Often times in America, citizens avoid addressing racism in its modern form. Modern racism is the mindset that certain races are better or worse with specific instinctive abilities or weaknesses. Many of these beliefs are perpetuated by the media which shows stereotypes in different forms such as movies, cartoons, music videos, sitcoms, and newspapers. Whites are often regarded as naturally rational, fair, and caring while Blacks are often regarded as criminal, untrustworthy, and irrational. These myths are seen as innate phenomenon’s that are embedded in our subconscious belief systems. Historical racism continues to be reflected in socioeconomic inequality, and has taken on more modern, indirect forms of expression, most prevalently symbolic racism. Slavery and segregation are not legal, yet there are still fatal shootings like that of the Jordan Davis case. Davis was black while Dunn was white. Dunn, 47, parked beside 17-year-old Jordan Davis who was with three other young men and told them to turn the music down.
Dunn exchanged words with Davis, who was in the back seat, and started firing into the car, later telling police he felt threatened. Michael Dunn was found guilty on four charges, including three for attempted second-degree murder, which could land him behind bars for decades. Yet there was no verdict on the first-degree murder charge tied to the death of 17-year-old Jordan Davis. Racial stratification even continues to occur in employment, housing, education, and even government. Americans pats themselves on the back for not being as horrible as they once were, yet they allow racism to become further rooted in every aspect of American life. The disappearance of apparent racist policies and the passage of civil rights laws, such as the “3/5 Compromise” do not mean that racism itself has disappeared. The 3/5 Compromise stated that a slave would count as 3/5 of a person in terms of taxation and representation.
The Essay on Nationalism Is a Modern Form of Consciousness
What role(s) do you think that this form of consciousness play(s) in the identity of Caribbean people? Do you think that this modern form of consciousness contributes to the motivation of Caribbean people? ’ But before we talk about nationalism in the Caribbean we must take into consideration the history of the Caribbean in order to identify the role that this form of consciousness plays in the ...
A Black Trinidadian mechanical engineering student that moved to America when he was 15 was asked, “Does being a Black man and entering the engineering field make you feel like you would miss out on opportunities a White man may not?” The interviewee responded: No, I do not feel I would receive the same opportunities as a White man in my field. When teachers applaud White students for doing well on complicated exams, they ask me if I “got lucky.” When I arrive to a new class at the start of the semester, I’m repeatedly asked if I’m in the right class, when White students are not asked this. I don’t think racism has been tackled yet, and I don’t think it can be tackled by authority. Racist beliefs start at home, so it would have to be tackled there as well. It is up to us to decide whether or not we want to end racism. If our values encourage us not to be bias and racist then we should teach our kids those values as well, and racism will be eradicated. The Black Honors College student says racism is an issue that has not properly been addressed.
He says people should instill their good values in their children and then racism will be abolished. He states many things have been done to keep facilities equal, but sadly racism has still survived. He says that even has experienced some minor racism in his classes. In spite of the laws against racist behavior, people do continue to behave in racist ways. The racist behavior is visible among people of different races, with a view to put the people of other races at a disadvantage, or to avoid interaction with them, or both. Such discriminatory behavior can be explicit and performed without any attempt to hide such behavior. It can also be subtle, and cannot be detected or pinpointed easily, such as the interviewee being discriminated against. These issues have not been dealt with them in a direct and honest fashion. Americans have concluded that because they do not see themselves as “racist,” then racism certainly must not exist. There are many Americans that may disagree with this statement. There are those would argue that enough has been done in America to end racism.
The Essay on Racism: Still Burning In America
Racism: Still Burning in America Racism. This topic has been and will continue to be the controversial topic of every generation. Why? The answer is very clear. Racism is very much alive and is felt all over America. We, as a nation, continue to search for constructive ways to challenge racism and some even have the hope that someday all races will be able to experience the true freedom this ...
They are likely to give examples like the Equal Opportunity Act. The Equal Educational Opportunities Act (EEOA) of 1974 is a federal law of the United States of America. It prohibits discrimination against faculty, staff, and students, including racial segregation of students, and requires school districts to take action to overcome barriers to students’ equal participation. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of the person’s race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information. It is also illegal to discriminate against a person because the person complained about discrimination, filed a charge of discrimination, or participated in an employment discrimination investigation or lawsuit. They would also argue that in History classes students learn about slavery and Civil Rights Leaders such as Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks. There are wealthy White celebrities, such as Angelina Jolie that adopt Black babies. America even gives monies to African countries in need.
When Americans look at how far they have come, they unconsciously omit what got them here: the tireless work of people with a profound vision of a society based on fairness, the blood of people willing to die for their right to assert themselves as full human beings, and a mix of compassion and political opportunism that turned powerful people into unlikely allies. Unfortunately, it will likely take more of the same kinds of people to get America where it needs to be. Modern racism has evolved from an aggressive prejudicial behavior to a more subtle prejudicial behavior, and this factor will not change unless there are people willing to stand up for what is right. The socialization we receive while growing up in our families also contributes greatly to our beliefs in inferiority and superiority of certain individual groups. Some of these beliefs become naturalized in the comments parents or relatives make about other groups while children are growing up.
The Essay on Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 2
Through the years, America has made an overall improvement in eliminating discrimination, inequality and slavery and focusing more on inclusion, equal rights, and equal opportunity. Despite a considerable improvement, there are corporations and individuals that often revert to archaic means of treating employees, creating hostile environments. Consequently, different advocacy groups and laws still ...
Children come to accept these ideas without much thought. Learning more about the contributions people from different racial groups made to the development of America will help to racism. Speaking out when racially motivated actions take place and even standing up for what is right. Americans cheat themselves into thinking that, with time, things just get better. It is not just a matter of changing attitudes about skin color; people have to be willing to challenge systems of power. No human race is superior. Racism is taught, and is a refuge for the ignorant. The “progress” that has been made is not enough, and once Americans realize this, there will truly be equality.
Works Cited
Smith, Tristan. “Shooting of Florida teen is no Trayvon Martin case, attorney says.” 20 Nov, 2012. Web. 25 Feb. 2014 U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.
