Race Relations in the United States, Research Paper Example

Introduction

It is safe to say that every race has experienced racism to some degree. Racism is the belief that a particular race is superior or inferior to another and that a person’s educational goals, as well as social and moral traits are predetermined by his or her inborn biological characteristics. Racism is not just the belief that one’s race is superior to another, but it also manifested in acts of negatively identifying individuals solely based on the color of their skin. Racism is the blatant divider that separates and segregates, the end result being the creation of distrust and disdain for people of races other than their own.

In 2015, Mirriam Webster Dictionary defines racism as “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race”. However, the term “racism” has a long and twisted history. According to the second edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (1989), Lawrence Dennis was the first in the English language to use the written word “racism” in 1936 in a book entitled, “The Coming American Fascism”. However, it is the second usage of the word “racism” that is identified as the source of negativity that we now associate with it. Magnus Hirschfield wrote the book, “Racism” in 1933 but it wasn’t published until 1938 which was three years after his death. Hirschfield was a German Jewish scientist that specialized in the study of sex, particularly homosexuality. To Hirschfield, the word racism was a term associated with sexual oppression by a society that frowned upon and ostracized any nontraditional sexual relationships (Francis). Nonetheless, it has now come to represent inferiority based on skin color because sexual oppression is not a forefront issue in today’s society. The Oxford English Dictionary also records the first utterance of the word racism in 1902 by Richard Henry Pratt. Pratt stated in a speech against segregation, “Association of races and classes is necessary to destroy racism and classism” (Denby).

Why Does Racism Exist Now?

Although we don’t see signs in store fronts saying “No Blacks Allowed” or the separation of bathrooms and drinking fountains for “Blacks” and “Whites”, racism is very much in existence today. Sociologists and philosophers have studied racism, its causes and possible solutions for many generations. Yet, racism remains as strong and prevalent as it was years ago. Racism is an enigma with many contributing factors and influences and no one specific reason can be pinpointed.

The first reason I believe racism continues to exist is because humans have a subconscious tendency and inherent nature to judge. In fact, many people participate in acts of racism without even realizing that they are doing such a thing. I believe this stems from the nature of being a human. It is this very nature that teaches us to be wary of things we are not familiar with and to strive to be better than others. Even as youngsters, were taught to be competitive with siblings, classmates, and friends. The need to be superior and competitive is instilled in us from birth. And simply put, the most successful way to attain superiority is to degrade and humiliate a competitor. The human mind and body identifies itself as the norm when viewed in the mirror. Therefore, when a human sees someone who is the complete opposite of them, the brain automatically recognizes the other persona as an abnormal.

A second reason racism exist is because it has come to be accepted as the norm. Society is bombarded daily by multiple occurrences of racism in the news. The destructive and divisive nature of racism witnessed by us, to some degree every day, has weakened the internal alarms of morality that should notify us that these racist actions are not acceptable. Instead, we as humans have developed a shield to numb us. We choose to turn a blind eye because frankly, we have come to accept these harmful actions as part of today’s societal makeup. In many ways, humans have been trained, as in a laboratory experiment to expect a certain outcome.

A third reason racism exist is because it has a long and supported foundation in institutionalized slavery. The institution of slavery ended with the Civil War, but the attitudes of white superiority and entitlement continued. In my opinion, the laws of segregation created in the United States only served the purpose of solidifying what many whites thought. These laws meant to be “separate, but equal”, were the very first acceptance of written racism by society as a whole. With the controlling and demeaning aspects of slavery abolished, segregation was just another way to continue these aspects. Even though segregation is outlawed, history has already done its job. It has already embedded the seeds of racism deep into society.

In July 2015 sociologist and philosopher, Joe Feagin, summarized some of the reasons why racism still exists (Yancy). In the interview, Feagin stated that to understand racism, social scientist must stop relying on analytical concepts such as prejudice, bias, stereotyping, and intolerance, and start focusing on the what, why, and who of institutional racism. Feagin went on to state that racial oppression has a long timeline in the United States and has become so institutionalized through 20 generations, it is going to take generations to eliminate it. Feagin claimed that in one study of children (2 to 4) and racism, that children of all backgrounds form racial opinions about peers and play in classroom settings, and not just at home settings. Data collected at colleges show that white students are more likely to assert racism in backstage settings. Specific examples of racism in backstage settings in college campuses include these: hanging makeshift nooses in student centers, attending parties in offensive costumes, making assumptions about ethnicities, racial slurs by a hidden perpetrator, and being harassed for mistaken identity (The New York Times).

Does Stereotyping Lead to Racism

Starting from preschool years we are taught to label. Labeling is how we learn colors, shapes, names, and practically everything we have ever encountered. This is the type of labeling that is good and wholesome. But, there are times when stereotyping is used as a negative mechanism to label. The fact is, stereotyping is a kind of labeling that is applied to an entire group or culture. By stereotyping, we conclude that just because we witnessed or even heard about one instance of a cultural situation, then that must be true of all similar cultural situations. Take for example, it stereotypical behavior to think that all blond women are airheads, that all African Americans are lazy, or that all Latinos steal. Frequently using stereotypes to categorize people is planting seeds that will develop into a racism tree.

As individuals, we must become aware of our thinking patterns regarding our thoughts and feelings about other individuals. Yet, to some degree we will always stereotype people. Stereotyping is a manner in which our brains simplify our social world into categories we can understand. It is the intentions and inner feelings of disdain and contempt associated with stereotyping that crosses into racism.

An example of just how unaware we are of our participation in stereotyping is seen in a study conducted by Psychology Today. This study reveals how prevalent stereotypes are, and that they have an interesting and unexpected role in the human psyche. This study revealed that when students, who were identified as most racist and least racist by a questionnaire, were assigned to write a fictitious story about a young man named Tyrone and a young man named Erik, the majority from both groups identified Tyrone as African American (Seeber). The students who identified as least racist simply overlooked the fact that stereotypes do not have to be spoken to occur, but stereotypes can manifest in everyday activities that have no direct connection to acts of racism.

Does Ignorance Lead to Racism

Mirriam Webster defines ignorance as “a lack of knowledge, education, and understanding”. Still, ignorance alone does not make a person a racist. A person can be ignorant of other cultures, yet still treat individuals from that culture with respect. Not knowing a person’s morals, beliefs, and customs should not be considered racism. However, ignorance and stereotyping when coupled with hatred and fear is a physical and emotional manifestation of racism. An example of ignorance that is offensive to a culture is seen in many sports team mascots, particularly Indians. The intentions behind the idea of mascots is to excite and motivate the crowd. Because of a lack of understanding on how Indians view the use of their image, this is offensive to their culture. An example of how ignorance and stereotyping leads to racism is sometimes seen at Halloween parties. When a white person attends a party dressed as a dancing black painted face African American, then ignorance has now crossed over into racism. Speaking frankly, the intentions of a costume like that is meant to offend and belittle a race and culture.

Is Racism Individual or Social Product

Racism is a product of individual actions. Yet, racism is strongly supported by social conditions of today’s society. To understand this concept, take this for example. It is proven that individuals are less likely to participate in actions that will cause them to experience negative consequences. Therefore, people are less likely to commit murder because the consequences will involve imprisonment. Contrarily, individuals are more likely commit a crime if they know that there will not be any consequences. Mirriam Webster 2015 defines crime as “a grave offense especially against morality”. And in many ways racism is a grave offense against morality because it offends, degrades, divides, demeans, and humiliates another race’s self- worth and self-esteem. Morally, we are supposed to treat others as we wish to be treated and racism diminishes this idea every time another occurrence happens. Acts of racism go unchecked and unpunished every day. Though each act is committed by individuals, it is up to society to make these acts less acceptable. If individuals know that society will ostracize them and hold them accountable for making racist remarks, then they will be less likely to commit acts of racism.

Social Uses of Racism

Acceptance by our peers and forming friendships is an important part of social development. We often participate in behaviors that we don’t necessarily agree with because our friends want us to. Frequently, the same social circle will share ideas and views on a variety of subjects. This is the reason why many people choose to not speak out when they witness acts of racism. They are afraid that friends will no longer want them in the circle. The effects of remaining silent against racism is that racism develops into societal racism. The acceptance of societal racism is then used to socially manipulate and separate minority cultures. Racism is socially used in examples of whites and blacks having separate proms, maintaining exclusive club memberships, and in promotion in many large corporations.

Racism and Wealth

According to the Census Bureau data of 2008, white households examined in four main areas, home ownership, household net worth, home equity, and household income controlled more wealth than any other races, including Blacks, Hispanics, and Native Americans (Sleeter ). The disproportionate distribution of wealth among races can be traced back to a history of oppression and slavery by whites. We’ve all heard, “work hard and you’ll be successful”, but the fact is most wealth is not attained in just one generation. Wealth is often passed down from generation to generation. If previous generations were prevented from acquiring wealth due to acts of racism and racist ideology, then the coming generations will be starting from scratch in acquiring wealth.

There are three components that contribute to white wealth today, when compared to wealth by other races. First of all, inheritance and distribution of wills within the nuclear family is not something minority races are privy to. Many years ago, it was common to deny minorities high paying jobs just because of race. This practice is not as blatantly open as it used to be, but it still exists in some aspects of the work force today. Instead, minorities were forced to take low paying jobs just to put food on the table. There was certainly no money for saving and nothing left after death to be passed down to heirs. The second factor contributing to wealth that minorities were prevented from obtaining was land acquisition. Blacks that were able to purchase land after the Civil War were often swindled out or forced to sell their land for a fraction of its worth. Land acreage is passed down through the generations and is considered a source of wealth also. A third contributing factor to the distribution of wealth is slavery itself. Slaves were considered and counted as financial property. Slaves had a financial value that contributed to the total wealth of the slave owner, and monies from selling slaves were passed down through inheritance (Sleeter).

Racism in some way, direct or indirect, has contributed to the uneven distribution of wealth amongst the races today.

Is the United States Racist?

The United States is a culmination of races from all over the world. There are hundreds of different ethnicities and even more cultures. We are an accepting country. At least that is what we say until we are introduced to someone from another country with different customs than our own. The fear of the unknown takes over and we become withdrawn. Without even realizing it, we are formulating feelings of racism.

The best example of how these feelings manifest is seen during the period between World War I up until the 1970’s. With the Great Migration, six million blacks traveled to the North to escape Jim Crow laws. When they arrived, the Northerners had limited exposure to blacks and the cities were not prepared to handle such a large number. The blacks were paid the lowest wages and housed in the ghettos. The New York Times did an article on racism in the north in January 2015. This article focuses on the northern states experience and participation in acts of racism. These are the same states that fought in the Civil War to abolish slavery and liberate blacks. It would seem that this part of the country should be the most tolerable of racial differences in the entire United States. In the article, it is stated that blacks are killed twice per week by the police for minor law infractions and that this rate of death is three times that of whites. Since instances like this continue to happen in the most tolerable part of the country, then I would have to agree, that the United States is a racist country, even though that may not be intended (Wilkerson).

Can Racism Be Eradicated?

How can we as a society eradicate racism? In my opinion, racism will never be completely eradicated because it too instilled in our nature and our history. But, here are some suggestions that might help reduce racism.

First, we must learn to conquer our fears of the unknown. Take the first step to get to know someone. Humans are humans, no matter where they are from and no matter how different their customs may be. There is always something that two different people will have in common. Talking is the key to understanding that we are alike in so many ways, and that the color of our skin does not define us. It is this fear that leads us to make judgments about people even before we get to know them. How can I label another person when I don’t know anything about them? We have to put fear aside and put trust and conversation first.

My second suggestion is to teach our children to be tolerant and kind to other races. We must let them know that not everyone will look or act the same, but that doesn’t warrant a reason to think that they are less or inferior. We need to have the conversation even if it is a difficult one to discuss. An article in the New York Times stated “white parents need to be talking to our children about racism”. This article goes on to state that not having the race discussion with kids is telling them that things like this are taboo to talk about (Dell’Antonia). This is not true. Children simply want to know why someone looks different them. Research has shown that kids notice racial differences at an early age. I think it is better for the parent to explain the differences in races in a manner that teaches compassion and tolerance, than for it to be explained by someone who doesn’t share their racial views.

A final suggestion to ending racism is to take a proactive stand against it. Don’t be afraid to speak up when witnessing incidents of racism. When friends make racist comments, point it out. When someone is gunned down by the police for race, join the protest. When actors make racist comments, don’t go to see their movies. When political candidates promote racial divides, don’t vote for them.

We need to pull together as a human race, not a race by skin tone, culture, on religious beliefs. Let’s work together in educating the youth and opening their minds to an environment that supports equality and racial tolerance. We as adults need to set examples that the children learn to follow as they get older. By educating children about the dangers of stereotyping and racism we can minimize the effects this will have on future generations.

Works Cited

Dell’Antonia, K. J. “Talking about racism with white kids.” The New York Times. Nov. 2014. Web. 5 Dec. 2015. http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/25/talking-about-racism-with-white-kids/

Denby, G. “The ugly, fascinating history of the word ‘racism’.” National Public Radio. Web. 5 Dec. 2015. http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2014/01/05/260006815/the-ugly-fascinating-history-of-the-word-racism

Francis, S. “Racism”. Web. 5 Dec. 2015. http://heretical.com/miscella/racism.html

Mirriam Webster Dictionary. Web. 5 Dec. 2015. http://www.merriam-webster.com/

Seeber, M. “Racism breeds ignorance.” Psychology Today. Web. 6 Dec. 2015. https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200109/racism-breeds-ignorance

Sleeter, C. “Racism and Wealth.” Critical Family History. Web. 5 Dec. 2015. https://sites.google.com/a/christinesleeter.org/critical-family-history/Home/critical-family-history-theory/racism-and-wealth

The New York Times. “Racism on campus: Stories from New York Times readers.” Nov. 17, 2015. Web. 5 Dec. 2015. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/18/us/racism-on-campus-stories-from-new-york-times-readers.html

Wilkerson, Isabell. “When will the north face its racism?” The New York Times. Jan. 10, 2015. Web. 5 Dec. 2015. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/11/opinion/sunday/when-will-the-north-face-its-racism.html?_r=0

Yancy, G. “American racism in the white frame.” The New York Times. July 27, 2015. Web. 5 Dec. 2015. http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/07/27/american-racism-in-the-white-frame/