Racism and Discrimination - Research Paper Example

? Racism and Discrimination Racism and Discrimination Racism and discrimination are two interrelated terms, which are mostly used together. Racism, according to the Council of Europe (2009), is the belief that a particular race is superior to the other. Racism can be expressed openly through stereotypes, jokes, hate crimes, and slurs (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2010). Racial discrimination, on the other hand, refers to the illegal expression of racism towards a particular group, according to the Council of Europe (2009). It entails intentional malicious acts meant to demean another one based on his or her race. Racial harassment is one type of racial discrimination, according to Kassimeris (2009). This may be manifested through acts of name-calling, direct insults, bad comments that lower someone’s dignity. Racism and discrimination are particularly strong in countries that are diverse, such as the United States and Canada. Canada, for instance, is a multi-ethnic country and is among many countries that have witnessed some of the worst racial discriminations in the past. Canada reportedly has over 200 ethnic groups with the visible minority accounting for about 13% of Canada’s total population (Appadurai, 2012). Reports also show that approximately 18% of Canadians are foreign-born. Reports indicate that racial discrimination in Canada has mainly been directed towards non-native Canadians, particularly immigrants (Appadurai, 2012). In this regard, a report shows that many immigrants in Canada have faced all manners of racial discrimination in the past. Reports indicates that many Canadian immigrants and minority ethnic groups have faced a high degree of racial discrimination in the past, in which some have been tortured to death because of their racial backgrounds (Kassimeris, 2009). The discrimination mainly comes from the fact that the non-Canadian races are being perceived as primitive people who do not deserve to live together with the white Canadians. It is said that the violence of 1907 in Vancouver was mainly race based, according to Adams (2008). During this violence, it is reported that a mob of white Canadians violently attacked Japanese and Chinese ethnic communities in Canada. This racially motivated violence left several Chinese and Japanese ethnic communities dead with property worth millions of dollars destroyed (Appadurai, 2012). In another incident during World War II, several Japanese Canadians were incarcerated and their property seized by white Canadians that were fighting them out of the country based on their racial background. Reports also indicated that members of Asian community were beaten up and harassed by native Canadians in Toronto in the 1970s (Seltzer & Johnson, 2009). This incident shows how racial discrimination has been rife in Canada. When we talk of racial discrimination, what also comes into mind is the kind of racial discrimination that African Americans have had to face in the U.S. This is because African Americans are arguably the race that has faced one of the worst racial abuse occurrences in the world. In the U.S., apart from being subjected to hard labor on white settlers’ land, they were also being harassed and beaten to death, according to Zastrow and Kirst-Ashman (2010). They were also denied certain rights purely on their racial backgrounds. This was based on the fact that African Americans were being perceived by white Americans as primitive people that should be segregated from the rest of society. For example, it is reported that segregation laws were passed in the U.S. during the Jim Crow era, which resulted in segregation of public facilities in which African Americans were barred from attending public facilities meant for their white counterparts. In this regard, any black American found to disobey such a law was to be executed by white Americans. An example can be seen when at one time an African was forced to leave the front seat of a bus to a white American, which triggered riots and boycott of public transport by African Americans (Seltzer & Johnson, 2009). A similar scenario has also been witnessed in Canada where native Canadians were segregated. In this regard, reports indicate that Indians in Canada were segregated by white Canadians through adoption of apartheid policy similar to the one adopted in South Africa (Seltzer & Johnson, 2009). It is reported that white Canadians began abusing Indian communities in Canada by taking away their lands without their permission. In fact, they were using a lot of force on Indians who attempted to resist surrendering their lands to the Canadian whites. This was then followed by flocking the Indian community on to the Indian reserves (Gotkowitz, 2011). This racial abuse and segregation still persist in Canada. Apart from being expressed through harassments and killings, racial discrimination has also been expressed in other forms. For instance, some racial groups have been finding it difficult to get good jobs in Canada (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2010). This is based on the fact that some employers only prefer employing people from their racial background as noted by Delaney and Madigan (2009). For example, research conducted in Canada has revealed that it is still relatively harder for a person from another race such as African Canadians to find a good job than for a white Canadian. This is because there are some white Canadians who still believe that other races are inferior and have less expertise to do the job as expected (Seltzer & Johnson, 2009). Nevertheless, it is worth pointing out that Canada has since made remarkable improvement in eliminating racial discrimination in places of employment since the enactment of laws illegalizing discrimination against other races in 1970. African Americans are another lot that faced a great deal of problems in America when it came to finding jobs. This was based on the fact that certain jobs were purely left for white Americans. For instance, politics were purely a preserve for whites and any African American who dared contest might easily be assassinated or incarcerated. In fact, it took African Americans more than a century to start participating actively in politics, according to Delaney and Madigan (2009). However, despite there being some elements of discrimination, the U.S. has demonstrated that race has no place in society. This was witnessed following the election of President Barack Obama in 2007, the first ever-black American to be president in a white dominated country. The same spirit of fighting racial discrimination was repeated in 2012 following the overwhelming support that Obama received in the country from all the races in the country, which led to his re-election. Whatever is happening in the U.S. should serve as a good example to people who are still confined to racial thinking. Canada is one of the countries that need to emulate what is happening in the U.S. as regards the fight against racial discrimination. Housing is another area that has been marred by racial favoritism in Canada and the U.S. Research reveals that some races have been finding it hard to obtain decent housing in Canada (Appadurai, 2012). In this regard, findings show that some white Canadians still believe that other races do not deserve better housing (Lentin, 2011). In fact, a study has found out that a majority of those who live in informal settlements in Canada are immigrants and races other than white Canadians. A similar scenario was witnessed in the U.S. before the making racial discrimination a criminal offense in the U.S. In this regard, it is reported that it was African Americans that were racially forced to live in informal settlements far away from the white Americans (Lentin, 2011). African Americans were forced to live in informal settlements because of the belief that they were inferior and, therefore, should not live together with white Americans who perceived themselves to be superior. Nevertheless, this kind of racial discrimination has since reduced in the recent past, according to Gotkowitz (2011). This is because other races nowadays live in decent housing structures, in both the U.S. and Canada. In fact, quite a number of African Canadians, Indian Canadians, Chinese and Japanese communities have become property owners in Canada. The same applies in the U.S. where African Americans who used to be denied access to better housing have today become very rich and own better housing units, which they even let to white Americans as noted by Banks and McGee Banks (2009). Racial discrimination has also been manifested in the sporting arena. In fact, this is one of the major challenges facing the sporting fraternity today (Banks & McGee Banks, 2009). There are several instances where white Europeans and Americans have been reported to abuse black people racially in the field. One such was the 2010 incident in which John Terry of Chelsea was charged for abusing Anton Ferdinand from Queens Park Rangers racially. In another incident, Louise Suarez from Uruguay and Liverpool’s player was charged for abusing Patrice Evra from Manchester United racially. Recently Boateng was racially abused in the pitch, an incident which saw him walk out in protest. In fact, the match ended prematurely after his fellow team mates stood by him by walking out of the pitch. This form of racial discrimination is also still high-flying in Canada. In fact, Kassimeris (2009) argues that several other racial discriminations in sports normally go unreported. However, it is an acknowledged fact that discrimination should not be allowed to take a toll in society. This is because it is unethical to discriminate someone based on his race (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2010). The reason is everyone is created in the image of God. As such, no one should consider his or her race to be superior to others because we all need each other for security and social and economic development. Canada’s Response to Racism and Discrimination Racism is an illegal act that destroys the social fabric of society. Reed (2008) argues that it prevents society from making meaningful development. This is based on the fact that it sidelines people with great potential of driving the economy to greater heights. Nonetheless, the latest survey conducted by Ipsos-Raid in 2003 on the level of racial discrimination revealed a worrying trend (Appadurai, 2012). According to the survey, 74% of Canadians polled believed that the prevalence of racism in Canada is still very high despite efforts being put by the Canadian government to curb the vice, according to Appadurai (2012). However, the Canadian government has made significant efforts aimed at eradicating racism in the country. One such a move was seen in 1970 when the Canadian government amended its laws that prohibited any person from discriminating against people from other races, according to Reed (2008). Canada is also known globally for its fight against racial discrimination. In addition, to ensure that everybody regardless of his race has equal opportunity to partake in society, the Canadian government has, in conjunction with other stakeholders, launched several initiatives aimed at educating Canadians against involving in racism as noted by Appadurai (2012). Canada for All is one of the most recent action plans against discrimination that was launched by the Canadian government. This action plan is aimed at creating awareness of the demerits of racism in society. It also aims to create a sense of togetherness among different people from different races in Canada (Quintana & McKown, 2008). The government also seeks to educate youths and children on anti-racism and diversity issues (Quintana & McKown, 2008). This is because the government feels that to eradicate racism, it is crucial to target children and youths in society since youths are normally the main targets of racists (Quintana & McKown, 2008). The Canadian government also seeks to assist victims of racism and discrimination, as well as those perceived to be vulnerable to racism and discrimination in the country. Conclusion Many countries throughout the world are indeed facing the problem of racism and discrimination. This shows that several people have undergone this kind of experience, which many still undergoing. However, it is an acknowledged fact that racism and discrimination are social evils that destroy the social fabric of society. As such, it is very important for governments to ensure that racism and discrimination are not allowed to flourish in the country since it prevents a country from making meaningful progress economically, socially, and politically. References Adams, G. E. (2008). Commemorating Brown: The social psychology of racism and discrimination. New York, NY: Amer Psychological Assn. Appadurai, S. (2012). Canada: A nation in motion. Toronto: AuthorHouse. Banks, J. A., & Banks, C. A. M. (2009). Multicultural education: Issues and perspectives. Upper Saddle River: John Wiley & Sons. Council of Europe (2009). Legal Instruments for combating racism on the internet: Report. London: Council of Europe. Delaney, T., & Madigan, T. (2009). The sociology of sports: An introduction. Toronto: McFarland. Gotkowitz, L. (2011). Histories of race and racism: The Andes and Mesoamerica from colonial times. Hoboken, NJ: Duke University Press. Kassimeris, C. (2009). Anti-racism in European football: Fair play for all. London: Rowman & Littlefield. Lentin, A. (2011). Racism and ethnic discrimination. New York, NY: The Rosen Publishing Group. Reed, J. (2008). The lived experiences of racism and discrimination among biracial adults. New York, NY: Capella University. Quintana, S.M., & McKown, C. (2008). Handbook of race, racism, and the developing child. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. Seltzer, R., & Johnson, N. E. (2009). Experiencing racism: Exploring discrimination through the eyes of college students. New York, NY: Lexington Books Zastrow, C., & Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2010). Understanding human behavior and the social environment. Oxford: CRC Press. Read More