Veronica Cavazos
Dr. Preston
Expository Composition
November 9th,
2013
Research
Term Paper
I grew up in a society where everyone believed racism
only existed in the nineteen hundreds. Society believed that because we all
have the same rights, we are all equal; making them believe racism has
vanished. It is now, ten years later that I realize, it will probably never be ‘vanished’.
I have also realized that a lot of American’s don’t realize this, most
Americans are in denial.
There is a new type of racism. This kind does not just
revolve around the typical White man vs. Black man stereotypical argument. This
new kind involves every race, every human and the ignorance that our society
has. We are ultimately surrounded by racism every day. What is racism exactly?
Well isn’t racism just ultimately one giant opinion taken the wrong way? “Individuals
who have beliefs and ideas that could be defined as racism can reduce the
problems in society by keeping those ideas in their minds and homes. People are
certainly free to believe what they want to believe and even to say what they
want to say. But when individuals take these beliefs to the next level and act
out in public and against others, racism becomes a social disease.” (Racism
In America: Racism Is A Disease That Needs To Be Cured) There are
certain phrases that should not be said in public, and there are certain
actions you just don’t do in public. Why, because some people take things the
wrong way. I’m not saying all people are accidentally being racist, I’m just
saying most people don’t even realize when they are making fun of a race. “Racism
has become somewhat of a “hidden” issue today, even in well-known cities across
our nation. Americans know that racism still exists and persists, but it’s
easier to pretend that everyone believes that “All men are created equal.” (Racism
In America: Racism Is A Disease That Needs To Be Cured) So how do we stop someone
from being racist when most don’t even realize they are doing it? In other words,
how are we going to get rid of racism? Stop talking about it. Stop calling
people by what they are. Don’t refer to Barack Obama as a black man, and don’t
refer to Joe Biden as a white man. However that’s just too easy and society
doesn’t work that way.
“Racism is not just a viewpoint, but rather it’s a
disease that is often left untreated because of misguided stereotypes. There is
no cure for racism because it is fueled by ignorance.” (Racism
In America: Racism Is A Disease That Needs To Be Cured) Most racist actions are
often just stereotypical judgments made by someone of the race being ‘made fun
of’. A YouTube video called Racism in
America: Episode Three helps explain this point. In this episode, two men
are hanging out, one black and one white. The black man picks up Madea Goes To Jail and asks the white
man if he wants to watch the movie. The white man declines his offer and the
black man automatically jumps to conclusion that the white man is being racist
and doesn’t want to watch the movie because it is a black film. However, that
has nothing to do with why he doesn’t want to watch the film and he is being
accused of being racist for no good reason. Just because a white man doesn’t
enjoy all black made films, doesn’t mean he doesn’t like black people.
“Here
are some of the stereotypes that fuel racism: African-Americans are more violent
than white Americans, and they commit more crimes. Most African-Americans “milk
the system” and live off of welfare. African-Americans deal drugs. African-Americans
are illiterate and uneducated. Here are the realities: The criminal justice
system in the United States is flawed and racially biased. African-Americans
are more likely to serve prison time than a white person even when the same
crime is committed. A higher percentage of white Americans receive welfare than
African-Americans. White Americans deal drugs too.”(Racism In America: Racism
Is A Disease That Needs To Be Cured) In this article the author makes it clear
that most racial judgments are just stereotypes, and our society runs off of
stereotypes. This is what makes racism a new kind of racism. The article We're not racists, but we're not colorblind:
Column states “We don't have slavery, lynching, or whites-only bathrooms
anymore.” We don’t have those things, but we still have the idea of discrimination
against certain races which is just as bad. We connect areas with people by the
color of their skin. An example of this would be asking a brown person if they
are a legal resident here in the United States. These types of judgments are
not only offensive, but completely wrong. All of our lives we were told to not
judge a book by its cover, yet the older I get the more and more I notice
adults doing just that, they judge.
Americans
are judgmental, and they all believe they have the right to their own opinion,
but they are wrong. Sure they have the right to their wrong opinion, but they
can’t declare something is okay, but it’s their opinion. We as a society make
judgments of what is okay and what is not. We filter out the bad or sometimes
just ignore it and we keep the good. This is why it is hard for some people to admit
that racism still exists. “It's really hard to actually be colorblind with
strangers. You can probably forget that your friend is black, hispanic, or
Indian. But when a stranger or a rough acquaintance enters the picture, race
probably subconsciously enters your judgment of that person.” (We're not
racists, but we're not colorblind: Column) I completely agree with this
statement because I know that I too have done this. This`1 column went on to
add “If you decide a certain character on the subway is sketchy, it's often for
reasons you can't fully articulate. Clothes, demeanor, grooming, posture all
matter. And sure, you'll be more wary of the leering tatted-out white dude than
the black guy in a suit on his iPad. But skin color probably plays a role in
your subconscious, even if it's not always the deciding factor.” Racism is
something that is subconsciously there in the back of your mind. Everyone does
it, but we don’t do it to purposely offend others. When you are being racist to
offend someone is when it should be considered hate speech. You shouldn’t be
able to get away with saying anything offensive to someone who is colored just
because you believe you have freedom of speech.
Racism
is everywhere. In schools, online, in businesses, in neighborhoods, it is
worldwide. Racism will always exist. Black males will always be eyed at with suspicion
more than white males. Asians will always be considered smarter than every
other race. Mexicans are all dirty workers. Arabs are terrorists and white
people are rich, stuck up snobs. These are the typical ‘racist’ stereotypes.
Everyone makes a judgment about a race. Everyone. “So, if you say to a black
person, "stop acting as if your race matters," you're asking him to
be color-blind in a society that isn't.” (We’re not racists, but we’re
colorblind: Column) “Despite decades of social change and progress, a Duke
University professor told students racism still exists among white people, just
not as overtly as it did many years ago.” (racism the same today as in the
1960s ) Is this not another racist remark? Saying it exists among white people is
false. It exists among everyone. Racism is worldwide, it is not just white
people contributing to the hate and racial speech, it is everyone.
A
popular example of racism existing in places such as jobs, government related
trials and most recently courtrooms would be the Travon Martin Trial. “Nowhere,
was there an ounce of evidence that the man who shot Travon followed him,
reported him, or defended himself against him--even for his very life--based on
the color of Travon's skin. Yet "civil rights 'leaders'" manipulated
every element of fact in the case to convince the sleeping media that the man
who shot Travon was racially motivated, racially biased, and hateful of races
different than his.” (Why American Racism Is Impossible To Defeat) It is so
obvious that Travon was only a huge threat because of the color of his skin. It’s
there subconsciously in the back of your head, you won’t admit it, but we all
have those racist thoughts once in a while. We do sometimes make those false
assumptions, some just do it on purpose and others don’t even realize when they
are doing it. Some people assume that because I appear to be white, I have lots
of money, nice clothes, no problems in the world. People assume I’m some rich
white girl, when in fact I’m poor and Mexican. I am proud of my heritage and I
am offended when people just assume that I am what I look like. People don’t know
you’re story, people may not even know your name, but they act like they know
everything about you.
I
have witnessed, in person, a white family prohibit their daughter from dating
black males. This family lives in Georgia where racism is an even huger
problem. The daughter of the family didn’t obey her parents rules and dated a black
kid. They dated for three years and over time her family eventually just
disowned her. I’ve never been able to understand how a family can hate a race
so much that they would consider and go through with disowning their child. The
kid she is dating wasn’t a bad kid at all. He had money, was going to college,
had good manners and never showed any once of disrespect to anyone. There was
no reason for the family not to like him other than the fact that he was
colored. “Moreover, racism in itself implies that our skin color defines who we
are, however a person’s skin color does not accurately represent their
intelligence, wealth, or their morals.” (Racism In America: Racism Is A Disease
That Needs To Be Cured)
“Second,
the majority of Americans, and even of white Americans -- whether they voted
for Obama or not -- seemed to feel proud and positive that the nation had
finally reached this amazing milestone.” (What!? Racism Still in America?) Although
our society seems doomed to always have racism tangled in its roots, I do
sometimes feel like we will overcome racism. When Barack Obama was sworn into
office I actually felt as though all of America was proud that we as a country
could overcome racism in some ways. “But let's be honest. We all know that
racism still exists in America today. We know that there is a hard core of our
white fellow citizens who simply will not accept their black or brown brothers
and sisters -- especially one in the White House. So while we should not call
every disagreement an issue of racism, it is time call out the racism that
indeed does still exist -- that wounds our soul as a nation, and that obstructs
the promise of the United States.” (What!? Racism Still In America?)
I
don’t think it is fair for me to say our nation is not trying to end racism, in
fact I’m not saying that at all. I do believe our nation has been trying to end
racism for a while now. They have created laws, allowed everyone the right to
vote, created the Jim Crow laws and have abolished slavery. Our nation has
taken actions, but I don’t think racism will ever end. The world is ignorant,
and we are all drawn to a stereotype letting others have a certain judgment of
us.
Racism
is commonly brought up when dealing with white and blacks. However that’s not
the only case of racism. There are other races that deal with racism. Too many
people pinpoint blacks as the only victims of racism, when in fact every race
has it. Whites are not the only ones at fault for being racist, and if you
believe they are, is that not another act of racism? I am a Mexican, but
because I appear to be white I am picked on by other Mexicans. They call me
white trash, pale skinned, white girl, etc. When in fact I am just like them. I
am from the same culture, same heritage, I’m just not the same color. And isn’t
that the same issue everyone else faces? The problem is that we are not all the
same color.
