviors shouldn’t be an existing problem. Doing extensive research, I accumulated sufficient knowledge towards answering my question: Is there a link between lack of education and racist attitudes?

Carl Sandburg once said, “Be careful with your words. Once they are said they can only be forgiven, not forgotten.” Not only do words matter in the world, but also words have a connection to being defined as racist due to micro aggression. Racism is discrimination directed against someone of a different race or ethnicity. In society, the viewing of race is seeking a higher status than others. This being said, before saying anything, think twice due to racial inequality with the unfairness in the world. In relations to thinking before one speaks, “The Talk” and “Touching the Earth” are more aimed towards racism such as the way you address police enforcement and prejudgment of other races towards blacks.

In the United States there has always been accounts of racism with the most severe being against Black minorities. “Racism has been described as beliefs, attitudes, and individual and systemic approaches that degrade people based on the color of their skin,” (Graham & Roemer, 2016, p. 369). These thoughts and attitudes have dated as far back as the 17th century where Whites heavily discriminate against Blacks because of the color of their skin. In history it has been stated by White Americans that they are superior and Black are the inferior race; this has been known as White supremacy. Racism began in the United States in August of 1619 when the first slave ship docked in Virginia and slavery began but slavery did not end until December

Have you been apart of or a witness of race or racism in our country?Race and racism has become a huge problem in today’s society. Our past as is taken up by a lot of racism and my hope is that we will be able to show that race isn’t a genetic thing, I want people to be able to talk about race without having to worry about being bashed and shamed on, and I want people to see everyone as one race the human race. Race is brought up in our social media and is always a topic being brought up. Kids grow up in a racist world and are scared of others including the people who are supposed to be there to protect them and this may not change and completely dissipate but something does need to be done. The hope is that people won’t see race as a

In this day and age racism is ingrained within our society no matter your “race”, and or beliefs. It exists, consciously and unconsciously. Racism is a manmade, non-biological, unnatural disease if you will. Whether it is accepted or not humans constantly judge one another for any number of reasons like skin color. Even to a child born this day in age, a certain level of racism is cast in front of their faces, though they may not know what exactly it is. Perhaps they pick up on the ways their parents treat others, or how they speak about them. Surely enough as the child grows, this way of thinking will continue to live on within them. Most likely they don’t even question why they feel a certain way about certain types of people. It simply

Was the constitution actually written for all citizens of America? In the early days of the United States, our founding fathers created laws that permitted certain minorities from attaining certain rights, like voting, owning land, and gaining an education. Most African Americans were even slaves, until the 13th amendment was ratified in 1865. Women were not allowed to vote until the early 1900’s. Native Americans were hunted down and condemned to “reservations;” land discarded by the government and given to the Natives. By restricting rights to minorities in Early America, the founding fathers did not truly succeed in their claim for “liberty and justice for all.”

In today’s society they criminal justice system is racist and bias because blacks and people of color, who are low-income are targeted by law enforcements. Society is blind and doesn’t want to see how racist the world is, even though you can see racism through media, people killing people, and the criminal justice systems. The media has a great impact on the people, because they only broadcast news that gives fears and show how bad people of color and blacks are, and hardly reporting crimes that white people have committed.