The Importance Of Racism

To many people across a variety of different nationalities and cultures, race has been proven to be a key factor for how society views you in the eyes of those who are prominently in charge. The term race has been brought up in recent years, to be considered a form of identification, as the word race is used to describe physical characteristics such as a person’s color of skin, hair, and eyes. When in reality, the correct term they should be using is Ethnicity. As a result, the term race is used to separate people into sub-categories based on the color of their skin. This type of classification, is a man-made creation used by society to classify certain groups of people into lower classes, while keeping the predominate group in charge at the top.

One of the most prevalent themes throughout the world’s history is the dispute over race and racial differences. But, there is a problem: the majority of the population doesn’t have a clear understanding of what race is. Race is a socially constructed grouping of people that was created in order for people to differentiate themselves from one another and has many sources of influence. While most people believe race is determined by biological characteristics (hair type, skin color, eye shape, etc.), this is not true. To make things more complicated, there is no cut and dry definition to race. Authors of Race and Ethnicity in Society, Elizabeth Higginbotham and Margret Anderson, claim that there are seven different distinct ways to define race. They begin with the popular belief of biological characteristics, and, as mentioned before, through social construction. They go on to note that race can be formed from an ethnic group, from social class rank, from racial formation by institutions, and also can form from one’s self-definition (Higginbotham & Anderson, 2012, p. 13). All of these ways to define race have been seen throughout our history, and many of them have caused problems for minorities, especially in the United States.

Defining someone by their skin color is an everyday phenomenon. Many people see a specific shade of skin and believe they know exactly how that person is going to speak, carry, and illustrate themselves. It seems to be embedded in one’s head at a young age to have specific views given by family, friends, and coworkers such as, believing interracial relationships are immoral, or it being acceptable to judge others according to their skin color. In the articles “Race is a Four Letter Word” by Teja Arboleda and “Mr. Z” by M. Carl Holman, the color of the authors skin plays a substantial role on how they are treated and perceived. Living in a society that doesn’t understand one’s culture can make their life extremely difficult.

My pre-adolescent years were spent in a community thick with diversity. My friendships were as diverse as the environment in which I lived. It never struck me that racial and ethnic ideals separated people in society. However, upon moving to a predominately white upper-class community I began to question such racial and ethnic ideas. From my adolescent years through today I began noticing that certain people are viewed differently for reasons relating to race and ethnicity. As a result, the most recent community I grew up in has kept me sheltered from aspects of society. As a product of a community where majorities existed, I found myself unexposed to the full understanding of race and ethnicity. Prior to the class I had never fully dealt with issues of race or ethnicity, as a result I wondered why they would be of any importance in my life.

Race is a social-constructed terminology where it categorizes people into groups that share certain distinctive physical characteristics such as skin color. However, race and racial identity is unstable, unfixed and constantly shifting, as race, typically, is a signifier of prevalent social conflict and interest. Although, many, particularly anthropologists and sociologists, argue in the aforementioned point of view, some – mainly white population -- believe that racial characteristics are biologically inherited.

Race and ethnicity is a main factor in the way we identify others and ourselves. The real question here is does race/ethnicity still matter in the U.S.? For some groups race is not a factor that affects them greatly and for others it is a constant occurrence in their mind. But how do people of mix race reacts to this concept, do they feel greatly affected by their race? This is the question we will answer throughout the paper. I will first examine the battle of interracial relationship throughout history and explain how the history greatly explains the importance of being multiracial today. This includes the backlash and cruelty towards interracial couple and their multiracial children. Being part of a multiracial group still contains its

Explanations that justify the use of racism directly relates to differential treatment of minority groups and contributes to racism’s existence as an unstoppable social problem. The foundations of these explanations are based on the common misunderstanding of the definition of race. Thus, problems that tend to concentrate in one race are mistakenly judged as “race problems”. This judgement leads to the establishment of a system of inequality between a superior race and inferior races. However, the logic behind these explanations don’t account for the true reasoning behind minority individuals value status. In fact, these explanations contribute to minority individuals’ further struggle in life.

Whether it’s filling out forms for the doctor, financial aid, or even job applications, the one question that we almost unconsciously answer is the question of race. Race is a prevalent and influential part of our everyday life that surprisingly many do not even understand. What is race? For years race has been used as a tool in the subjugation of human populations on the perceived notion of biological superiorities. Race by definition is a population “that develops distinct characteristics differing from other populations of the same species”, while these variations may have social and cultural implications, genetic evidence suggests race has no biological significance (Biology-online.org, 2014).

Alicia and I chose this kind of article because it’s something that we think is important. Racism doesn’t just oppress people, it also kills. The author brings up Mike Brown and how he got gunned down by the police. The incident has been declared as Mike being a danger against the policeman and therefore had it coming. Many people reacted against this and that’s how the hashtag blacklivesmatter started. The hashtag has been emphasized many times since then, because the systematic oppression doesn’t stop. And neither does the killing, sadly enough. It’s very sad that people judge and oppress each other based on skin color, religion and so on. And it is hard for the minorities who becomes oppressed because of this. For example, their skin color.

In this video I learned that race relations are very evident in our country today, with countless protests violent and non-violent throughout America, some may ask when will we unite as one and become at peace with one another. In my opinion, the chances of that happening are slim to none. I do believe there are things that we as a community and an individual could do, though. If I had the opportunity I would try and help simply by talking to people. Friends, family, co-workers, even strangers. I would try to make the racial issues known and ask people who show signs of racism why they feel the way they do, followed by giving them my thoughts about their hatred towards whatever specific group they dislike. I would try to educate them with

Although our culture is said to be completely removed from the idea of racial discrimination, this sense of inequality can be seen occurring behind the scenes within our society. Within the subtopic of race, several areas including our current culture, social psychology and the current format of our social institutions allow for the production and often the reproduction of racial discrimination in our day and age. Throughout this course, the various readings and class lectures have been very beneficial when examining the impact that racial discrimination and inequality has on our society. In this paper, I will delve into the subtopic of race and ethnicity and expound on how it is greatly influenced by our culture, social psychology, and social institutions around us today.

Racism is an ongoing force that negatively impacts the lives of Americans every day. The racist mindset in America stems from the times of slavery, where blacks were thought to be inferior to whites. Throughout history, the ideology of race and racism has evolved and developed several different meanings. Today, we can still see the devastating effects of racism on people of color, as well as whites. “Racism, like other forms of oppression, is not only a personal ideology based on racial prejudice, but a system involving cultural messages and institutional policies and practices as well as beliefs and actions of individual” (Tatum, pg. 9). As a result of this system, it leaves the

It seems to be agreed upon that racism by non-racists cannot occur, but that is simply not true. It is not enough to state that one is fully vested in diversity and is anti-racist. White privilege is also believing that racism is only seen when there is a goal of discrimination, without understanding that tolerance of an accidental prejudice is what keeps the system of privilege intact. As McIntosh (1988) has noted, "I was taught to see racism only in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible systems conferring dominance on my group" (p. 10). Racism can be the raised eyebrow of surprise that a professor might give to a black student who has the correct answer. It can be the solicitous behavior of a guidance counselor who may assume a student of color cannot navigate the financial aid bureaucracy. These may be unconscious acts, or one may believe that the assistance is helpful, but it is racism nonetheless. It is demeaning, and is far more hurtful than a white person can envision. According to Boatright-Horowitz et al (2013) “Persons of color may feel discomforted or insulted, but they are likely to experience difficulty discussing it because they can expect to be perceived as overreacting by whites to minor or nonexistent racist offenses” (p. 698). White people are incapable of even seeing that this is an issue, because they have never experienced actual racism. Even in a college environment, generally accepted as being tolerant of diversity and largely progressive,

Race and racism have been around for a long time. The readings and videos from this class explain how racism has changed form from explicit to implicit. Modern racism is still racism and different groups of people are affected in different ways.

Institutional Racism in the education system can be combated by teachers and administration working together. Schools must take the initiative of incorporating different cultural perspectives in the curriculum. Only addressing the basic characteristics of culture such as dance, food, and religion is not enough. Racism affects people on many levels, and it's essential to acknowledge the history and culture of a society in all aspects. Cultural characteristics influenced by the political, social, and economic climate. To have an accurate grasp of the values that shaped the culture one must break down and analyze the bias and discrimination of the society.