Racial Stigmas: Who is to Blame ? Essay

Prior to taking this course, I was taught, and therefore was under the impression, that prejudice is a preconceived notion about a group and that racism is essentially the same thing, except that racism also encompasses the idea that the group is lesser. Eduardo Bonilla-Silva states that “for most whites, racism is prejudice; for most people of color, racism is systemic or institutionalized” (Bonilla-Silva, 2010). Quotes like this force me to reflect, both on how I see myself and how others see me. Reading that quote, I felt like I related more to ‘most whites’ because I believed that racism was essentially prejudice for so long. I remember once while doing a cross the line activity, I hesitated before moving when the facilitator said “step forward if you are a person on color.” Technically, yes, my skin is pigmented in a way that would qualify me as a person of color but there is a connotation with that phrase that I felt didn’t relate to me. My first reaction to that phrase is the thought of someone who has struggled, someone who faces racism on a regular basis, someone who is treated differently because of the color of their skin. In my opinion, the more others acknowledge a part of your identity, the more apparent that part of your identity is to you, and I don’t often feel that people acknowledge my identity as an Asian American. I’ve been called a coconut more times than I can count. Brown on the outside but white on the inside. Sure I look brown, but I don’t ‘act

Race and Ethnicity – Race is a concept used to differ population groups on the basis of physical characteristics. Races used by the government for statistical purposes are Alaskan Native, American Indian, Asian or Pacific Islander, Black, White, and Unknown. Ethnicity is a concept used to differ population on the basis of cultural characteristics or geographical origins. Ethnic designations used by the government for statistical purposes are of a Hispanic origin o nor of Hispanic origin, and Unknown.

“Think about race in its universality. Where is your measurement device? There is no way to measure race. We sometimes do it by skin color, other people may do it by hair texture - other people may have the dividing lines different in terms of skin color. What is black in the United States is not what 's black in Brazil or what 's black in South Africa.”-Dr.Goodman, Race: The Power of an Illusion

Sociologists say race is a social construct, which is the way society can view a group, and their perception of the group. Race is a big example of this, as people could have the same genetic make-up, but be different races. Two people can have the same eye color, and even common DNA through blood. If two brothers had kids, one with someone of Asian descent, and the other brother having a child with someone of Native American descent, the kids who are cousins, are made up of different races. Race is more socially agreed upon, than being of a biological nature. A prime example of this, is most people will same someone is Asian, but they can be descendent of ant country in Asia, while being categorized as Asian. When we look at people from Europe,

“Race prejudice is not only a shadow over the color it is a shadow over all of us, and the shadow is darkest over those who feel it least and allow its evil effects to go on. ”(Pearl S. Harbor.) Prejudice is similar to an epidemic that not only affects certain people, at some point or another there are a lot of people the have experience some sort of prejudice. What matters is what you do to rise above it. Race prejudice not only hovers and hurts people of color but this evil hovers the darkest over people that allow it to go on, they will continue to feel this guilt and depression until they put a stop to this.

Imagine walking down a dark and dimly lit corridor. The only thing that can be heard is the sound of airplane engines shutting down. As you are walking, the sound grows dimmer and the light from the end becomes brighter and brighter, as if it was the sun. At the end of the tunnel there are two signs, one pointing towards security and another pointing towards international security. Once you enter the international security cue, you get the feeling as if everyone is watching. When it is your turn to hand the attendant your passport, he or she asks you a series of questions: “What is the purpose of your visit?” “How many days are you staying?” It is as if they are interrogating you, which they are. Immigrants have this kind of stigmatism

According Welsch and Vivanco, race is a separate and inferior race of people, race being a concept that organizes people into groups based on specific physical traits that are thought to reflect fundamental and innate differences (Welsch and Vivanco 2015 pg. 265). Since time memory, people think that race is biological or I can can it is a myth; most of the Americans, and other people define race differently. Actually, most of the think race is all related to physical characteristics like skin color, size of the eye and nose size. For example, many North Americans think that race is being white or black. To some extend, majority of people think being black means slavery, being ruled, and therefore have no say in anything. Further evidence of the cultural constructive nature of racial categories lies in the changes seen of these categories within populations

In my short time as a college student I am surprised at how many times I’ve heard students discriminate against each other because of their race. I remember an incident in my history class when we were learning about segregation and how colored people used to be forced to sit in the back of the bus. And then two white individuals mentioned how stupid it was that society made such a big deal of something as harmless as being made to sit in the back of the bus. At this comment a few colored females in the back of the class angrily began cursing and stating how racist the two white individuals were. The teacher put a quick stop to this and continued on with lecture. This conflict made me think of how students of different ethnicities can have such profound differences in how they view the world and society. I couldn’t help but wonder that if the two white individuals had some knowledge of African culture in America, would they have blurred out such a comment? I really think not because they would have a more firm understanding of how for the colored people it was more than a simple request to sit in the back of the bus. It was about principle and what it meant to their race as whole to be publicly humiliated by something as harmless as being told where to sit, drink or even live. This is a perfect example of how

Race is a socially constructed concept. There is no biological meaning behind it. Race was constructed to give power and resources to a certain group of people, which are called the dominant group and majority group. The minority group on the other hand is a subordinate group whose members have significantly less control or power over their own lives. Minority statues is not due to being out numbered but rather having significantly less life opportunities for success, education, wealth, and the pursuit of happiness. Each society has its own arbitrary standard for determining which characteristics are most important in defining dominant and minority groups. In the United States whites are the majority and dominant group. The minority groups include Africana Americans, Hispanics, Asian and Pacific Islanders, and

The world is composed of millions of people that come from different locations, are part of different races, believe in different religions, and have developed different cultures to those of everyone else. Over the course of human history, the differences that we have developed have played an enormous role in dividing us. Perhaps the chief problem that has plagued society in the past, and continues to do so to this day, is the idea that one’s race is superior to that of others; in other words: racism. Racism has led to the discrimination, oppression, and deaths of countless numbers of people. In the present, racism is often closely associated with stereotypes. In today’s society, being stereotypical often gets you the criticism that “you

Societal expectations are certain standards that one should abide by in their lifetime to be considered to fit the characteristics specific to certain groups. When some individuals step out of that barricade of expectations they are looked upon differently and possibly discriminated against by their peers. Racial prejudice and sexism has been a focal point of discussion amongst world leaders and people alike. From the 1900s eras when women could not vote, slavery, the Civil Rights movement, to present day, people (especially minorities) have fought against such acts to ensure that their civil and human rights are being upheld. The adversities that were once prevalent and thriving during the Jim Crow era became less perceptible, but instead transitioned to individuals undermining minorities through prejudice and discrimination. Being that the film, Crash, showed prejudice remarks toward a variety of minorities. The film demonstrates that racial prejudice is not a phenomenon specific to one ethnic or social group but instead focuses on various racial stereotypes, vexations toward various lifestyles, and social statuses.

For decades, the issue of racial discrimination has impacted the lives of millions of people around the world. Would you ever believe me if I told you a nine year old boy hung himself because he was bullied for being white. This boy’s name is Aaron Dugmore, and he had hung himself because of being constantly bullied by a gang of older guys for the colour of his skin. Most of your probably didn’t even know about Aaron Dugmore or the thousands of other victims being targeted by racism. We often like to fool ourselves into believing that racism is in the past, and that our society has developed into a more accepting era. Nowadays, we assure ourselves that racism is improving and don’t get me wrong, it is in its ways. I mean we can’t forget about our African American president or the dream that anyone, no matter where they come from, can achieve anything they believe in. Still, look around you. Racism still occurs through urban and suburban communities, and this leads to racial tensions and diversity amongst others. These are the

Whether you believe it or not, racial discrimination is not a controversial matter of the past and has a profound impact on society. Nowadays we still inherit unconsciously misconceptions and prejudices that happen to be unnoticed in our day by day. Consequently, in order to raise awareness upon the connotation of this matter, we must educate people on behalf of assertiveness and comprehension. Therefore, it is remarkably important to acknowledge: the negative impact of racial discrimination on the individual and society, the necessity of derogating misconceptions and the values of cultural diversity.

Individuals with serious mental illness are doubly affected by their disease; not only do they experience the often debilitating symptoms of their condition, but they must also endure mundane mental health stigmas and prejudices. Stigmatized attitudes are perceived to be one of the greatest impediments to living a complete and fulfilling life. Stigma has been defined as a combination of three related problems: ignorance, prejudice and discrimination (Rose, Thornicroft, Pinfold, & Kassam, 2007). Ignorance implies a lack of knowledge, prejudice entails negative attitudes, and discrimination involves exclusionary actions against people deemed to be different. Two forms of stigma are commonly distinguished in literature. Public stigma describes the attitudes of society towards people with mental illness, while self-stigma results from the internalization of prejudice by people who suffer from mental health conditions (Corrigan, Powell, & Rüsch, 2012). The World Health Organization announced that stigma was the most crucial obstacle to overcome for a community to functioning effectively and efficiently (Ontario Hospital Association, 2013).

Individuals discriminate others based on class, race or gender and in general the discrimination can take many different forms. In our today’s society we can’t avoid nor deny the separations from individuals based on their skin color. “The impact of racism begins early. Even in our preschool years, we are exposed to misinformation about people different from ourselves. Many of us grew up in neighborhoods where we had limited opportunities to interact with people different from our own families” (Tatum, 125). From my own perspective those sentences are unfortunately true in every way. We live in a racial world and it doesn’t matter if you in school, at the park or at work people treat individuals of color differently. Tatum makes essay a great statement in her essay “Sometimes it is so thick it is visible, other times it is less apparent, but always, day in and day out, we are breathing it in. None of us would introduce ourselves as “smog-breathers” (and most of us don’t want to be described as prejudiced),…” (Tatum, 127) the author compares and associates smog with racism “…but if we live in a smoggy place, how can we avoid breathing the air?” (Tatum, 127). We are living in a time where we have to accept each other, no matter of what or who we are but sadly that isn’t the case yet. The first step is to start with ourselves, do your part to help make this country even world a better place to live for future generations with equality for every race.