The Impact of Race on the US Politics - Essay Example

The Impact of Race on U.S. Politics Racism has for a long time been a thorny issue in the history of the United s. This issue affects all the races that are represented in the US. It is common to find racism in different aspects of the lives of Americans. Racism does not only affect the personal lives of the people of America, it also affects their politics (Eberhardt and Fiske, 1998). To understand exactly how race impacts US politics it is important to understand what the term “racism” really means. Definition of Racism Racism can be defined in many different ways. For instance, racism can be defined simply as the discrimination of other people based on the color of their skin. Some people believe that race is what brings about different human characters or belief (Jennings, 1992). In this view, racism can be defined as the belief that some people are more superior to others. History of Racism in the United States Since the colonial days, racism has played a major role in the history of the United States. According to Allan (2005), the US is vulnerable to racial prejudices due to the fact that there are multiple races in the country. The most affected races are: Native Americans, Mexican Americans, Asian Americans, African Americans and American Jews The history of America is tainted with racially structured practices such as slavery, segregation, Native American reservations, affirmative action, internment camps and residential schools. The early settlers from Europe discriminated against the Native Americans. Then came slave trade. The Blacks who were shipped from Africa were used as a cheap source of labor for the whites. They continued to be treated worse than second class citizens even after the abolition of slave trade (Marshall, 1990). Over time, the African Americans also started racially discriminating against the Whites. Although formal racism was officially outlawed in the middle of the 20th century, it is not an issue that is likely to go away any time soon. This racism is not confined to a single group. Many races in the U.S hold some racial prejudice or the other against their fellow countrymen from other races (Sowell, 2008). Racism is what led to the civil rights strife in the US. African Americans came out to protest for equal opportunities with their white compatriots. The civil rights period was characterized by violence, mostly directed against the black community. Racist groups such as the Ku Klux Clan came into being as a sign of one group’s superiority over the other (Saito, 1998). Racism in the Political Scene One of the major actions that emanated from racism issues in the United States was the introduction of affirmative action. This is a policy that was meant to help minority groups and women in the US to get access to such education, healthcare and employment. The policy was drafted with the sole aim of addressing past discrimination cases and find ways through which different communities in the country could live together harmoniously. However, this initiative, as well meaning as it might be, has had its fair share of opposition. There are some people who see affirmative action as being discriminating. To them, the minority groups were being treated with more preference than they were. The critics of affirmative action also view the policy as a divisive tactic and not a unifying one (Menendian, 2000). When racism and politics combine, there are very many cases of hate crimes. During the campaign period, there are many things that are normally said in support of or in opposition to the vying candidate. These statements can be anything from praises to racial comments. In most cases, people get away with uttering racial statements. The inclusion of racial issues in political campaigns can have a very big impact of an election. For instance, if a candidate is seen to be against one particular racial group, he is likely to loose that election (Rothenberg, 2006). The majority of American citizens are definitely Caucasians. Therefore, anyone who wants to be elected into any public office has to win over this very important group. Therefore, it is very rare to have a candidate who engages himself/herself with any racial activities against whites. However, the other racial groups are in the minority category, therefore, it is not very unusual to find racial activities and comments against such groups during an election time (Perry, 1996). These racially inclined activities are normally meant to threaten the other minority group not to support the candidate who the majority group does not want. These threats might work, but they also give rise to hatred and mistrust among people from different communities. Today the racial issue is not as bad as it was a few decades ago. There is much less racism in politics. In fact, one can loose his or her political clout if the masses perceive him or her as being racist. This can happen to anyone, regardless of racial background. Racism against a candidate can have an opposite effect from the one intended by the propagators of that racism. There are two major political parties in the US today. They both have a wide following. However, each of them attracts the loyalty of different minority groups. There are more African Americans who are supporters of the Democratic Party than the Republican Party. This is not to say that the Republican Party is a party of White racists. This cannot be further from the truth. The Democrats appeal to the Black community because they propagate policies which the community can relate to. They also hold the ideal of equality of all races in the US. The republicans also have policies that appeal to the African Americans and other groups as well (Hutchings and Valentino, 2004). It cannot be denied that the present President of the United States owes his political success to his anti-racist stand during his campaigns. He gave many moving speeches about the need to stay united as a country and to shun anything that pitted one race against another. He found some loyal followers who made a big difference on Election Day. President Obama’s anti-racism speeches were so effective that he managed to win over many young White voters who would otherwise not have voted for him (Sustar, 2008). Racism and Political Gain This is a question with an affirmative answer. In the United States, it is very easy to use racism as a plying card for political gain. Al Sharpton is one of the famous names associated with extreme racism. This politician used racism for his political survival. For quite a long time, he managed to incite blacks against the whites during election, posing as the ultimate saviour of the African Americans (Rothenberg, 2006). There are many other politicians who are seen as seen as political heroes by the people they represent when in reality they are just opportunists who take advantage of racial differences to further their political careers. According to Allan (2005), the American Citizens themselves are also very good at playing the game of political racism. Below are some instances which can help explain political racism in the United States better. 1. Voting for an African American just because he/she is not white is racial. One will also be practicing racism if they chose not to vote for a black candidate just because he/she is black. 2. It would also be racial if a person voted for a white for the single reason that he/she is white and not for his/her credibility. If one refused to vote for a white person because he/she is not from a certain race, one would also be considered as being racial. These cases could apply to any other political candidate from another race. Voting based on race is common in the United States. Though many people prefer to ignore the fact that it happens, it impacts very negatively on the politics and general democracy of the country. Conclusion Of all the effects of racism known to mankind, none of them are positive. In politics, championing the supremacy of one race at the expense of another has its consequences. For one, there is a lot of mistrust among different people. This mistrust is carried into boardrooms and in the corridors of power. Politicians from parties that have racist tendencies cannot trust those from a rival party and vice versa (Walton, 1997). This kind of mistrust is not what America needs. It will give way to other bigger problems if it is not checked early enough. Hatred is one of the products of mistrust that emanates from politically instigated racism. That is why there are so many cases of violent talk and comments directed towards politicians from different races (Persons, 1999). Since the Obama administration took over the White House, there have been more than 100 people arrested for racial utterances directed against the president himself. There have even been numerous cases where people have sworn to assassinate President Obama just because he is black, and therefore ‘not fit to be president’. This kind of attitude has prompted for more security to be accorded to the President. If the president Himself is not safe from his Fellow Americans, then who is? It is very frightening to think that the President of the United States is not safe from the people he represents. If people can speak the way they do about their elected president, what would they do to a common citizen? It is true that US is the model for democracy and freedom of speech (Perry, 1996). However, this freedom has been abused in many instances and this is not very good for the presidency. This political racial behaviour just shows how much effort Americans have to put in order to get over racial tensions. Racism in politics is already being used to divide Americans (Persons, 1999). This only spells doom for the country which has thrived on unity for so long. The representatives themselves are divided on racial lines. Good legislations are being shot down in both houses because of racial differences. If this goes on any further, the future of the United States will not be as bright as it ought to be. Political racism is an animal that is slowly eating away the political supremacy of the United States, and if a solution is not found, things might get out of control. References Alan, J. (2005) Racism and Politics, News and Letters, viewed 24, April 2010, http://www.newsandletters.org/Issues/2005/Jan-Feb/BRV_Jan-Feb05.htm Eberhardt, J.L. and Fiske, S. (1998) Controlling Racism: The Problem and the Response, Sage Publications, Inc., California, US, viewed 24, April 2010, http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/1998-07453-004 Jennings, J. (1992) Race Politics and Economic Development: Community Perspectives, viewed 24, April 2010, http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=BLT3McZNXusC&dq=race+politics+articles&printsec=frontcover&source=in&hl=en&ei=f1rUS4OzGsTdsAaeudQl&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=12&ved=0CDkQ6AEwCw#v=onepage&q=race%20politics%20articles&f=false Hutchings, V.L. and Valentino, N. A. (2004) The Centrality of Race in American Politics, Annual Review of Political Science, viewed 24, April 2010, http://arjournals.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.polisci.7.012003.104859 Marshall, D.L. (1990) The Continuing Significance of Race: The Transformation of American Politics, viewed 24, April 2010, http://www.jstor.org/pss/1963538 Menendian, S. (2010) How Do You Define Racism? Viewed 24, April 2010, http://www.race-talk.org/?p=3645 Rothenberg, P.S. (2006) Race, Class and Gender in the United States: An Intergrated Study, Worth Publishers, viewed 25, April 2010, http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=N2pyIc8VoWcC&pg=PA3&dq=In+What+Ways+Does+Race+Continue+To+Impact+U.S.+Politics%3F&hl=en&ei=klXUS-3DM4jR-Qbhit2aDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CFkQ6AEwCA Perry, H. (1996) Race Politics and Governance in the United States, viewed 23, April 2010, http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=p1ZHZKlKGCIC&dq=race+politics+articles&printsec=frontcover&source=in&hl=en&ei=f1rUS4OzGsTdsAaeudQl&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=11&ved=0CDcQ6AEwCg#v=onepage&q&f=false Persons, G. A. (1999) Race and Ethnicity in Comparative Perspective, National Political Review, Vol. 7, viewed 24, April 2010, http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=xuVxHCvWkDwC&dq=In+What+Ways+Does+Race+Continue+To+Impact+U.S.+Politics%3F&source=gbs_navlinks_s Saito, L. T. (1998) Race and Politics: Asian Americans, Latinos and Whites in a Los Angeles Suburb, University of Illinois Press, viewed 24, April 2010, http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=pEDlhVFcqh4C&dq=In+What+Ways+Does+Race+Continue+To+Impact+U.S.+Politics%3F&source=gbs_navlinks_s Sowell, T. (2008) Race and Politics, Real Clear Politics, viewed 24, April 2010, http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/03/race_and_politics.html Sustar, L. (2008) Racism and Politics in America, viewed 24, April 2010, http://dissidentvoice.org/2008/01/racism-and-politics-in-america/ Walton, H. (1997) African American Power and Politics: The Political Context Variable. Columbia University Press, viewed 24, April 2010, http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=yMPeKuxQutoC&pg=PA64&dq=In+What+Ways+Does+Race+Continue+To+Impact+U.S.+Politics%3F&hl=en&ei=klXUS-3DM4jR-Qbhit2aDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CFAQ6AEwBg Read More