Racism 's Impact On Our Society

Before any collegiate courses, I had not heard or given much thought to white privilege, and even once defined and mentioned in other courses I still have no let go of my oblivious nature. Absorbed in individual concerns I was unable to recognize the privilege and advantages I utilized throughout my life unknowingly. My behaviors and actions, such as the way I spoke or dressed, and even the simple availabity of my preferred food was never questioned or linked to my race. These advantages appear in McIntosh’s list of everyday advantages associated with white

Ralph Ellison’s “On Being the Target of Discrimination” illustrates a personal narrative on how racial discrimination affects individuals emotionally and psychologically in order to inform people who have never experienced discrimination through the inclusion of emotional appeal, logical appeal, and the structure of the story. The author specifically targets people of caucasian heritage who are primarily male due to their inexperience with unequal treatment and opportunities.

In this spellbinding lecture, the author of White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son offers a unique, inside-out view of race and racism in America. Expertly overcoming the defensiveness that often surrounds these issues, Wise provides a non-confrontational explanation of white privilege and the damage it does not only to people of color, but to white people as well. This is an invaluable classroom resource: an ideal introduction to the social construction of racial identities, and a critical new tool for exploring the often invoked – but seldom explained – concept of white privilege.

In Brian Copeland’s memoir, “Not a Genuine Black Man: My Life as an Outsider”, he vividly shares to what kind of racism and treatment that he and his family have gone through in a white community in San Leandro, CA during the 70’s. Through an ethnic studies lens, we can see clearly that indeed, the treatment of most Americans or “whites” toward African-American or “blacks” are hostile. There’s an invisible gap between two races, and Being an African-American

Solórzano and Yosso (2001) asserted that the aforementioned concepts act as a “camouflage for the self-interest, power and privilege of dominate groups in U.S. society” (p. 473). This means that even though over sixty years have passed since the Civil Rights Movement and over one hundred years since the Emancipation Proclamation, there are still forms of racism and oppression that are evident in higher education that require further research through the lens of critical race theory.

Wise’s examination of the inconspicuous character of racism 2.0 dovetails fittingly with our course’s recurring theme of institutionalized racism. In class lectures we have defined institutionalized racism as the discriminatory practices that have become regularized and routinized by state agencies, organizations, industries, or anywhere else in society. Although such practices might not be intentionally racist, they end up being racist nevertheless as consequence of the systematized and unspoken biases that have become increasingly convoluted and entrenched within society over time. It also doesn’t help white people to recognize these discriminatory practices considering they have been unconsciously tailored to be consistent with white perspective and mentality. In her article, White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, Peggy McIntosh examines not only how white folks often consider themselves to be a normative figure within society, but also how they are carefully taught not to recognize the advantages they gain from the disadvantages that impair people of color. In the article, McIntosh acknowledges the reality of her own white privilege and expresses, “In my class and place, I did not see myself as a racist because I was taught to recognize racism only in individual acts of meanness by members of my group, never in invisible systems conferring unsought racial dominance on my group from birth” (McIntosh 4). In fact, even if white folks do not believe themselves to

Hannah Guthrie was a second year English major student when this article was posted in 2010. Hannah being a student questions her creditably because she isn’t an expert and nor does she have a reputation for being advocate on stopping racism. She was a writer for the UCI’s “New University”, which is a school news paper often stretching to seek attention from the media and other forms of

This week’s readings focused on a topics associated with the white population of America. Some of these topics included the privileges white individuals are often unknowingly accustomed to (McIntosh,1) as well as the lack of responsibility and motivation many whites feel when it comes to eliminating racism. This is a social problem because it constructs biases that often times negatively affect the interactions between whites and individuals of color. This potentially leads to many issues including racism, hate crimes, and the unequal treatment races.

When white Americans choose to self-educate about systemic racism they can become allies in the fight to dismantle racist structures in our society. Systemic racism is a theory that “takes a look at how individual, structural, and institutional forms of racism intersect, overlap, and create a deep-rooted form of prejudice and discrimination that advantages a cultural group at the expense of others in all institutions of a society - economics, political representation, the criminal justice system, employment, and many others.” (Luther College 2015). This includes discrimination affecting credit, schooling, justice, residential location, etc. It can be eradicated in the next century, but not without white people acknowledging that it is a real issue that cost lives. It is not the duty of the oppressed to make a liberty sales pitch to their oppressors. However, it is the responsibility of those benefiting from the oppression of others to become educated, listen, and use their privilege to combat injustice. Asian, Latino, Black, and First Nations people respectively do not experience white supremacy in the same ways. Throughout this essay I will focus on the systemic racism targeted at Black people, using the term “People of Color”, coined by Black Feminists in the 1970s, abbreviated to PoC, to refer to them.

The study of whiteness as a problem has been an African-American tradition going back to Frederick Douglass (Roediger, 2001). W.E.B. Dubois (1935) first used the term “whiteness” as an academic term, noting it had substantive material value in terms of public deference, which he labeled a type of psychological wage. Giroux (1997) points to the work of Ralph Ellison and James Baldwin, often found in Black magazines throughout the 1960-1980’s, continuing to explore the concept of “whiteness” in the public forum. The CWS approach to understanding racism, not as the fault of the oppressed, but instead directing the focus toward the racially dominant, was continued by non-white scholars including Toni Morrison and bell hooks in the early 1990’s (Howard, 2004).

Often when racial inequality and discrimination is being discussed, we get to think of terms such as “white privilege” and American history with the Civil Rights Act in 1964. But we think of it, mainly as history. And that, according to Tim Wise, an anti-racism activist and American writer, is the biggest self-deception of the modern American world. Throughout an article posted on his own webpage, concerning school shootings, Tim Wise discusses the general American attitude towards this relatively new phenomenon in American society. With the use of especially pathos Wise argues that the most concerning thing about these events is how

Racism and the effects of racism can be seen anywhere. In the hallways of the high school, the streets, housing, neighborhoods, cities, and more, one thing is seen, and that 's segregation, which is ultimately caused by racism. Walking in the hallways at school, chances are that you’ll see a group of whites, a group of Hispanics, and a group of African Americans, but rarely do you see these three groups interacting with each other. Racism has been made a part of people’s everyday lives, a border posed by racism: segregation. Racism and its effects can not only be seen around us but can also be traced throughout countless readings in HWOC this year. Almost every literary work focuses on the topic or underscores at its effects, and today, you can walk into any library or bookstore and find something, whether it be a news article or chapter book, regarding racial conflict. This alone is evidence of how racism has integrated our society and continues to inform and manipulate our minds. The literature we have been exposed to this past year is a reflection of society, similar to a reflection in a mirror showing us the piece of hair sticking up in the back, literature is showing us the problem so it can be addressed.

Racism has been occurring in America for hundreds of years. People throughout history tend to be prejudice to people who do not act or look as they do. Although it may seem as if racism is not as big of an issue anymore it still occurs, however racism between the late 1950’s and early 1960’s was a completely different story. Racism affected people’s families and friends, endangered their lives and has helped teach humans lessons on how to treat people now.

Indeed, it is justifiable to state that prejudice is a condition of human nature and has been continuously displayed throughout history. Social psychologists attempt to explain this as a method for humans to simplify and organize the complexities of their social world (Aronson & Aronson, 2012, p. 309). In a like manner, people will produce a rationalization in order to justify their beliefs and feeling towards a selected group. Under those circumstances, there are several causes identified that contribute to prejudice. Namely, displaced aggression, disposition, the maintenance of self-image and status, and economic and political competition. Therefore, it is also important to note the various forms of prejudice, because it can be applied to numerous attributes, physical characteristics, beliefs, or anything perceived as different or threatening.

Racism is simply any form of discrimination towards skin color and a different race than your own. It can involve categorizing, insulting, abusing, and isolation. It is differing treatment of another human, but sadly it almost seems like it’s apart of human nature now. Racism can also be considered nature of competitiveness. We battle against each other because we simply want to outshine, and to group between ourselves to generate secure and solid support. Society classifies, not only with race, but in presentation, smarts, good fortune, intelligence, and many other things. When we see somebody we naturally evaluate and judge disregarding our ethical beliefs. An immense part of this is the peoples ego, which brings me to how egoism and racism mutually relate.