Racism
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course
Instructor’s Name
Date
Racism
Racism is a complex concept, as it takes many forms affecting people across the world. People think that racism is mistreating blacks living in the United States and any other European nation, but that is not the case. In the U.S, for example, a country considered the superpower in terms of economic development is one of the leading states when it comes to racism. Racism impacts people’s lives negatively. For instance, it makes it hard to get employment or be part of society because of skin color or nation. Racism is grounded in various theories, such as functionalism, conflict, and cultural prejudice. In this article, I would explore racism prevalence in the United States and its effect. The three forms of racism taking place in the U.S and their impact would be the main focal point.
Racism can be seen as something based on superstitions, assumptions, stereotypes, and any form of unjustified generalizations associated with individuals having a different skin color. The victims of racism are usually minority groups in society. In the United States, for instance, blacks, Hispanics, and Asians. More often than not, these people have an inferior status; thus, they are cut on power, job opportunities, and national resources. Racism is usually perpetrated by those in power like politicians, media houses as they have the mandate of justifying their actions and views on different issues in society. There are many types of racism. The first one may take the form of harassment-it can be an abuse resulting from racial differences making people attack it each without no apparent reason. This form of racism can happen in many places, such as school, work, and public transport. The second kind of discrimination can be in the form of attacks. For instance, in the United States, black people are oftenly attacked and sometimes killed by the policy. And little is done when it comes to investigation. Lastly, there is institutional racism. Here, many people ending suffering from it because racism has become part and parcel of the institution.
The incidences of racism in the United States are widespread. Rachel et al. (2016), in their article Dismattling structural racism, supporting Black lives, and achieving health equity: our role outlines several instances of police brutality. For example, an incident in one community was cited on July 7, 2017, where Philando Castile was shot dead by the police. Acknowledging the role of racism in Castile’s death, the governor of Minnesota, Mr. Mark Dayton, asserted that the incident would have occurred in the driver, and the passenger was white. He went further by condemning a similar experience two weeks ago, killing two more blacks in police presence. In essence, the perpetrators of racism in the United States have been the police supposed to serve all the citizens regardless of the racial and cultural affiliations or background.
Incidences of police brutality are widespread in America. Tolliver et al., (2016) his article, Police killings of unarmed black people: centering race and racism in human behavior and the social environment content, argued that academic diversity and intersectionality replaced the roles placed by racism that lead to the killing of the unarmed man in the incidence that took place in our the states in the U.S. Further, the author asserts that race and racism in American are white supremacy creations that were crafted initially to justify American enslavement. Here, the author says that the education system has failed to integrate diversity issues so that workers understand and incorporate the impact of racialization on black people working or seeking employment. The author’s assertions are grounded in cultural and conflict racism theories.
Conflict theory is applied to several inequalities of social class, race, education, to mention a few. In this regard, the conflict theory point of view gives insights into American history. It examines numerous past and present struggles between the racial and ethnic minorities and the white ruling class. What is happening in the U.S was foreseeable. The conflict has risen, then the minorities exert pressure on the dominant group posing a threat; thus, the ruling class is retaliating by mistreating minorities. Cultural prejudice theory can also be used to understand the manifestation of racism in the United States. The idea of prejudice suggests that people’s perception of others is pegged on culture. Children grow up surrounded by casual expressions, images, and stereotypes of discrimination and racism. For example, when a child is born seeing a black American being prejudiced, they are not bound by any considerations to avoid doing the same in the future.
Racism and its effects
Racism is terrible as slow down the country’s economic development and can lead to civil war if radical measures are not taken to prevent it. In the United States, minority groups are usually discriminated against in many places, denying them chances and opportunities in the country. For example, in a white-dominated culture where a white person heads every institution, it can be challenging for black Americans or other minority groups to get a job or be entitled to better service. Such instances make the minority groups bitter and can result in a conflict, thus threatening a country’s security. For example, the death of George Floyd can provide an insight into what conflict can lead to. It was as if people were tired of discrimination. Hence, they reacted by taking part in historic demonstrations across all states condemning the merciless killing of the black American by the white police. The protest had an impact on the U.S economy as everything was brought to a standstill.
Conclusion
Racism is entrenched in society; thus, it’s the responsibility of every citizen to understand that any form of discrimination of someone is something of the past for the benefit of their country. The whole things should begin from the family levels. Parents have a role to play to reduce stereotypes and prejudices that make whites see themselves as superior to any other race in the country. Perpetuating racism is not a solution and does not add anything to the nation’s economic growth. It indirectly contributes to poor service delivery by discriminating against others along racial lines in the job recruitment and ending up filling the vacant positions with inept and individuals who no cue and prowess to move the country forward. Secondly, there is cultural diversity should take center stage in all institutions of learning. A move that can go along the way of changing people’s perception of racism. Education is the only weapon to end discrimination. As such, teachers, political leaders, and media should embark on anti-racism campaigns to ensure people are sensitized to racism’s adverse effects.
References