Racism 2 Essay, Research Paper
Racism: The Disease of the Land
Racism has been to human relationships what cancer has been to human existence. It is a disease that eats away at the very fabric of humanity itself. Rather than ending in the death of a mortal being, it usually culminates in war. A war of Nations Against Nations, People against People, Oscar Peterson.
Racism is something that has been a part of our world since the beginning of time. Many of us may think that it has really gotten better. The question is has it really gotten any better? I personally feel that no one has a reason to be racist. I am writing this essay to help people understand that there are people of all different races and colors, but we are all the same. Whether people realize it or not, the number one reason most people are racist is skin color. There are also those people who are still dwelling on the past, during the time of slavery. Although many may feel they have a good reason to be racist, there is no good reason to hate a group of people.
One of the main causes of racism is pride in one s own race. For some reason, many racist people tend to think that there is something different between the different races. I think it is not only just the color of the skin that is the problem but the fact that there was once a time when they ruled just about everything. They owned blacks as slaves and now we are free and are able to live as they do. Some people can not adjust to that. In addition, they think if they put blacks down it would make their race stronger.
Racism is but one of the largest problems in our society. It is used in so many different ways that many people are not aware. When will there be an end to this, many of us may wonder. In my opinion, it will go on forever. There does not seem to be too many people who really want to put an end to this controversy. Most of us do not realize how serious racism is and what it is doing to our society. In addition, if people do not begin to realize the seriousness of racism, it just may go on forever.
Blacks continue to struggle for equality and freedom, many racist whites feel that blacks does not deserve to live as well as them. They do not want to see them accomplish anything. Moreover, they will do whatever it takes so that blacks will not succeed. Instead of blacks standing up for themselves and making it their life dream to accomplish something, many of them settle for less. Although we have to work harder to make our dreams reality, it is worth the time and effort.
During the year of 1995, there was a Million Man March held in Washington D.C. This was the largest black march ever. There were buses arranged to transport our black men to and from, the black women supported them. Although this was only for the men and there was some that were unable to attend, they previewed it live on television. This along with other black movements will go down in history.
This march was held to bring all the black men together in peace and educate them. Many times, we may hear people say that this is the white man s world and a black person will never get ahead. Well, that is not true. This world does not belong to the white man it belongs to God. I agree it may be hard for blacks to get ahead. However, one needs to know how to get ahead. This march helped the blacks as a race see where they were going wrong and what they need to do to correct themselves. I hope this march helped some of our people realize what type of world they are living in. It is time that blacks take a stand.
I have come to notice many racist people, black and white, are not well educated. However, they tend to think they are because their skin is a certain color. To be as smart as they claim to be, they are not aware of the ignorance racism brings about. They do not understand the problems it brings forth in our society. If they were actually educated, they would find a way to get rid of the problem.
Many racist people do not understand how ignorant they sound when they say the reason they hate blacks is their skin color. They call them niggers and try to degrade them to the best of their ability. As being an African American, I do not get offended. Many of them do not know what a nigger is. They use the word as if it was another way of saying black. If they knew the proper definition, they would realize from their foolish behavior that they are prime examples of the word.
When many people think about racism, they simply think about someone not liking a group of people because of skin color or their cultural background. No one actually thinks about the other things that go along with it. We are all human and I feel that everyone, despite race, color, or cultural background deserves the same amount of respect.
Racism is very deep. It goes further than calling someone a nigger or a redneck. Churches have been burned to the ground, as well as homes, and people have been beaten and/or killed. While watching a talk show about racism, many whites say that blacks burn down their own churches just so they can blame it on them. However, what about the time when whites would only spend three days in jail for raping and beating a little child of black color. Many feel they do not deserve that. Whites have been able to get away with many things just because of their color. Things of this nature still go on today.
Many people are racist because they were either taught or raised that way. Some may have also had a bad experience with a person of a different race. Many whites do not want to see others get ahead; they feel they are the dominant race. They feel they are better than everyone else and no one deserves to have as much as them. Although they may not have finished high school or went to college, they feel that they are more educated than those who have finished school and have a degree.
Racism is not something you are born with; it is something you learn. For many people, racism was taught in the home. Parents teach their children to hate people of another race. They teach them to say bad things and call people bad names. Are these parents right for teaching their children to hate? They may think so because this may be the exact way they were raised. However, it is wrong. Children should be able to make their own decisions about whether they want to like or dislike people of other races. The reason most parents teach this is that they know if they do not instill this hatred into their children, mostlikely, they will not have a problem with people of other races. Some parents go as far as threatening to disown or kill their children if they see them with a person of black color.
There are many of us, who are still trying to figure out why the white race is considered, to some, as the dominant race. Many whites feel they are superior and they deserve the best. Because blacks were once slaves, owned by them do we not deserve to live compatible and/or better than them. Times have changed the world has changed, when will people change?
America is a country that consists of people of many races, colors, and cultures. Hating a group of people is not going to make them disappear. It is surely not going to make life any easier for you or much harder for them. What we all need to do is realize that we are in this world together and learn to deal with it.
Racism is not something that will eventually go away. It has been a part of our world since one can remember. There have been several blacks who stood up for our race to try to make it as equal as others. Such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcom X, and Minister Louis Farrakhan, to name a few. These strong black men stood up for what they believed in to help blacks educate themselves and be strong. Although many blacks may know of these people, they do not know the things they went through for our race.
Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke out so that we would have freedom. Freedom is one of the rights we have today. If it were not for Mr. King, where would we be? Minister Farrakhan spoke at the Million Man March. He helped the black race realize where they were going wrong and what they need to do to get on track. Malcom X tried to educate us and teach us about the society that we are living in today. We need more strong leaders, whether they are black or white. We need someone to speak out to the people and let them know that we are all in this world together.
While reading Gordon Allport s book The Nature of Prejudice, I noticed that he talked about the feelings of prejudice and non-prejudice people. He stated also that prejudice people feel they are superior. Many non-prejudice people feel there is only one race, the human race. If non-prejudice people can learn to deal with the world the way it is, I am sure prejudice people can do the same.
When will we realize it is not what is on the outside that matters it is what is inside. We need to stop treating people as if they do not deserve to be on this planet. We are all the same. We may have differences in our personality but as a race there is no difference.
Racism demeans both the hated and the hater, because racists, in denying full humanity to others, fail to humanity in themselves. Like tribalism, fundamentalism, homophobia and all other shallow responses of one person to another, racism concentrates on WHAT you are, and ignores WHO you are. Racism sees only the label–not the person wearing it. Racism loves us and hates them , without ever discovering the true identity of them . Racism, like cruelty, is nothing more than a failure of the imagination, Timothy Findley.
318