Social Issues of Racism in America - Essay Example

Topic: Test Q1: Were the founders of the United s of America a bunch of hypocritical racists? Or were they sandwichedbetween their idealistic creed, which states, “all men are created equal,” and their “rational” thought of owning and utilizing slaves for cheap labor? Were they sincere in their effort to be the “Great White Fathers”? More, should we hold them in high esteem? Considering the Native American and the African American experiences, should “we” embrace the architects of this “great” country as our founding fathers? Consider relevant class readings. What would Thomas Jefferson think of President Barrack Obama? The fathers of the United States of America laid the foundations of the country proclaiming it to be a free country that would guarantee equal rights and protection for authoritarian forces to its citizens. While it is true that the foundations laid by the Great White Fathers were ethnocentric, they cannot be called hypocritical in their approach. What the founders propagated at the time of America’s independence was the popular belief. The belief that was widely accepted at the time was that the African American does not have a say in the political arena and they are an ethnic group that are restricted best to the tasks of slavery. It is also true that in declaring all men equal, Thomas Jefferson referred only to the white male who owned a certain amount of property. Moreover, Jefferson commented on blacks as lacking reason, being myopic towards danger and of being deprive of creativity and imagination. Indeed, Thomas Jefferson may not have approved of Barack Obama as worthy of holding the office of the President of America believing him to lack the biological traits necessary for a leadership position. Even so, while Thomas Jefferson’s remarks may be evidence enough to call him a racist, the truth is that almost every white man in America at the time believed the same. The popular belief of the time did not accord political representation and economic independence to the women and poor either. To label the founding fathers a victim of racial bias would therefore, be wrong since their beliefs and actions were guided by the popular opinion of the time. Indeed, it is popular opinion that is the driving force of the New Democracy of America. It is the people who decide what public policy should be adopted towards ethnic minorities; therefore, it is unfair to charge the politicians of the time for being ethnocentric. A true democracy represents the voice and wishes of its people, and in following the voice of the public, the United States of America as well as its founders are staying close to the ideals of democracy. The influence of public opinion in American politics can be evinced from the fact that years later, when the people of America were ready to accept the African American as an equal citizen, mainly as a result of the widespread Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, there was legislation that supported the change and granted suffrage to the Black community. All of this was possible because the founding fathers constructed the constitution in such a way that it allowed for changes in laws, keeping popular opinion in mind. Had the constitution been worded against the African American community in absolute words, there would have been little scope for change. The passion of the founding fathers of America represents the desire to think independently towards a brighter future. In preserving the spirit of hope and constructive positive change in the American constitution, the founding fathers have indeed displayed great political thought, for which they must be applauded. Q2: Do you think gays and lesbians should be given the same civil rights as all others in the body social and body politic? For example, should they be allowed to form civil and/or marital unions? In general, does Ronald Takaki address this issue in A Different Mirror? Given his thesis on “Prospero” and “Caliban,” what would his argument be on one of the most important issues of this socio-economic and political day? Considering the current situation of homosexuals in America, I strongly believe that the gays and lesbians living in the country should have the same civil rights as do heterosexuals. It is being American that guarantees one citizen status within the country, regardless of their sexual orientation. Homosexuals should be allowed civil liberties both in the public arena as well as their private sphere. One’s sexual orientation is one’s personal choice, just like one chooses a specific brand of food over others. An individual’s personal preference, however, should not become the hindrance to his or her progress and development as a human being. Homosexuals should not only be allowed to be a part of the government, and represent their local communities, but should also be allowed to get legally married to the person of their choice. Although Ronald Takaki does not address the issue of homosexuality in his book “A Different Mirror”, the general argument he presents favors the allowance of equal civil rights for all. Takaki used the relationship of Prospero and Caliban depicted in Shakespeare’s play “The Tempest” to understand the relationship between the native and the colonizer. Prospero can be seen as the resourceful, dominant person, while Caliban, his name being a conscious acronym of the word cannibal, is the suppressed, impoverished and enslaved brute, who is less close to civilization than Prospero. Within the parameters of the relationship between these two characters, we see Prospero as the one who claims to be civilized, and therefore, normal. Caliban on the other hand, in doing that which Prospero does not do, becomes the brute animal. Looking at their relationship in these terms, we can draw parallels to all those relationships that involve dominance and ethnocentric attitudes. The civil rights debate concerning homosexuals can also be based on the dynamics of the relationship between Prospero and Caliban. A homosexual then becomes nothing but the person that is different. It is being different that prevents him from being accepted by those that follow the norm. Heterosexuality has been the norm for a very long time not only in America, but all over the world, just like Eurocentrism was the norm in the early modern period. Americans learnt to break free from the shackles of European dominance as it struggled for its independence. Ethnocentrism haunted the nation however, but the Civil Rights Movement and the subsequent legislation paved a way for the Americans to begin to think beyond the parameters of racial identity. The issue of accepting homosexuals in the public arena and whether or not they should be granted marriage rights is a similar one to all the issues the American nation has learnt to rise above over the course of history. Once Prospero learns to see the difference in Caliban’s ways as equally normal, it would be easier for the heterosexual to accept the gay and the lesbian and equal citizens of the society. The Tempest has a lesson for all. Minorities (SOC 235) Take-home Test 2 Q1: Which group’s experience struck your fancy? Was it the Jews, Blacks, Whites, Irish, Mexican Americans, Native American, and/or Asian Americans? Which group would serve as a “model minority,” that is, the group that in spite of oppression rose to the apex of society? Can we learn anything from the vanguard of this group? In the light of cultural diffusion, can we learn from all of the racial/ethnic groups in America. Utilize the class text and other readings to address this comprehensive question. The ethnic group that made a lasting impression on me within the American political system is the African American group. The Blacks are a group that has risen from being treated as slaves to being the representative of the United States of America. In suffering from extreme racial abuse, exclusion and loathsome social attitudes, the Blacks of America have suffered at a time when the words of liberty, equality and freedom were being echoed across America. Without having a say in the politics of the country, the Blacks fought for the country’s independence. They fought for the abolishment of slavery. They fought for their right to vote. And the election of Barack Obama as the twice President of the United States of America has become the symbolic proof of the fact that the Black community, through a rags to riches tale, has emerged as the ethnic group that has successfully struggled for the preservation of its honour and dignity in America. Indeed, the story of the success of the Civil Rights Movement and the efforts of Black leaders like Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Rosa Parks has played a significant role in the political empowerment of the African Americans. While it is true that the African Americans have been dominant in bringing about a change in the political arena as far as their race is concerned, I believe that the title of the model minority would rightfully go to the Asian American, since they have struggled to achieve the American Dream in the context of their personal lives. Indeed, while the social status of the Black community has changed since America’s independence from the British Crown, a significant proportion of the Black population is living with a low inclination towards higher education and high track record for criminal activities. On the other hand, the average Asian American individual is not only highly serious and committed towards his or her education, but is also working hard to achieve a successful career. While many Asian Americans complain of facing racial discrimination on college campuses and at the workplace, this seldom prevents them from achieving their best potential within the organization they are working for. What is personally fascinating for me is the fact that most Asian American individuals come from family backgrounds that cannot afford a college education. Even so, parents struggle with manual labour jobs to ensure their children receive an education that would pave the way for a brighter future in America. The belief that hard work and commitment can change fortunes is the ethic of the Asian American, and it is the existence of this ethic that makes them a model minority from which all can take a lesson from. America, being a rich mixture of diverse cultures and ethnic groups, offers us a range of lessons. The silent integrity of the Jews, the cultural integration of the Mexican American and the compromising evolution of the Native American, each ethnic group displays a quality that makes it unique and respectable in the pages of history. Q2: Surveys suggest that Whites will be a minority among other minorities by year 2054. Does that mean that we will be in a “true” multiracial America around that time? Do you think that class (social stratification) will be more salient than race by then? Do you think that the vanguard of our society will have to worry about a “giddy multitude” at some point? Consider race, class, and gender in your assessment. The United States of America, despite being home to a multitude of races and ethnic groups from all over the world, has long been populated dominantly by Whites. In other words, racial superiority has been enjoyed by the Whites not only in the political arena, but also in social and economic spheres. However, the increasing rate of the non-White population of America and the decreasing rate of the White population of America has been the reason of fear and speculation for the Whites of the nation. not only is economic insecurity a pressing issue for the White population, but academic competition and political dominance is also a major concern that has caused many racially radical Whites to form a revolutionary groups in an attempt to take America back to the racial segregation of the time of its independence. The reality that beckons the nation at this stage is the fact that the foundation of the American Dream have been laid on the principle that any individual, through hard work and commitment, can achieve success regardless of his or her birth, parentage or origin. The individualistic norm on which the American society is formed demands that race no longer becomes a factor of judgment amongst the Americans. The term multiracial would be applicable to the American society in the truest sense only when no single race is dominant over the other. Elimination of racial segregation within the society however, will not lead to a society free from all forms of segregation. Class, dependent mostly on one’s income, is more likely to be a salient feature of social stratification than race, especially since it is increasingly being considered morally and ethically incorrect to judge one according to his or her racial origins. Moreover, gender based discriminations will also become more defined than racial disadvantage. For instance, the poor White female would be less socially aligned than the rich Black male. The marginalized class in a multiracial America will comprise of Blacks and Whites alike, both of whom have been disadvantaged economically at the hands of the capitalist structure prevalent within America. Whether such stratifications will create a ‘Giddy Multitude’ or not is a separate question in itself. The phrase was first used during colonial times to define the group of rebels that consisted of a mixture of Blacks and Whites. The one thing common between the different races in the rebellious group was the fact that both the Blacks and the Whites were economically disadvantaged, either through slavery, or either through landlessness. I believe that the leaders of the United States of America will have to worry less about the rebellion caused through the uniting of the races present within the country. In fact, what they need to be cautious is of the rebellion of the working class who has been pushed to economic poverty. Indeed, history has always proven that it is the class with the lowest income that has always been a political threat to the rich elite of the society. Racial unity has seldom caused troubles. Works Cited Takaki, Ronald T. A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. Boston: Little, Brown &, 1993. Print. Read More