The Fight against Racism - Admission/Application Essay Example

Race in the cultural imagination Introduction Racism has for a long time affected many people. It is the view of some people that the people of colorare inferior to the white people. The fight against racism has been fought for a long time by both the black people and the white people. In the United States of America, racism affects a majority of the black population. With racism emanate more problems. This challenge goes against the Constitution and international human rights instruments that prohibit all forms of discrimination. It brings about inequalities in life. This challenge will not be overcome unless all decide to rise against it and consider all humans as equal. In this paper, I shall discuss racial discrimination, its causes, consequences, as well as the solutions to these problems. Kathleen Fitzgeraldi states that racism as a challenge cannot be solved by people being color blind. This will only be putting a blanket over the problem and not to solve the problem. Martin Luther King Jr. in his speech, ‘the American Dream,’ wished to see an America where no person was judged or discriminated upon based on the color of his skin. He would have loved to see an America where his children would be judged based on their character and not by their color. This dream has not come to fulfillment fully despite it being fifty years later. With the election of President Barrack Obama as president of the United States, many thought that America had at last come over the problem of racism. The truth is that there is more than meets the eye in this situation. We would have said that America is over this problem if at all there were no debates to challenge the presidency of Barrack Obama. This issue brought a lot of debate among the American population. What causes racial discrimination? Racial discrimination is premised on many factors. We cannot identify and point out one single factor as what brings about discrimination. It is important to identify the factors that contribute to racism for us to be able to devise ways of combating this behavior. As human beings, it is natural to relate to those we feel are similar to us, and also feel comfortable around them. People then make opinions of those they tend to feel as different from themii. This is how racism comes about. Whenever a group of people feels threatened by another group, the aspect of fear comes in. in racism, the group that feels superior to the other tends to feel threatened by the group that they consider being inferior: in this case the black people are taken as a threat by the white people. The white people start seeing the people of color as a source of competition in their jobs, residences and on property ownership among other aspects. The whites then devise a way to curb this challenge by discriminating against those they feel are a threat to them. It is the aspect of fear of loss that is the main cause of discrimination: this fear is however ill-conceived. In America, the problem of racism is rooted in history. Racism was not illegal, and it was not until 1960 that the American civil rights movement managed to fight against the laws and make racism illegal. Another factor that contributes to racism is ignorance that is unfortunate. Ignorance is what makes this problem go on despite the fact that the times have moved forward. The reason this is so is because people grow up doing it and eventually do not feel like it is wrong to do discriminate against others. By doing this, racism is continued and passed on to the next generation. There are those who would argue that racism is no longer existent. They state that people should ignore it and that it will die on its own. In my opinion, racism has not ended, it is just that the means of displaying it have changed. The programs that come up in support of the minority are abused, and In turn they too end up propelling racism. Racism is exhibited in a new form called benevolent racism that ends up doing more harm than good. There are also a lot of stereotypical ideologies that lead to the perpetuation of racismiii. There are those who consider non-whites to be intellectually inferioriv. In the late 20th century, the African Americans women were not allowed to conceive as it was believed that would bring forth an inferior generation. This stereotype has gone on up to today, and it is surprising that there are still people who feel that the white people are a superior race. To some, the whites are intellectually superior to the African-Americans, and this has been a major cause of racial discrimination in America today. The color of a person’s skin is not what causes them to be discriminated against. If we look at the history of racism, even the Asians were discriminated againstv but this has changed and they are held at the same regard as the whites. The reason this is so is because these groups that were once in the minority have been able to assert their influence economically, socially and politically. Consequences of racial discrimination The consequences of racism could be dire especially to the victims who are sidelined and made to feel less worthy of themselves. Racial discrimination affects the victim psychologically. One business woman has described this feeling as suicidal. This is a person who has an advantage over other black people due to the fact that she is successful in her business. She still feels the effects of living in a society with white dominance. Despite the normal life challenges that face human beings, the victims of racial discrimination have additional challenges when it comes to dealing with racial discrimination. Individualistic racism may not be seen as in the current times, it is not displayed openly. The problem comes in when dealing with institutional racism that is hard to tell and identify. It is natural for children to feel more protected when there is an adult around them. But in racism the one who is supposed to protect them becomes the perpetrator of an ill. When a child goes through such an experience, they incidence remains in their mind for long. They end up growing up with hatred towards people of the race that the perpetrator comes from. This is a bad seed that is created in a generation that would otherwise have changed the society’s view on racism. Solutions to the issue of racial discrimination According to Kathleen, the problem is with the racial order that tends to categorize people into racial groups. It is her concern that this problem can only be solved if the white people first agreed that it indeed is a problem coming from them, and that they too are supposed to be part of the solution. The issue of racial discrimination can only be fought if people agree to take up responsibility and admit that they have been oppressors at one point in time. Fighting the battle against white privilege needs that everybody appreciates the fact that first, this is major problem. There is no way we can get a solution to this problem if at all we still want to assume that it is not a problem. The perpetrator of the vice feels good about themselves when their victim is affected by their deeds or words. It would be important if people looked at the historical causes of racism and its effects for there to be a lasting solution. In the system of white privilege, the racists feel superior by making another feel inferior. The victims of racism should rise against this, and feel that what the racist did or said does not define who they are. By doing this, the victims will not feel like they come from an inferior race. In the case on the murder of Trayvon Martin a 17 years old African American, the African Americans felt that the murder was purely out of a racist attitude by Zimmermanvi. The situation got worse when Zimmerman was acquitted of the murder charges. This incidence happened in 2012, and the fact that more white than black people came to the defense of Zimmerman shows that racism is still prevalent in our society today. Understanding that racism is a sociological problem greatly contributes towards getting a solution. Racism is not inborn in a person and no one should use this excuse to treat another with prejudice. Educating people on racism can also help a lot in solving this problem. Some people exhibit racist tendencies due to ignorance, and the moment more light is shed into this, the situation could be different. Educating the society on racism will also uncover the issue on color blindness that seems to suggest that racism is no longer a problem today. Racism is an aspect that is in the mind of the individuals. In the same way that the Asians were able to end discrimination against them by asserting their influence in the world today, the African Americans can do the same thing. Conclusion As discussed above, the problem of racism has gone on for long. The problem comes in when the society fails to appreciate that there is a problem. Being color blind has greatly propelled racism, thereby hindering the finding of a solution. The menace can only be dealt with if everybody accepts that this is a problem. The whites should also admit and own up to any event that they have propelled this menace. There are solutions out there that could end the problem of racism but they have not been effected. What mainly hinders the implementation of these solutions is color blindness: assuming that all is okay and that there is no problem. The policy makers have tried to solve this problem by introducing affirmative action programs to empower the African Americans. These programs include making the school entry requirements for African American students favorable. This is done focusing on the future. It is meant to empower the African Americans so that they too can get the right skills to compete in the job market. Affirmative action is a good basis for fighting racism, but there comes another problemvii: institutional racism. The African Americans get empowered and are able to access the jobs. No one disqualifies an applicant based on their race. The problem comes in when the applicant gets to the organization. They find that the whites are given preferential treatment and that their concerns are addressed unlike for the African Americans. An individual’s application could even be turned down for reasons that according to the panel cannot allow them to pick the applicant. No one tells the applicant that the decision to disqualify them was informed by racist attitudes, but on the face of it one can tell that this is the case. When this happens, where does one run to? What particular wrong can they point out? This leaves the victims in an awkward position. We cannot entirely water down the efforts of the civil society that has fought to ensure that racism is done away with. For the dream of Martin Luther King to be fulfilled, this issue has to approached from all angles and by all parties. We need to accept that it is there, and that it is taking our society to an archaic period. This way, we can say that we have successfully managed to fight over racism. Read More