Racism and Prejudice

Racism and Prejudice It is undeniable that in deed race matters. The four selections in this chapter and the Linda Lin article, talk about different kinds of racism and prejudice, all of them true and all of them equally detrimental. I think this country is far from being perfect and from not having racism or prejudice problems. Nevertheless, is undeniable that it has come a long way (President Obama) since the time of slavery and more recently Jim Crowe laws and the harassment that was brought against blacks.

Later, recognized as the solution needed to afford minorities’ equal opportunities both in work and in school, Affirmative Action, was hailed as the leveler of the field. There certainly is no doubt that in the 1960's at the epicenter of the civil rights movement, that the government had an obligation to pass legislation aimed at equalizing the races on at least a social level. The question now has become whether or not Affirmative Action has passed its time. Does this once very necessary legislation now in today's society do more harm than good?

There is all kind of racism if you include prejudice too. It has been going on since beginning of time. Maybe it is sometimes a person's own insecurity that makes them think everything is attributed to race. The truth is that each group tends to be prejudiced against the other. Some are angry because some people lay around and collect government money and some are angry because they blame another class for what they cannot achieve, or for past mistakes made some hundreds of years ago.

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I think far too many of us speak of equality and hope, yet secretly rationalize hate, based on little more than stereotypes and stories of atrocities that happened generations ago. Sadly, this is still a racist culture. The question is not "Am I a racist? " The question is "To what degree am I a racist? " "To what degree am I aware of my racism? " The selection from Jana Noel made me think about those questions.

At first I thought I am not a prejudice person and I am not racist, then I thought of little things I have done and indeed I do engage in racist behaviors like I find myself at a higher level of alertness when I am outdoors at night in the vicinity of a man of African descent. Behaviors like that are considered "micro insults. " I am more mindful of them now. However, unfortunately I acknowledge that I still engage in these barely conscious behaviors. Reading Noel I can associate the way my prejudice was form with the social control theory.

There is no other explanation why I would react like that. That is certainly not something that my parents taught me. Most White Americans will tell you, that they are not racist individuals. Nevertheless, if you could delve deeper into their minds, you would discover that many of them have reasons that they believe justifies racism. Among those reasons or excuses, we found the reverse discrimination of Affirmative Action, ignorance of other races and cultures, and the belief in the need for retribution for past injustices.

Whites in America should start by admit the reality and begin to work under the assumption that this is a racist society. As we read in McIntosh and Sleeter articles, the white people in the United States have benefited from the structure of racism, whether or not they have ever committed a racist act, uttered a racist word, or had a racist thought. The same way minorities suffer in a white society because they are Black, Hipics, Asian, Jewish, etc, Whites benefit because they are White. These minorities have grown up with racism and prejudice.

One of the most difficult tasks in life to accomplish is to overcome the core fundamental principles that you are taught as a child. A child who grows up witnessing racism, as a way of life, is likely to become a racist adult. The world, in which we all live, is the same society in which our children and our children's children will one day be. It is our duty as parents and teachers to see that future generations have the best opportunity at thriving in an equal world. Only through tolerance and understanding can we ensure equality for all in this country.

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