ISSUE: RACISM
According to The Oxford Dictionary, Racism is defined as “Prejudice, discrimination, or
antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one`s
race is superior.” While Merriam-Webster defines racism as “a belief that race is a
fundamental of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an
inherent superiority of a particular race.”
BACKGROUND:
In prehistory, racism already began and may not have been called racism like we use
today. Racism separates the human race alongside hatred, especially now that racism
against black people and Asian-Americans is rampant during the pandemic.
“Why is there racism?” Racism is taught or learned. To give you an idea, let`s say a
white kid is being taught at a young age to avoid black people because he doesn`t
belong in their particular group, thus making him think it is a rule everyone in the world
follows, as simple as different teams. This will continue until someone educates him, he
reaches the point of realization or change of heart.
Racism is not just about having a different color, but it goes beyond that. It comes in
many different ways that we fail to recognize some of them.
Here are some examples of racism:
Subtle Racism - Racial prejudice is the motive behind subtle racism.
Ex. Two friends, Asian and White, are both looking for a job when they saw
a diner hiring for a crew member. The Asian man walked in first to apply for the
job but was told that they weren`t hiring anymore, then the White man walked in
to apply for the job and came out of the diner holding an application form they`d
just given him.
Internalized Racism – the personal conscious or subconscious acceptance of the
dominant society’s racist views, stereotypes and biases of one’s ethnic group. It gives
rise to patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving that result in discriminating, minimizing,
criticizing, finding fault, invalidating, and hating oneself while simultaneously valuing the
dominant culture. (TAAR)
Ex. People believing that all Jewish people have “big noses” making
Jewish girls feel insecure about their nose; they go to a surgeon to make their
nose “less-Jewish”.
(When in fact, not all Jewish have big noses.)
Interpersonal racism – This is the racism that occurs between individuals. It is the
holding of negative attitudes towards a different race or culture.
Ex. Racially name-calling anyone you are talking to.
Institutional racism – Recognizing that racism need not be individualist or intentional,
institutional racism refers to institutional and cultural practices that perpetuate racial
inequality. Benefits are structured to advantage powerful groups as the expense of
others.
Structural racism – Structural racism refers to the ways in which the joint operation of
institutions (i.e., inter-institutional arrangements and interactions) produce racialized
outcomes, even in the absence of racist intent. Structural racism is cumulative,
pervasive, and durable.
3 SOLUTIONS:
There seems to be no way of annihilating racism around the world as it is a virus carried
by racist people, and love does not always seem to be the way.
Imagine someone telling you to “go back to your own country” just because they don`t
like you. Imagine going out just for a walk, then being attacked by people just because
of your race or because of your color.
These are happening around the world, and it is affecting how people view other people
from other countries.
Here are some ways to help in taking action against racism:
1. Change the way we act or think
2. Speak out
3.
References:
https://www.shorelineschools.org/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&ModuleInstance
ID=3131&ViewID=DEDCCD34-7C24-4AF2-812A33C0075398BC&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=24891&PageID=1951&Tag=&Comment
s=true
https://www.cacgrants.org/assets/ce/Documents/2019/FourLevelsOfRacism.pdf