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The social construction of race affects
The social construction of race affects
The social construction of race affects
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In this day and age, the issue of racism is vastly different when comparing it to the affair from times past. The reason behind this is not because whites spontaneously changed views in the sense that African-American people should in fact not be discriminated and be treated like second class citizens. Instead it is because there are heroes amongst us. There are heroes of all sorts such as catalyst heroes, tragic heroes, willing heroes etc., yet they all have something in common. That commonality is that they are admired for his/her courageous deeds and for being the one who steps up and sets a remarkable and life changing revolution.
These were some of my favorite readings so far that we had been required to read through. They were very enlightening and provided many great perspectives and stories from white and minority people alike. The three readings I enjoyed the most are Defining Racism: “Can We Talk?” by Beverly Daniel Tatum, Color-Blind Racism by Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, and Smells Like Racism by Rita Chaudhry Sethi. What I liked about Bonilla-Silva’s piece is the quotes taken from the white privilege.
In the article “The Hidden Racism of Young White Americans” author Sean McElwee analyzes data on white Americans. The first graph shows that white individuals in all age groups agreed in the same amount of numbers to statements like “Black people are lazy, black people are unintelligent, and blacks face a little or no discrimination at all” (McElwee 2012). McElwee mentions, “Age tells us far less about an individual’s likelihood of expressing racist sentiments than factors like education, geography and race” (McElwee 2015). Since the graph showed all age groups agreeing similarly throughout the board. The next graph shows “work ethic of whites to blacks” (McElwee 2015).
Institutional racism is a kind of discrimination formed by society to target a specific race, compared to having an individual’s personal racist belief. Having a personal racist belief is centralized. It is influenced by the society but it is determined by a single individual. Institutional racism and an individual’s racist beliefs go hand in hand. A person will always have his or her own individual racist beliefs, but when a society has one, it is usually about one specific race but it does not showcase the true meaning and depth of life supported by Bettie (2002) “do not reflect complexity of life”.
In the essay, “A Genealogy of Modern Racism”, the author Dr. Cornel West discusses racism in depth, while conveying why whites feel this sense of superiority. We learn through his discussion that whites have been forced to treat black harshly due to the knowledge that was given to them about the aesthetics of beauty and civility. This knowledge that was bestowed on the whites in the modern West, taught them that they were superior to all races tat did not emulate the norms of whites. According to Dr. West the very idea that blacks were even human beings is a concept that was a “relatively new discovery of the modern West”, and that equality of beauty, culture, and intellect in blacks remains problematic and controversial in intellectual circles
December the 6th, 1865 marks the end of slavery and white supremacy. A glance at the 21st century America manifests otherwise. Racism is an ongoing issue that contributes largely to class boundaries within significant aspects such as economy, education and society of the United States, making people of color inferior to white people. The key components that construct a country into greatness are economy, education and society. The inequality and injustice present in these interlinked components, bound by social class hierarchy, can lead to desisting the full potential to be a globally respectable nation.
Do people discriminate others to hurt them or they do not realize what their actions are doing? Racial discrimination is when a person is treated less favorably than another person in a similar situation because of their race, colour, descent, national or ethnic origin or immigrant status. One of the biggest discrimination in this country is racial discrimination towards Latinos and people of color. Racial discrimination has become a part of everyday life in America. We have to stop this hatred in our country because this country is based on freedom, peace, and home of immigrants.
1. According to the article, the difference between individual, institutional, and structural racism is: individual racism is examined as a social psychological phenomenon that based on the bias that might be created by different individual’s ideas and beliefs. While institutional racism is “based on a system in which the White majority ‘raises its social position by exploiting, controlling, and keeping down others who are categorized in racial or ethnic terms’” (Silva 1997: 466)
Racism in America has always been present. The foundation of America is based on the exploitation of black bodies. There was first slavery where black people weren’t seen as human beings but as goods meant to be exchanged and used for labor. Then, there were the Jim Crow laws where laws were instilled in order to separate black and white Americans. The letter “Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates shows that black bodies in America are as much in danger now than it was centuries before.
I believe that I am white. Growing up in wealthy suburban town in Massachusetts, surrounded by people that look like me, I never was required to think about my safety, dignity, future, or body through the lens of my race. I learned about slavery, racism, and the Civil Rights era in a classroom with 20 other kids and a teacher who also believed they were white. We learned about these issues as apathetic bystanders. Memorize them; get a good grade on the test.
Beyond the Walk to Natchez A historical great piece of literary art, “A Worn Path” published in 1941, is a story of an old woman’s journey to town through the forest. The setting is rural Mississippi in the 1940’s, a time when racism was a way of life and a trip to town, especially for an old black woman, was often a long journey and thus a trip not often taken. The old woman’s name is Phoenix Jackson and she has quite an adventurous trip through the forest to town. One is made to believe this is just an average walk down the path for this old woman; however the reader is entertained by Phoenix’s mannerisms and realizes there is deeper meaning of the story.
The court system is constantly referred to as“unfair” due to racism occurring in different cases. Some members of different ethnicities have come forward saying that they receive more severe punishments than white people, this is an injustice to these other ethnicity members. This is incorrect because of the way the United States’ policies. America runs the justice system not on discrimination, but on how severe the the . Systematic racism is not present in current criminal justice systems.
Who is to blame for the national obesity problem, the Fast Food Companies or consumers? Fast Food Restaurants take a lot of heat for the rise in obesity in the US, but is it really their fault? Many people believe that individuals are to blame for their own obesity – not restaurants, companies, farmers or the government policies. However, in our busy world people do not have enough time to relax, do something together with their families nor make their own foods. Therefore, they do not really care about themselves as well.
Many people always speak of how today’s world is complex and convoluted, as if it was simple before that particular point. To build a future for one self, they must first know the past to progress. Frederick Douglass wrote a short essay on the Color Line, he does not directly state a definition of the color line, but rather explains the current racial affections, with in depth of the two conflicting races. He speaks on how the white philosophers spoke open and confidently about how the Negro was inferior. The Anglo Saxon had always been prejudice against the opposite race, it was their natural supposedly, but this is not based in science.
If you can take a moment to think to yourself, how many times have you been treated differently just because of your race? Maybe not at all, or maybe a lot. Understanding systematic racism may help you understand why. Systematic racism affects people’s lives greatly or just a little. If you want to learn about what Jim Crow started systematic racism and what it is, then read this essay.
