Is Racism and anti-Semitism still a problem in the United States - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages The country has literally shed blood of innocent civilians to fight for few basic rights that are God-given. Racism and anti-Semitism are prevalent in American society due to enactment of affirmative action, ethnic profiling post September 11, and the vague existence of the KKK. Racism and anti-Semitism still exist in American society due to the fact that affirmative action legislatures were enacted to give minorities an opportunity for employment. Affirmative action, are set public policies that are specifically designed to help diminish racism and prejudice based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, is under attack(Morris, 2011, p. 25). After the blood shed and citizen after the civil war, Congress passed the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which abolished slavery (Morris, 2011, p.30). In addition, the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees equal protection under the law while the Fifteenth Amendment declines racial discrimination during elections. However one must wonder, even with all the legislations enacted, discrimination continues to be the focal point in society. Clearly, the 1866 Civil Rights Act guarantees every citizen "the same right to make and enforce contracts ... as is enjoyed by white citizens...” Thus, how is that African Americans and other minorities continue to struggle to find employment and are deterred from entering academic intuitions (Morris,2011, p.34)? Clearly, anti-affirmative action enables minorities to be embedded in the work and schools so society does not discriminate against them. Keeping everything in constant, the American society is designed in a way to protect White workers against job layoffs since majority of the executives in the American Society are dominated by male executives. Hence, racism becomes a “sparking fireball,” as many Americans feel as if they would be unemployed as minorities will continue to take their current posts. Evidently, the root cause of job displacement that White workers face with have to do with corporate decisions to downsize, and labor outsourcing internationally along with, computerization and automation. Downsizing. The small majority of minorities that do occupy an outstanding position often become key victims of hatred and discrimination. While substantial gains have been made to promote minorities, women and African America; the smaller groups continue to be harshly faced with discrimination and prejudice in the corporate world. Undoubtedly, the enactment of affirmative action legislature, companies confirms that racism and anti-Semitism are still prevalent in society. Another vital reason why racism and anti-Semitism no doubt continue to still exist in American society is due to the fact that ethnic profiling plagues society even in the modern 21st century. Prior to September 11, immigration laws were somewhat moderate as many immigrants from Asia and Middle East continue to migrate to America for jobs. As the World Trade Center fell, citizens of America were scared and horrified. Twenty-five days later, still reeling with shock, the government quickly took decisive action to make Osama Bin Laden, leader of Al-Qaeda to be responsible for the attacks. Bin Laden was part of an Islamic conservative group that believed in implying sharia. Thus, Muslims become the focal point of issue in society. After the September 11 attacks, many people became interested in Islam, yet the government discouraged the public from learning about different viewpoints (Friedman ...Download file to see next pagesRead More