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Racism : Racism And Racism

Decent Essays

Covert Racism
Introduction
Racism; ‘the belief that races have distinctive cultural characteristics determined by hereditary factors and that this endows some races with an intrinsic superiority over others’ (Collins English Dictionary 2012) and thus leading to ‘abusive or aggressive behaviour towards members of another race on the basis of such a belief’ (Collins English Dictionary 2012).
Over time, racism has transformed from a blatant and overt form into a passive style of prejudice and discrimination. Nowadays, it is often used as a means to express frustration or opinions on obvious differences about another race in a way that is not obvious enough to be noticeable. Furthermore, many people are unaware of their racist behaviour as it has become so deep seated within our society. As a result, the acts of subtle racism racism are often mistaken as normal and acceptable behaviour.
Subtle racism within a society when left to manifest can lead to victims becoming vulnerable to mental, social and even physical issues. Unlike overt racism, covert racism often goes unnoticed within society and therefore, it often goes untreated. As a result, it can cause a greater divide between groups, leading to more prejudice and thus, becoming a vicious cycle.
Theoretical Background
The Minimal Group Paradigm (Tajfel, et al., 1971) coupled with Social Identity Theory (Tajfel, 2010) paves the way for racism. Firstly, The Minimal Group Paradigm is designed to limit and control factors

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