Moving on to our main examples: racism, sexism, queer-phobia. What do all three have in common? They are all manifestations of stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination against different groups. All three of these groups face one form or another of oppression and discrimination in modern American culture. However, the similarity goes one step further: their root. All three of these biases are rooted in the fear, hatred, or even simply the misunderstanding of groups foreign to the majority. We have seen time and time again how these have negative effects on society. Currently, minority groups make up one-third of the U.S. population. The ever-growing numbers and activism for social justice have prompted more progressive views and respect for …show more content…
The people in the photographs were either holding a gun, or a harmless item such as a cell phone. The participants’ job was to react as quickly as possible and press a button to “shoot” the target if they were holding a gun. The results showed that the white participants shot more often when the person in the photograph was black, even if they held no weapon. In an excerpt from her book, Everyday Sexism, Laura Bates eloquently stated, “…we have women being openly lambasted, dismissed, or objectified on the simple basis of their gender. Nothing more. From our politicians to our broadcasting corporations. From the biggest media event in the world to the most famous sporting contest. Sexism seems to occupy a stubbornly acceptable position when it comes to public discourse, with a general willingness to laugh at and ignore it rather than define it as the prejudice it is." In the United States, there is no sales tax on necessities such as food. Yet 37 out of 50 states had a sales tax on menstrual hygiene products as of 2016. New York researchers estimated that without this tax on menstrual hygiene products, consumers would save 10 million dollars annually, although in some states such as California that number grows to 20 million dollars or