Tuesday, October 17, 2017

The Issue of Race in America

Racism in America is a problem that has existed almost since the beginning of the European settlement in this country five hundred years ago. Racism has not disappeared as might be expected, but instead has worsened over the years, since theory as white supremacy has been internalized by the various multiracial groups that occupy America. The racism that began for the first time with discrimination against the American Indians within their own land that finally expelled them from the lands they occupied and in reserves by force and a large slaughter of large numbers of them; the racism that was used to justify the capture of Black people of Africa and their being taken to the United States to be placed in the bondage of slavery; and later, racism was manifested against Asians who came to settle in the United States in the nineteenth century to seek opportunities to improve their lives. All these incidents have worked hand in hand over time to shape the racial attitudes and beliefs that are common in the United States today, spreading the idea of ​​white supremacy, though in such a way that most people just they notice it.
Racial discrimination generates a grammar that helps to reproduce the racial order as such and how things are. This is a result of the work of nineteenth-century scientists who used inaccurate data and faulty samples to draw their conclusions about the races, partly to justify the imperial activities of their countries in Africa and Asia, and to "scientifically" secure their dominant position In society. The standard grammar of American English has much in it that still reinforces the idea of ​​white supremacy. An example of this is how the media uses endearing terms as beautiful when reporting news of white victims of tragic events, while nothing is said about those victims of minority races who are simply under the same circumstances. This is an unconscious action that is the result of the terms used especially against blacks during the era of slavery in relation to the two races; that the white was beautiful and superior, while the black was ugly and inferior.
It is not logical to think that more than five hundred years of formalized racial inequality in the United States can be so easily eliminated. Blacks, for example, continue to be disadvantaged even after the guarantee of formal equality of rights in 1965, which was expected to put an end to all forms of racial inequality. In the search for new employees, white employers tend to prefer to hire white people to black people because of the racial stereotype that represents black people as unreliable, even though the black person involved in this case is probably more qualified for the job. Residential segregation between black and white communities in the great cities of America has ensured that these races have remained isolated from each other and this has reduced the possibilities of understanding that would have developed due to a close interaction. It is the responsibility of white people as the dominant group in America to pave the way to end racial discrimination since all the practices of racism that occur today are as a direct consequence of their unconscious desire to maintain their position in society. Racial harmony cannot be achieved if only a single racial group continues to dominate almost every aspect of the lives of others.  Instead, it can only be achieved if all racial groups in the United States receive the same treatment without prejudice.
In conclusion, racism is a subject that is very much alive in the United States today and affects all racial groups living in this nation. This is a social problem that must be addressed as quickly as possible before it explodes into something worse, such as a conflict between the dominant white race against minority races. In the discussion above, some aspects of racism in the United States have been addressed, as well as their effects on minority, and the majority groups. These are just one part of the problem of racism and more research is still needed to be able to deal better with it in the future.

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