Racism And Racism

In America, a culture of sustained racism and sexism influences foreign policymakers, which results in colonialism and imperialism, the desecration of nations, and militancy. The authors of the articles, Michael L. Krenn and Laura McEnaney, with differing skill sets, provide evidence of racial and gendered bias in foreign policy. In “The Adaptable Power of Racism,” Krenn expertly examines the history of racism within foreign policy; how racism adapted in the face of religious and scientific challenges, and the overall effects of racist foreign policies.1 McEnaney, in “Gender Analysis and Foreign Relations,” provides a lackluster account of the application of gender analysis to foreign policy, specifically in relation to the policies of the Cold War and Spanish-American War.2 The history of racism and sexism in America provide a blueprint for foreign policymakers, where racist militancy and sexist excuses override basic human rights.

This issue of racism is popular by name but tends to be sugar coated by the way people see it. In order to truly understand racism you need to take a bite into the topic in order to get a taste of what it is really like. Racism comes in many different forms and can be seen many different ways. But why even care about racism at all? Why does it even matter? One would think that with such a harsh background regarding racism in America it would no longer exist in society today. But sadly that is not the case here, racism continues to show up all over the country sometimes being worse than others but still racism is racism. People should all be considered equal regardless of what they look like, talk like, or even do that makes them who they are.

Independently, Shakur’s lyrics suggest the inequalities he has experienced throughout his life and of his race in general. In the first verse, Shakur expresses his upbringing without a father and the struggles with the racial tension in his neighborhood. He implies that he has been pushed into a world of violence and crime because of his low socioeconomic status. He states that peace can only be attained if the African Americans are offered a place in the society. The second verse focuses upon the broader oppression of the black body where he addresses the police violence and inequalities of the system. His lyric analyzes the violence in the streets and the fear of police officers that are willing to shoot him because he appears threatening. Finally, the third verse expresses that he is still waiting on things to change, yet the answer is not present. The greater meaning to his

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.

People around the world have different ways of expressing their emotions. Many people use music as a way to release the emotions they feel inside. When listeners analyze a song sometimes they can understand what an artist might feel or better understand their perspective. Many African American artists sing about how African American communities are dragged into a never ending cycle of poverty and criminal activity. Some artists many have a different perceptive on the future of these communities where they grew up in. Gang Starr’s “Code of the Streets” and 2Pac “Changes” exposes the experience of living, being raised in a poor community expressing different emotions in the song.

Race and ethnicity are concepts that are constantly associated with the many hateful crimes and events occurring all around us in our daily lives. The race of an individual is an extremely convoluted subject matter in the social world. Discrimination against specific groups of people remains till this day one of the most severe issues that we stumble on, leaving many of us in shock, and consternation. Racism against a certain ethnic group often arises from embedded false assumptions that is associated with the group and their cultural behaviors. There are various different ways in which racism takes form; racism directed towards individuals with Jewish origins is often referred to as anti-Semitism, while racism that is directed towards Muslims is known as Islamophobia. Racism is embodied in various ways, allowing one group to have full authority, holding more political, social, and economic power. Discrimination and racism has a major effect on the victims, the victim’s family, as well as the community around them. Considering that racism is an immensely broad subject, this paper will focus on discrimination in that aboriginal people encounter everyday. Using Max Weber’s classification of inequality, aboriginals hold an extremely low position in class as well as status, as they acquire low or nearly no social prestige or life chances. Firstly, this paper will explore the reality behind first nations in the working force, as well as its affects on on the individual. Secondly,

The social landscape of our country has become a volatile solution of opposing opinions, and revolutionary ideas. This environment becomes the breeding ground for significant social change music that’s comparable to the pioneers like Jon Lennon, Bob Marley, and Jimmie Hendrix. Major social biases like gay rights or the war in the Middle East are being protested with music. One of the more notable events that is being perused by artists is the subject of police brutality, and racism which is backed by the Black Lives Matter campaign. Artist like Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, and Common have all created protests songs supporting this movement calling for justice. One of the most notable songs in that has influence the Black Lives Matter movement is Kendrick Lamar’s Alight.

In this song, Eminem not only uses his power as an artist to make his audience know what’s happening in the US, but he also makes sure that people understand what it might feel like for someone who’s different. Eminem touched on white supremacist and how it causes impacts on minority groups especially African Americans.

As circumstances of social inequalities are becoming more prominent in the social media and news sources, the appearance of political rap is also becoming more prevalent. It’s very common to hear rappers rap about their struggles and injustices, not only with present day artists but also older groups. For example, N.W.A, Tupac Shakur, Public Enemy, and Nas, who were popular in the late 80’s and throughout the 90’s, were known for their politically charged music and critiques of the American media. Present day artists such as Kendrick Lamar and Joey Bada$$, keep this type of music alive and continue to address inequalities. The ultimate goal of this type of music is to bring attention to the actions and policies of the government as well

Although the government tries to regulate it, they simply cannot and the two disciplines continue to clash. When Nas begins he talks about the black vote and how the black community does not take voting seriously. As a result the upper class automatically has the advantage in the poles because they are more likely to vote. He makes the argument that regardless of who votes the choices are only “Satan or Satan” (Nas 2004). He links the American government to Satan which brings the listener back to his view of the nation from the poverty stricken ghetto he grew up in. The reason people relate to Nas is because his music is real and describes real life situations from the shoes of African Americans, and minorities. However, his view is only negative toward the government. Nas continues on to say that his voice and his opinions would have been silenced ten years ago so the community must continue to push for their rights, take control of who’s in control. Nas speaks on how the government cannot handle the hood and does not know how to improve the situation so they over use the police. The police enforce the law which is broken daily in these “hoods” using violence and brutality to solve issues. Nas ends this verse by hoping for a true representative from his community in the government he wants “hood councilmen” (Nas 2004). Nas dives into race at the beginning of the second verse. He addresses women and how

Political rap is the lesser-known form of the genre that promotes the interests and ideals associated with African-American issues, values, and identity. It is used as a voice to resist and respond to the dominant structures that impose oppression on their communities (McDonnell, 1992; Rose, 1994). Political rap also expresses a candid pro-black message (Newman, 2007). In all, Political rappers seeks to instill a positive outlook and identity in the social group they are a member of, by means of uplifting and creative messages shared to the other collective members of their social group.

The beginning of his performance he came out on stage as a prison blues chain gang with some of his backup dancers locked in prison cells and some of them chained to him. Towards the middle of the performance the prison dancers were accompanied by tribal dancers with drums which depicted traditional African culture. This gave us a literal side by side comparison of African cultural roots versus black culture in America today and the attempt to eradicate it. This entire performance raised questions on a lot of controversial issues, taking it a step further than just simply the message from the song ‘Alright’. It represented the disproportionate imprisonment of blacks, the private prison complex and the attempted eradication of black culture within the United

The juxtaposition of Tupac’s image of a gangsta’ rapper and utilizing his celebrity to inform audiences of the systemic and structural oppression the African American population encounters is truly inspiring. According to Brown, “through his music, Shakur illustrates that he is a social critic and a good example of Black protest music. At its core, black protest music is characterized by the expression of resistance and the articulation of the heartache and pain that Blacks have endured throughout history. Likewise, Shakur as a social critic conveys through his music the despair, anger, and resentment that resonates with many African Americans” (2005). Just as in, the song “Changes” where he illuminates social oppression that affect the African American population. For example, just within the first stanza, Tupac makes reference to poverty and welfare, issues of substance abuse, and racism. Tupac stated “I'm tired of bein' poor and even worse I'm black” making the correlation between his skin color and the poverty in which he grew up. He goes on to reinforce this connection further by stating, and “My stomach hurts, so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch.” He also illustrates the relationship between police brutality and race by declaring, “Cops give a damn about a negro? Pull the trigger, kill a nigga, he's a hero.”

To understand whether or not racism is learnt, we first have to divulge into the nature of racism. It is usually assumed that racism has been a part of civilisation since civilisation started, that it is embedded into how people work and that no matter what, it will always exist. Another assumption is that racism derives from the capitalism of the slave trade by white elitist men seeking to dehumanize people for economic gain, and used racism as a way to mask their financial motives to justify enslavement as righteous. After anti-slavery movements began to happen, the capitalist motives behind slavery “took on a new form as the justification of the ideology of imperialism” [4].

Artists across music genres are at the forefront of new protest songs in response to the rise of President Donald J. Trump and his words in the media. One political track, titled “Land of the Free” by Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott, speaks to society through a bouncy beat in contrast to its blunt, politically-charged lyrics. Brooklyn based rapper Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott, otherwise known as Joey Bada$$, released his single “Land of the Free” on January 20, 2017, the day of President Trump’s inauguration. According to Scott, “Land of the Free” was inspired by African-American civil rights leaders such as Marcus Garvey, Dr. Umar Johnson, and Malcolm X (Scott, 2017, Land of the Free). In the song, Scott discusses the racism and prejudice today towards minority groups, especially African-Americans. He also touches on how former President Barack Obama’s presidency was not enough to cause big enough change on the inequality in America. The message in the track, along with the correlating album, “All-Amerikkkan Bada$$”, challenges Americans to speak up and “start a new coalition against corrupt politicians” (Scott, 2017, Land of the Free). Using the cluster analysis method, the song’s word choice is accurately analyzed since clustering the words gives the lyrics a fresh perspective on the political meaning, and it helps evaluate Scott’s motive for wanting change. Scott critiques the political indifference America has towards the ongoing issue of inequality using the key terms free, just,