Race and Stereotypes in Contemporary American Society - Essay Example

The prejudice happens both directly and indirectly ranging from job recruitment, and legal decisions to mass problem resolution. More than 40 years passed since the signing of the US Civil Right Act which stated the equality between Whites and Blacks. Both parties were to access public services equally rather this is not the case since divisions are permeating. Accompanying these divisions is the American Identity paradox. The society has two avenues of foundation, one is on the principles of justice, and equality and the other is on the traditional racism and popular slavery traditions. Although this situation may somehow reflect original cultural and political events, the psychological factors that determine this challenge are pervasive and enduring. Both within and beyond America, the undetermined globalization brings in new psychological, social, and economical challenges for the host.

Racism and stereotyping existed in the past and are still present in America. Puerto Rican girls growing up in the United States, have had a different view because of their Hispanic appearance. For example, a girl in the text grew up in New Jersey and the culture around her was all Puerto Rican. The food, language, and all cultural beliefs and behaviors were all Puerto Rican. The girls learned Puerto Rican culture from the masses, and the dress code and the mode of life reflected their culture. The surveillance the girl received was mainly strict due to the culture and family expectations.

The girls learned and received teachings on how to dress like elderly women and this sent a different message to other people seeing them as being too mature. The dress code which is the lack of too-loud colors provided an avenue for stereotyping by their fellow friends. While attending a business school, the girl lacked an idea of what to wear. She decided to put on what she saw it felt and looked agreeable to her. An Italian-American cajoled her for wearing everything at once. Men and employers in the street often misinterpreted the accessories, ornaments, and short skirts worn by the Puerto Rican girls (Ortiz, n.d)

The stereotype that existed of the Hispanic woman is that of hot tamale' or what may call a sexual firebrand. The same idea has received a promotion and backing from many media parties. The women from Latin America receive descriptions such as sizzling and smoldering, which are normally used in describing foods. This shows how stereotyping in America exists on a higher scale. According to some reports about Puerto Rican women at work some men requested sexual favors from the women and upon rejection, they received firing letters. The color the Puerto Rican and Latin women prefer is scarlet, and that originated from their chromosomes. In tropical islands, women and older women often would show skin as a way to keep their bodies cool. However, the protection from the family and extended family members allowed them to do so. In the current world, they receive a different view in the manner that they are depicting loose morals (Ortiz, n.d).

In Kansas City, an incident occurred where a Drug Enforcement Administration officer stopped a young man who was out of a flight from Los Angeles. The reason behind the stopping is that according to reports; black gangs from Los Angeles were smuggling drugs to Kansas. The police officer openly declared that he stopped the man because he was black and it helps him allocate time and resources efficiently. According to Kansas courts, a man’s race and other signals are considered injunctions in decision-making and the kind of approach to be undertaken (Kennedy, 2000).

According to Bernard Parks, chief of the Los Angeles Police Department explanation to the explanation to The New York Times Magazine; most crimes that concerned jewelry shops were mainly carried out by Colombians, as according to his statements of seeing six Colombians in a car outside a jewelry store; they were probably planning to rob the shop. Racial profiling is deemed rampant in America in the war against terrorism and crime in general. The police scrutinize black men and people from the Middle East more than they scrutinize women. In an incident, Jesse Jackson said that nothing was more frustrating in his life than to walk and think about robbery only to turn back and feel relieved when it was a white person. In this context, he tried to show how black men are associated with crime (Kennedy, 2000).

Conclusion
It is over a century and a half since the end of slavery practices and a rise in the civil rights movement, and social life in America continues to relate to significant racial stratification. Many factors such as salaries, wages, unemployment, wealth levels, conviction rates, health & death rate statistics, and ability test scores, reveal significant racial disparities. Racial profiling is still a major problem in the United States of America. Read More