Racism in America Today - Essay Example

RACISM IN AMERICA TODAY Racism is the conviction that the naturally dissimilar traits, evident from the different human races justify the act of discrimination. People acting out of racist beliefs inflict harm on particular groupings or individuals, and they further justify their actions on the basis of racial typecasting. Racism is further associated with various acts that are of an illegal or harmful nature, including hatred, extremism, exploitation, xenophobia, racial supremacy, separatism, vigilantism and mass murder among others. Among Americans, racism was highly prevalent in earlier times, but more subtle in the present, where racist behaviors are indirectly acted out as opposed to the earlier times, when it took the forms of oppression like colonization and slavery. The more prevalent models of racism include subtle intolerant behaviors: exploitation, hatred, racial supremacy. These include cases where blacks are considered criminal suspects, as opposed to white Americans. Americans still display racism, which indicates how deep racism still is in the American society. Indeed, Americans have a big move to make before they can eliminate this problem from their social fabric. Racism, as a societal vice within the fabric of the American society, can be traced to the humble beginnings of the United States, when the people organized a perpetual hierarchy of oppressive efforts. These oppressive constructions were meant to keep each American – both first comers and new comers like the slaves – subservient to the authority of another above them. This oppressive hierarchy can be traced to the demands of the King of England for goods from the Jamestown elite, who entirely manipulated the white frontiersman. The white frontiersman, on the other hand, in order to appease the elite group with land and money, resorted to the slaughtering of the indigenous populace, as well as the brutalization of the slaves of African origin. As a result of the difficulties the citizenry had to face, many members of the white elite group joined the African and other indigenous rebellion groups. Due to this cooperative working by the whites and the rebellious groups, the ruling class resolved to end the alliance. This was the case, as they felt that it would eventually grow strong to the level – that it would be able to overthrow the rule of the King and the elite group. As a move to break the alliance, the ruling class moved to separate the whites from everyone else – which they did – through giving more opportunities in the form of better treatment and land resources to the white servants. The move worked; therefore, the working whites abandoned the rebellious movements for the favorable treatment. As a result, the two groupings have had problems working together up to date (Zinn 37). Coming to the incidence of Racism in the American society in modern times, it should be noted that Racist moves and behaviors are still as prevalent as they were ages ago, but are more subtle. At present, people are clearly – more aware and less apt to be overtly racist, when there are laws against such acts. For instance, hate crimes are considered as inhumane and punishable by the law, as other racist conducts. Instead, racists have become more organized. For example, in the year 2011, there was a tremendous increase in new memberships to white supremacist associations. This is according to the ‘Southern Poverty law Center,’ which assumes the role of tracking the operations of supremacist organizations in the U.S. They have documented that the number of members by up to 48% since the year 2000. Further, the principal white supremacist group operating in America, by name, Stormfront, runs a racist forum. Through the forum, white supremacists post systematic attacks on the whites of Jewish origin. In such forums, they use the name ‘Jew’ as a term of race. For example, on a discussion regarding the economic crisis, a member by the name, Crowstorm is quoted as saying that it is a problem that Jews look white. As a result, when people see a Jew do evil, they do not say, “Look at that evil Jew,” but instead, they say, “look at that evil white man.” From the 48% increase in white supremacist organizations’ membership, it is clear that racism still flows in the fabric of the American society. From the depicted depth, it’s indicative that it may take years of trying, before these racist traces are flashed out of the American society. The report, further, clearly gives an indication that the American society is growing into racism instead of growing out of it. Racism at work places is also a common occurrence in the American society. This can be shown from the statistics of an inquiry by the ‘American Economic Review.’ The study was done between July 2001 and May 2002, and was branded the title, “Are Emily and Greg more employable than Lakisha and Jarnal?” The study showed the depth of Labor Market discrimination. From the study, job candidates with white-sounding names were found to be 50% more likely of being invited by employers, than those with Black sounding names. During the experimental study, 5000 applications – for the positions of marketing, sales, customer service and clerical posts were sent out. The names used in the submissions were white and black sounding. The findings of the report clearly indicated that the white aspirants with stronger resume profiles, compared to those of other white aspirants attracted 30% more callback opportunities. The black aspirants with stronger resume profiles, compared to those of other black candidates received just 9% more callback opportunities. This clearly indicates that regardless of the superiority of profile, black candidates, were by 50% less likely to receive a callback as compared to the white applicants. From the labor market discrimination explicated above, it is clearly evident that the American people are highly racist, with a deep-seated sense of white superiority. Institutional racism, on the other hand, is more subtle, thus less likely to be noticed. In this area, a black applicant is thrice more likely to be asked out of the car to be inspected for drugs as compared to the case of a white. This is regardless of the fact that, for the case of the whites who on the few occasions they are pulled over for an inspection are four times much likely to have drugs on them. Considering this racist behavior, in the case a black person drives past the police without being required to pullover, they are in such a case enjoying the privileges of being a white American. In this case, it is only conclusive that the war on drugs is not really a war on drugs. This is the case, as the statistics given in the area of drug incidences would be highly different. This is the case, as the war on drugs would actually have to go where the drugs are to be found and not where the dark-skinned victims are, which qualifies it to be a racist establishment. James Baldwin, a black writer, who had to leave the U.S because of racism, wrote a story that depicts this issue well. In sonny's blues...From Baldwin’s Sonny’s blues, the system helps push blacks into crime through alienation, then picks them up to face justice. For instance, Sonny “had been picked up, the evening before, in a raid on an apartment downtown, for peddling and using heroine (Baldwin 1993).” This further indicates how blacks are the first to be pursued during crackdowns on drugs. Citing these clearly racist behaviors depicted within the American society, it is conclusive that the level of racism is highly established and developed. In the efforts to uproot this vice from the American society, conscious efforts on the part of the racist, as well as the victim, will be required – a reality that may not be realized anytime soon. This case is clearly an indication that the authorities are directly promoting racism, instead of them being on the fore-front in campaigning for the end of such vices. Essentially, the Americans face a reality in which racism has become entrenched into the society, a vice that can be traced many years ago, and which will continue to form a part of the American social fabric. From the examples from the American society, the society as a whole will have to go through a massive wave of tolerance, if only racism is to be overcome. This is the case, as the American people are directly or indirectly promoting racist behaviors and racist trends, which is evident from the account of the white supremacists, the racist teacher, as well as the racist crackdown on drugs. Works Cited Alvarez, Julia. I Want to Be Miss America. E book Version. Baldwin, James. Sonny’s Blues. Waco, TX: Creative Education, 1993. Zinn, Howard. A people’s history of the United States. Harper Perennial Modern Classics; Dlx Rep edition, (November 2, 2010). . Read More