Racism And Struggle Against It - Essay Example

Racism And Struggle Against It From time immemorial, women have been known to be the prime victims of sexism. Although it is still common today, research shows that men too are being subjected to sexism and may even be more likely to be victims of sexism than women are, but only in some instance. Women are still the most affected. This is because, in many aspects of life, men are still dominant, and women still have to push their way up. For a woman to succeed, a lot of efforts have to go into it. In politics, for example, women are yet to be fully embraced because it is still seen as a man’s field. Adriane Fugh- Berman, in her story "tales out of medical school", tells of a woman who faced a lot of difficulty in college, where the course she was studying was male-dominated. She faced discrimination because she did not allow herself to be subjected to the inequalities that women like her face. She also faces a number of instances of sexism. Adriane gives an example of certain classes that excluded women. When she tried to protest, the course was stopped, and it created a lot of pressure between the ladies and the gentlemen of those classes. The classmates claimed that she only wanted to ruin it for them because she could not take the course. It is then clear from Fugh- Berman’s story that the men did not care about the success of the women, even if subconsciously. She is also shocked by her women classmates who seem not to be bothered in any way by the sexism. She gives an example where doctors ignored female students, but the seemingly naïve students just reported that the doctors were of the old school, and that is why they ignored the women. This shows that women are so used to sexism that they sometimes go without noticing it. It could also mean that they have accepted discrimination and sexism and are not willing to do anything about it. It also means that for women like Fugh- Berman, there is a long struggle full of barriers and pressure from the men. Research shows that prejudice and sexism affect the poor even more. This is because they are forced to work under hard conditions in order to eke out a living. Women who have to do odd jobs, which are poor paying, have to endure a lot of hardships in order to survive. Low wages, lack of health insurance and too much work are common for women who have little or no education. In her book, "Nickel and Dimed on (not) getting by in America," Barbara Ehrenreich reveals ways in which women are prejudiced. She set out to three different cities to look for a low paying job in order to experience the kind of life the people experience. This is because she wanted to find first-hand information through her experience. Ehrenreich finds out that people with low wages in America had a very difficult life, and one job hardly paid off their bills. They have to take two jobs in order to sustain their lives. Reflecting on her experience, she found out that the jobs, as hard as they were, were very demanding, humiliating and were full of tough rules as well as tough regulations. She cites an example of a place where she worked. In that job, employees were not allowed to speak to each other. She concluded that it was a strategy by the management to keep the employees from sharing their discontent and frustration. Barbara Ehrenreich also realized that the poor workers faced many challenges like transportation and housing. They also had little education, if any. Such people faced sexism and prejudice because of their kind of work that heightens their low self-esteem. This was evinced in the way they were subjected to random checkups, poor treatment by management for example being yelled at, accusations of breaking the job’s rules and regulations and general poor treatment. Sexism is prevalent in many instances in life. Even if women are the most affected, the recent study shows that men are increasingly complaining of being affected more than women. Men have been subjected to stereotypes, for example, men are told “not to act like a woman,” implying that they should not be emotional. Men have been forced to be masculine though it affects them psychologically. It is seen as very barbaric for a man to hit a woman, yet when a woman hits a man it is no big deal. Same applies to domestic violence, where women are only considered yet it is true that men too have been subjected to domestic violence, yet no one ever speaks out for them. Men are also affected by sexism through the encouragement of violence and aggression. When they feel that their pride has been hurt, they always resort to fighting, because they have been encouraged to. This leads to them getting physically hurt. It is also very wrong because fighting is not always the solution to everything. Research also shows that men who have been raised in sexist environment end up becoming unfaithful in their relationships. The change of behavior is attributed to a lot of stress on sexual prowess, therefore having a different view on women and sex. Such men tend to be violent or end up abusing drugs and alcohol in order to be able to speak to a woman. This, therefore, affects their lives greatly. Over the years, the world has been struggling with racism. It is true that people of color have been at one time majorly affected by racism. Researchers now show that whites are also affected by racism in many ways. It is now clear that anti-white racism is on the rise as compared to anti-black racism that has been significantly diminishing over the years. Even though, the kind of racism that white people face today are not the same as the violence, being discriminating and harassment of blacks faced years ago, it still weighs heavily on them. Research shows that white people who have the money or are richer and more influential are better off than those who are poor. This because of the material influence it brings about. White people have been forced to forget about their cultures and languages and learn English, which is the dominating language in America. White people have been affected by racism in many ways; for example, loss of friendships and relationships, especially with colored people. It has also made them think that they are superior and that the black people should serve them and do the hard work. Through politics and history, the white people have not been given the right information about racism. As such, they have no space for colored people in the institutions and in the neighborhoods as well as in close relationships. They have been subjected to fear of colored people because they have the wrong image of them. They have been made to believe that colored people are violent. In the article, “land of opportunity” by James W. Lowen, the author claims that opportunities are not equal in America. He says that social class separates people from their conception till the day they die. He says that women from the affluent families have a privilege of going to the clinic, and they usually have healthy babies. However, the poor ones hardly have a chance to visit the clinic and the chances are high that their babies are born unhealthy. The rich children go to better schools and also get better jobs. The poor, he says, got the worst of everything. They go to poor schools and end up getting poor paying jobs. This shows how social racism affects white people. The people have been exploited in economic terms by the rich people in the society. The major effect of racism on white people is the guilt and shame they have to undergo. This affects their self-esteem and in the long run, it affects their quality of life. White people feel that they have a hand in the suffering of the colored people. They have been made to believe that the pain the black people went through during slavery was because of their forefathers and they feel that it was an injustice to the blacks. The guilt and shame make them feel uneasy whenever they are around colored people or whenever they have to interact with them socially or at their places of work. It is right to say that white people too are suffering because of racism. Because of racism, white people have been forced to leave their religious beliefs and embrace those of others. Research shows that other religions like Buddhism or other native beliefs have over the years been slowly forgotten, and more people are joining Christianity and following the values of the society more than what they originally believed in. This has corrupted their judgment on social issues as well as put strain on their doctrines. White people have lost their faith in humanity because of racism. People are filled with anger when they realize how much they have had to pay because of racism. This has affected their lives as well as their future. The young people are angered, and many have taken to drug abuse and alcoholism. The everyday reminder of racism has taken its toll on them, and they are unable to face reality with a sober mind. Racism is to blame for this. Although it is now clear that white people are affected by racism and that there is a rise in anti-white racism campaigns, evidence still shows that anti-black racism continues to prevail. In his article dubbed "racism," Joe R. Feagin examines the pain and hardships that black slaves and Indians faced during slavery. He reveals the oppressions they felt and he goes ahead to explain that the oppression is still being felt today. Feagin claims that although racism is still present today, the whites have managed to hide it very well. He says the Americans have continued to oppress the colored through their political and social advantage. According to the author, this has been achieved by the unfair share of resources. He also points out the police harassment as well as economic backlash where the blacks suffered the most. In her article, "Race Doesn't Matter, Roxanna Harlow explains that many researchers have focused on the experiences of, which concludes that the blacks have a lot of challenges as compared to their white colleagues. Harlow explains the professors’ plights in regard to racism. She finds out that the work of professors differs according to their skin color. Harlow claims that the black professors have a more difficult task when it comes to teaching, as opposed to that of their white counterparts. She says that blacks have to deal with emotional as well as social limitations that greatly affect them and their performance while teaching. She concludes that race is a major factor affecting professors; the whites have it easy while the blacks have to struggle really. In the article, “the model minority myth: Asian Americans confront growing backlash,” Yin Ling Leung explains the struggle of the Asian Americans. There is a belief that many Asians, especially Indians are the most learned non-Americans, with most of them having masters and doctorates in medicine and engineering. Although this might be true, Leung explains that they still feel oppression and inequality, especially when wages and compensations are concerned. It can be noted that the struggle against racism is real and continues to be persistent. References Adriane Fugh- Berman, Tales Out Of Medical School Barbara Ehrenreich, Nickel and Dimed on (not) getting by in America James W. Lowen, Land Of Opportunity Joe R. Feagin. Racism Roxanna Harlow, Race Doesn't Matter, but...: The Effect of Race on Professors' Experiences and Emotion Management in the Undergraduate College Classroom Yin Ling Leung. The Model Minority Myth: Asian Americans Confront Growing Backlash Read More