Racism in America and Issues of National Identity - Coursework Example

Racism in America and Issues of National Identity Introduction The concept of racism acts as a set of prejudices which one racial group has over another. Moreover, the concept of racism brings with it a set of feelings of anger, hatred, intolerance and aggression, which one individual or group of a particular race has over another individual or group of another race. The concept of race prejudice holds ground as individuals identify themselves as belonging to a particular race and endeavor to correlate their position in respect to other racial group. The racial classification made between individuals identifies one superior to the other and looks onto the other as a subordinate or deprived group. (Blumer) In the context of America, it is found that the Black communities have always been related to African people. It is observed that though the Black Americans had a white ancestral race yet they were mostly judged by the color of their skin. (Davis, 61) The American population is observed to be an admixture of different ethnic and racial groups. The cause of rapid globalization and immigration from different countries gave rise to different cultural, linguistic, racist and gender groups. (Hutington, 4) To this end, the paper endeavors to understand the effects of the disintegration of America’s national identity owing to the practice of activities like racism, which created different social and economic groups within the common American soil. The national identity of people therefore lies in severe conflict with the differences arising out of racism. Social Grouping of Black Women in America The case of African-American women in regards to United States of America can be dealt with depending on the paradigms of gender, race economic and ethnic status. It is observed that Afro-American women continue to face newer challenges based on the above paradigms in the American soil. The Afro-American women shared amongst themselves individual feelings and interests in regard to the above matters to gain social identity. This led to the African American women to identify themselves as a different group residing in the American soil. The Afro-American women divided in the society both in terms of race and gender classification renders more importance to the race issue. They view the race issue as deciding the economic status of the Afro-American women class in the American soil. The need for group formation among the Afro-American women population emerged due to long standing exclusionary practices conducted on the basis of race, ethnic status and social and economic conditions. To this end, it is observed that separate social identification of the African American women based on gender, class and social grouping techniques disturbed the national identity of the country. (Collins, 203-225) Moreover, it is also observed that the social grouping of the Black women in America that in turn affects the national identity and integrity of the nation is also triggered by the action of the white women. It is observed that the white women consider themselves beautiful in regards to the Afro-American women class and hence looks down upon the social class. Even in beauty contests, the black Women were continuously discouraged from participating. (Fine, Weis, Powell & Wong, 324; Davis, 2; Mohanty, Ruso & Torres, 9; Frankenberg, 51; MacKinnon, 30). Things are changing though and black models are coming up the list yet concepts of beauty and class are still skewed in favor of the whites. The effects on Hispanic population in America It is found that the Hispanic population in America has emerged as the key contributors to the American advertising industry. However, in the previous days it was observed that the Hispanic groups, which had mainly emerged from Cuba, struggled to gain a place in the sprawling advertising industry to promote their language and culture. To this end, it is found that the commercial advertising and national television network channels in America promoted the growth of the Hispanic advertising network in comparison to the general advertising industry. This promotion of the Hispanic race to achieve success in the advertising industry made way for the Latin American race and culture to chalk out a different social position. It is observed that the Hispanic or the Latin American population was present in all the different national channels, which helped the creation of a niche, Latin American market. Further, the growth of advertising agencies like the Spanish Advertising and Marketing Services fuelled the Hispanic segmentation of the American society. It is observed that the Hispanic advertisements mainly catered to the needs of the Hispanic society and thus lost its integration to the national identity of the country. Products advertised in the Latin American advertisements were tagged as Hispanic products by the American society. (Davila, 25-29, 42) In order to protect or safeguard their interests the Hispanics formed communities and rituals, which almost completely excludes the whites and take place within their specific circles. Once again the uniformity and integration is missing here. Racial Discrimination and the Future of the White population in America It is observed that the rise of a Black American to the position of President in United States of America has triggered a feeling of the demise of the White population. The White population in America had captured a sense of national identity. In referring to the American society, the face of the White population earned a steady resemblance, which was altered on the ascension of the Black American to the Presidential seat. It is found that the national identity of the White American population faced continuous threats from the immigration population from Eastern European countries. However, the most effective threat faced by the White American population was from the acceding an Indian into the nation’s White society. Moreover, the events like inter-racial marriages conducted in the American soil is also posing a threat to White population in sustaining its national identity to the country. America is also observing the rise of Blacks in several sectors like sports and films replacing the position of the White population. (Hsu; Grant) Moreover, it is expected that the future of White Americans belonging to the non-Hispanic class would be reduced to a mere minority by the end of 2050. It is estimated that the non-Hispanic white population would only amount to 47 percent of the American population by the end of 2050. On the other hand America is found to embrace a newer form of Social Identity with the advent of the Latin American population in covering 60 percent of the population by the end of 2050. (“Whites to become minority in U.S. by 2050”) It is observed that the white populations of America who once stood at the helm in identifying their class to the nation’s identity and thereby had access to many privileges are facing the aftermaths of racial discrimination. The Black population of America was not given an access to the proper job market. However, the plight of the White Americans was also far from better. The White Americans were found to flee to rural suburbs from the urban atmosphere for racist factors. Thus the White population had to pay the price for racism through the effect of increased housing costs and had to travel for long distances in polluted environment. (Faegin, 193; Wise, 11; Neal, 1-2) Practice of genocide in America It was even found that the Black population of America was subjected to brutal torture at the hands of the White Americans. The White Americans in order to lay stress on their national identity fled the black communities from different regions. Further, at the cost of a crime the Black American population was subjected to events like public execution at the hands of the White Americans. The program of cleansing America was taken with respect to the darker skinned population. In Georgia for example a large number of black populations were driven out of their homes. It was found that within a span of two years 97 percent of the Black Americans were driven out of their farmlands and even the Black synagogues were burnt by the White Americans. (Jaspin, 2-5; Stannard) The Turkish population at the end of the First World War can compare the American Act of committing genocide to the large number of killing of Armenians. (“Q&A: Armenian genocide dispute”; “Turkey’s Armenian Dilemma”). Conclusion The practice of racism in America had very common linkages to the feelings of national identity. The white Americans often call themselves as the major population existing in America and deprived the Black communities of their basic rights. The black community was not granted proper access to jobs and even was brutally tortured at the hands of the American Whites. The White women population also acted in the same grounds to the male counterparts and relegated the Black women to separate groups. This grouping of the black population caused the disturbance in the national identity. America came to be seen as a country with separate racist, ethnic and economic groups. Moreover, the entry of the Hispanic groups in the American soil created a separate niche market for them, which again disturbed the national identity of the country in being a solid nation, composed of different socio-economic cultures. References 1. Hutington, P. Samuel. Who are We? The Challenges to America’s National Identity. Simon & Schuster, 2004. 2. Collins, H. Patricia. “Fighting Words: Black Women and Search for Justice”. African American Review. Volume 7. 2000 3. Fine, Michelle, Weis, Lois, Powell, C. Linda & L. Mun Wong. Off White: Readings on Race, Power and Society. Routledge, 2004 4. Blumer, Herbert. “Race Prejudice as a Sense of Group Position”. n.d. 5. Davis, James. “Defining Race: Comparative Perspectives”. n.d.. 6. Davis, J. F. Who is Black? : One Nation’s Definition. The Pennsylvania State University Press. 1991. 7. Mohanty, T. Chandra, Russo, Ann & Lourdes Torres. Third World Women and politics of feminism. Indiana University Press, 1991. 8. Frankenberg, Ruth. White Women, race matters: the social construction of whiteness. U of Minnesota Press, 1993. 9. McKinnon. A. Catharine. Women’s Lives, Men’s Laws. Harvard University Press, 20007. 10. Davila, M. Arlene. Latinos Inc: the marketing and making of a people. University of California Press, 2001. 11. Hsu, Hua. “The End of White America?”, The Atlantic, 2000. 21 November 2010< http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/01/the-end-of-white-america/7208/.> 12. Grant, Madison. “The Passing of the Great Race”. n.d. 21 November 2010< http://www.churchoftrueisrael.com/pgr/pgr-07.html.> 13. “Whites to become minority in U.S. by 2050”, Reuters. 2008. 21 November 2010< http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1110177520080212. > 14. Faegin, R. Joe. Racist America: roots, current realities, and future operations. Routledge, 2001. 15. Wise, J. Tim. White like me. Soft Skull Press, 2005. 16. Neal, A. Mark. New Black Man. Routledge, 2005 17. Jaspin, Eliot. Buried in the Bitter Waters. Basic Books, 2007. 18. Stannard, E. David. American Holocaust: The Conquest of the New World. Oxford University Press, 1992. 19. “Q&A: Armenian genocide dispute”, BBC News. 2010. 21 November 2010< http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6045182.stm > 20. “Turkey’s Armenian Dilemma”, BBC News. 2007. 21 November 2010< http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6386625.stm > Read More