Racism May Operate More Subtly, Essay Example

Use examples from the reading for this class or your own experience to illustrate the following statement: “at times racism may operate more subtly and without conscious intent.”

Racism can be referred to as prejudice based on race against one person or a group of people. It can be   expressed or manifested either subtly or overtly. Overt racism is a public and deliberate act intended to harm or insult a person/ group of people of another race just because one believes they belong to a superior race. This can be in form of using racial slurs, racial profiling or even by use of physical violent to prove the same.

Subtle racism is usually somewhat hidden and is greatly influenced by the acculturalization of a person, and thus is somehow difficult to pin-point. The victim is usually ignored, ridiculed or treated differently by the perpetrators. This kind of racism does not involve the use of violence or racial slurs/insults.

Over the years, subtle racism has continued to prevail in institutions. It can be experienced in places such as colleges, churches or the workplace in general and may operate more subtly without conscious intent.  The author gives a number of examples to illustrate his point. In the article, he claims that the black American community is largely ignored by their white counterparts. This can be seen especially in the media i.e in movies, television programs or even in comic strips. Majority of the stories told are mainly influenced and portrays the cultures of the white community. This leaves out the black American communities who rarely get the chance to showcase who they are.

Another aspect is the use of standardization examinations that schools and employers use that do not consider the backgrounds of the black community. These examinations are set using “white” standards; hence a black candidate regardless of their status and education will in most cases will do poorly compared to white candidates. This is a result of the different backgrounds and the culture of the black community.

At a personal level I have also experienced this type of racism. It happened at a restaurant, where the waiter assumed that I could not afford to eat there just because of my racial background. Hence, she insisted on offering me food that she thought was within my price bracket, without even waiting to get my order.

Racism in America is still a sensitive topic. In spite of the efforts put in place to reduce the occurrence, little is being done to address the subtle racism especially in institutions. And as the author pointed out I concur with the notion that the black community is highly affected by it.