IS RACISM A FACTOR IN THE 2008 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION - Essay Example

Before we become passionate about the debate regarding racism in the election, let us first look into the real meaning of racism and then decide whether racism is truly making its indelible stamp on the 2008 presidential election. Racism comes with many definitions and some of these definitions are coined by people to suit their interest. To stay on more neutral grounds in this discussion, let us stick into the common legal and sociological definition of racism. According to the Untied Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the term racism "shall mean any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin" … which results into the nullification or impairment of the rights or enjoyment of equal rights in the exercise of fundamental freedoms.

In other words, racism works by diving people according to their perceived group and boundaries are set so as to prevent these groups of people from intermingling and working side by side on equal footing. Where groups of people are deprived of their basic rights simply because of the color of their skin, their ethnic origin and their race; such deprivation amounts to racism (See Allen, Theodore (1994). On the other hand, sociologist define racism as a highly organized system that is characterized by race based privileges that operations on level levels of society (See Cazenave N and Maddern Darlene A 1999).

According to Joe Feagin, the former president of the American Sociological Society, the culture of the United States is rooted on the idea of racism because it social organizations are based on racial selection and segregation (see Feagin 2000). Although the United States government worked hard to eliminate racism within its territories, we cannot deny that incidents of racism in the country are still