Racism Problem

Posted by Winnie Melda on March 21st, 2019

Introduction

Racism is a doctrine that focuses on inherent differences amongst the human racial groups due to differences in cultural or individual achievement, which usually involve the idea that one's race is superior to another. Racism bestows false rights to a certain group to dominate others rendering the other group inferior. An example is white discrimination against blacks. It is a form of prejudice, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that a certain race is superior or preference (Romm, 2010). Racism consists of several different and often related ideologies centered on the concept of race. Modern variants get often based on social perceptions of biological differences between peoples. These can take the form of social actions, practices and or beliefs (D’Souza, 1996). Racism also involves political systems that make different people get ranked as inherently superior or inferior to each other. That gets based on presumed shared inheritable traits, qualities, and abilities. It may also hold that members of different races should get treated differently.

Forms of racism

The following constitutes the different forms of racism. The first form of racism is subtle racism. Subtle racism is a seemingly minor ways in which the minorities experience discrimination. This form of Racism does not always involve extreme actions of bigotry like hate crimes but more often than not involves everyday slights like being ignorance, ridicule or differential treatment because of one’s racial background. That sometimes happens at schools (Romm, 2010).

A second form is reversal racism. This form of racism revolves about an idea that whites, who have been historically privileged in the Western world, now experience racial discrimination. That is in effect of an affirmative action and other programs that aim to level the playing field for minorities (D’Souza, 1996).

Third is individual Racism. This racism refers to beliefs, attitudes, and actions at an individual level that support or perpetuate racism. This racism can occur at both an unconscious and conscious level, and can be both active and passive (D’Souza, 1996). An illustration of individual racism at a conscious level is when a white person locks the doors of their cars whenever a black person walks by and refuses to date an Asian man because of their emasculation. Also, it is seen when he/she refuses to date a black woman because of her attitude and does not want to hire a Latino because they are lazy. These are all stereotypes that he/she may consciously or subconsciously believe (Romm, 2010).

Finally, another form of racism is institutional racism, which is any system of inequality based on race. That can occur in institutions such as public government bodies, private business corporations, and universities. An example is the harboring of racist feelings about a certain group within an institution.

Consequences of Racism

Racism is potential for a lot of effects on a victim as well as the racist. One of the effects of the victims is that, they become angry, bitter or violent due to the notice that they get discriminated. Another effect is the destruction or loss of a victim’s self-esteem, yet another effect is the destruction of communities through the creation of divisions within society.

A report by D’Souza following a study on the effects of racism says that racial discrimination erodes mental health. The study was of the findings that, black people may develop poorer mental health as a result of two mechanisms. First is due to a chronic exposure to racial discrimination that leads to more experiences of daily discrimination. Secondly, it results in an accumulated daily negative event across various domains of life, from health, family, friends, and finances. A person’s whole world can change due to experiences of discrimination events, and they can become depressed, anxious and mentally unwell. To more extreme ends, racism has caused rape cases based on an immoral ‘belief’ that the victims have no rights (D’Souza, 1996).

Fight against racism and its benefits

An anti-racist activist in the U.S. dates back to the early 1800s when abolitionists first mobilized for the liberation of slaves. To do this, they wrote, spoke, and rallied against racism. Today, the fight against racism can be done through reclaiming the definition of “racism. It is worthy to note that racism is not simply personal prejudice that only manifests itself in terms of being unkind to people on the basis of their skin color. Racism is a system of oppression, one that creates a society of first- and second-class citizens by denying rights and access to resources, particularly to non-whites (D’Souza, 1996). It is a system of power created by and maintained through public policy. Until the day comes we enacts laws aimed specifically and purposefully at ensuring that education, health care, jobs and housing are not rights related to color, then racism will not get halted.

From this point, one can learn that the benefits of racist-free nations are reasons for national prosperity. No nation can stand out economically when democracy is subjective or enjoyed by a particular group while to the others, it is a vocabulary. The modern people ought to stand in one accord and end the stiff and mild elements of racism in schools, work, neighborhoods and public administration.

References

D'Souza D.(1996).The End of Racism: Finding Values In An Age Of Techno-affluence. NewYork: Free Press Paperbacks

Romm A. (2010). The new racism: Revisiting researcher accountabilities. Dordrecht: Springer.

Carolyn Morgan is the author of this paper. A senior editor at MeldaResearch.Com in college research paper services. If you need a similar paper you can place your order from best medical essay service.