Research Paper

Veronica Cavazos

Dr. Preston

Expository Composition

November 9^th, 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.