The Issue of Racism in America - Assignment Example

The issue of racism in America is the most prevalent issue identified in the readings. In modern America, minorities still have lesser opportunities in places of authority and power even after the institution of affirmative action programs in almost all areas of government offices and institutions at the county, state, and federal levels. Caucasians still have greater access to opportunities in the entertainment industry, politics, and professional appointments than any other minority demographic in the country. For instance, since 1776, there have been forty-four presidents who have been elected and only one president has been a minority of mixed-race descent. Preliminary reports indicate that a majority of Americans are going to vote for a white president in the next coming elections since they view the incumbent as being ineffective and incapable of handling the requirements of the office (Watkins 57).

The entertainment industry is also another sector where racism is still prevalent. A very high percentage of the leading men and women in Hollywood blockbuster films are Caucasian, while the other positions are left to the ever-growing population of minorities. In those instances where minorities are starring, the roles are tailored in such a way that they are specifically for minorities and the majority of the cast is comprised of fellow minority actors. It is very rare that a minority is able to acquire a role based on his/her acting prowess regardless of whether they fit the Hollywood stereotype of leading men and women possessing physical attributes that are associated with Caucasians such as blue eyes, white complexion, and free-flowing hair which out rightly prevents minority actors from getting such roles.

Additionally, black actors, for instance, are mostly drafted into roles depicting drug dealers, and gang members while actors of Latin descent are drafted into roles depicting them as drug cartel members and drug lords. This points to deep-rooted thinking, where the majority of the Caucasian population perceives minorities as being the antagonists while they consider themselves as be the protagonists and heroes (Watkins 63).

The film ‘Do the Right Thing’ by Spike Lee, released in 1989, aimed to show the deep-rooted and unassuming racial undertones that are still prevalent in modern-day America. The movie showed how the average African American is subjected to daily racism, which has led the majority of the young African American male youth towards a life of drugs and gang violence in order to fend for their needs due to a lack of employment opportunities (Lee 2010). In the movie, it is noted that there are very few black business owners, and the opportunities for the minority (black male youth) are restricted to low-level jobs such as being delivery boys for pizza joints (Lee 34).

There is a scene in the film when Mookie, who is a black delivery man for an Italian American proprietor of a pizza joint, has a fellow minority friend, Buggin’ Out, enter the establishment. Upon entering the pizza joint, Buggin’ Out notices that the wall of fame on the establishment is only comprised of Italian celebrities and it lacks any black celebrities on the wall, which is surprising considering that the proprietor of the establishment heavily relies on the services of the black people in the neighborhood. Buggin’ Out believes this to be unfair and racist since he feels that, due to the services rendered by the black people in the neighborhood they deserve to have at least a black person on the hall of fame. However, Sal vehemently refuses to comply citing that he owns the restaurant. The scene shows that there still remains racial hostilities between the minorities and the Caucasian population due to perceived social injustices.