Sociology of Cultural Differences - Essay Example

12 May Assignment An individual perceives life as either black or white; he would either choose one path or the other, nothing in between.Perspective is often forgotten especially when it comes to understanding someone else’s point of view. One of the major issues that the world has been facing since the colonial era has been the issue of the complexion of a person; his skin tone, something he cannot even control; yet something that sets him apart from the others. People seldom think about the grey lines in between – they seldom pay attention to the feelings those being side lined and these emotions have with time strengthened themselves in order to unite people towards overcoming the obstacle of discrimination by race or being racist. Leaders around the world in the present times have made excellent efforts into rescuing people from falling into the clutches of such petty thoughts; black people have feelings too, they are no lesser than those born with white skins; they are not lesser in mental or physical strength and ability and in no way should be condoned by anyone in society, especially not treated as slaves. Leaders like Oprah and Obama are pillars of inspiration taking a stand on the demerits of racism yet the obstacle has not witnessed an end yet in the United States of America. Oprah’s television show has become one of the most popular and most watched shows in the country as well as abroad in other countries. It is a common sight to watch people gathering inspiration from such a strong woman, a black woman, who has stood on her own two feet and is helping people all over the world achieve the same. She motivates and assists others in realizing their personal needs and dreams; she is a generous lady with a true heart of gold and has swept across the country and won people’s affection and adoration. Not a single individual looked upon her as a ‘black’ woman when she was doing all these wonderful things; not a single individual segregated her from the rest of society for bringing about such joy. Barack Obama on the other hand, the American president, a harbinger of change for the entire country as well as people abroad, is another stirring figure in the history of world politics. Americans had been waiting a long time to witness promises being fulfilled and their needs and demands being met on a societal level which he has been beautifully able to bring about. He is also the first black American president, and was elected without any qualms towards the issue of racism. The question thus arises in the minds of those reading; how is it then that there still is an issue of racism persisting within the USA? Oprah and Obama have had wonderful success stories within the country and there are many other inspiring figures like them that have been able to help people understand the issue of racism on humane grounds, however there are many people a part of the general public that still practise racism and have not condemned it completely. “What racism?" many of the pundits cry, "Didnt we just elect this black guy president?" (Implying: "Doesnt that prove that racism is over in America?").” (Wallis, J.) There is a significant number of people in America that did not vote for Obama on the grounds of being hard core ‘white supporters’ and played dirty politics because in their mind’s eye, they would not want to elect a black president for a country that according to them is predominantly white. There are signs of underlying racism everywhere. From campaign slogans to jeers, people were trying desperately to not elect Obama as the face of the nation because even though there were a number of people hoping that the country would reach a higher level of development and progress, there was a small number thinking along different lines – that progress could not be achieved if the president was not white. This small kind of thinking has brought the issue of racism to a boiling point; when older people have the audacity to still think in this manner, their children will obviously walk in their way. Just as human beings will always remain imperfect, so will the country because young people will continue to use words segregating the blacks from the whites, treat them differently, as well as distinguish themselves from one another. There have been reports of black students being bullied by their white classmates in schools because of no reason at all other than their skin colour; there have been a number of white children being rude to their black teachers and professors because of what they have learnt at home. It is appalling to notice that on one hand when some of the most influential and helpful people in the country are black; the taunts still remain and are yet to be dismissed. According to a CNN survey, most Americans in fact have voted that they still witness lingering amounts of racism within the country. Neighbourhoods, acquaintances at work, friends, relatives and whomever else one can think of, are yet to give up the moral ban on racism; this means that there still are various people in various kinds of communities practising racism – from teacher student relationships to professional employer and employee relationships, there are many platforms of life where white people are being favoured over the blacks in order to establish supremacy incognito. Despite controlled efforts to regulate such discriminatory practices, the success has not seeped down to the grass roots as yet; there is still time to go until every individual within the country becomes aware of the ill brand that racism carries with itself. Schools help educate young people however if their families are not in support of the same thoughts, then it is of no use. It is pertinent to note that racism continues not only against black people, but also people belonging to other races and backgrounds in life, living within the country. They are frowned down upon and left to form their own communities, leading to the creation of a zone of dissatisfaction and hatred. Such feelings cause hurt amongst people and lead them to throw negative energy at one another, destroying the calm in the atmosphere. The success on the top thus has not yet reached the bottom and only when it does so, will it be able to have an effect on the people. It is no doubt that there are a number of people that have mended their ways and understood the problems of racism; people are more open towards mixing with other communities and even becoming a part of them by marrying into families of different races and having their own families of mixed racial groups. This helps to bring people together and teaches others the art of peace in its truest sense; living together in harmony without disrupting the true essence of humanity – something that both Oprah and Obama preached. However, there still is a small fraction of people that indulge in creating nuisance and refusing to understand a similar concept of unity in diversity. In conclusion, the success stories of Obama and Oprah have not shown that racism is no longer an issue; in fact their stories have helped only a large part of society to comprehend that the same should not be practised by people because it goes against moral grounds of humanity. Segregating people is cruel because it hurts a segment of society and condemns them for something that they have not done. It is not right to treat others like servants or slaves just because they belong to a different background ranging from a skin colour. Their stories might have helped people to understand the issue but not bar it completely because as mentioned during the course of this essay, there still are people that believe in being racist and cannot help but not think differently because of the lack of education and awareness that they have received. They might have witnessed terrible situations, leading them to believe in racism; for example witnessing murders of close family and friends at the hands of people belonging to another race, being bullied by those belonging to other races or even having racial disputes with people on petty matters. However this should not stop them from not thinking along the lines of discriminatory beliefs because after all, the colour of a skin or background of a race does not define a man, his personal actions and beliefs do. Works Cited Jones, Sylvia. "Boston Must Continue to Stand against Racism." - Boston Business Journal. 2012. Web. 12 May 2012. . McWhorter, Jon. Forbes. Forbes Magazine. Web. 12 May 2012. . "Poll: Most Americans See Lingering Racism -- in Others." CNN. 12 Dec. 2006. Web. 12 May 2012. . Wallis, Jim. "What!? Racism Still in America?" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 17 Sept. 2009. Web. 12 May 2012. . Read More