Racism Essay, Research Paper
Racism is alive and well. In a society based on binaries, its mignons search for an enemy. Visible minorities are easy targets for people looking for a fight. As our economy continues to depress, we see that more and more people are losing the fight. These people blame their failure on the colored person, while they rarely ever blame themselves. The magnitude of the racism is directly related to the state of the economy.
In the twentieth century, we have seen many cultures relocate due to war or poverty. The fact that they are different sets them apart from the majority. This cleavage used to be counterbalanced through the suppression of non dominant races. This was done through acts of physical and psychological manipulation. From slavery to segregation, from the KKK to television, we have created an inferiority complex for minorities.
This inferiority complex is based on the idea that the foreigner is not the “naturally fit”. Until recently, minorities were suppressed through vulgar power. They were segregated, devalued, and owned. During the second world war, Adolph Hitler eliminated the Jewish minority through a violent assertion of power. He felt that their removal would increase the standard of living of in their country. Through nationalism, he was able to justify his actions to his people. His followers believed that the Jewish minority was the cause. This vulgar display of power was an example of direct suppression.
However, as the suppression becomes less apparent, we see the gradual shift of power. We see some minorities beat the system and become successful. This is because society no longer tolerates the assertion of vulgar power with respect to minorities. Unfortunately, the inferiority myth is still upheld through television and movies through the inclusion of countless racial stereotypes, and the lack of proportional representation. This includes the ever popular black working for his white boss, the token colored character or sidekick, the white coach of the predominantly black team and so on. No racism is directly conveyed, but the subtraction of minorities in key roles promotes a hierarchical structure based on the superiority of whites.
As more and more minorities become successful, we see this hierarchy challenged. This challenge is not welcome to the rest of the population because it contests the structure that makes them “naturally” superior. When this is combined with hard economic times, a hate is created. As stated minorities are an easy target, for people searching for answers. Their lack of success is due to the minority who took their promotion. Their taxes are high because the minority saps the system. They couldn’t get into university because the minority took their place. Unfortunately, nobody ever says the minority is more qualified, the minority pays taxes too, the minority worked harder and got better marks. In a society based on survival of the fittest, the “fit” are scared to play on a level playing field.
What is a level playing field? According to the majority government, it is a system where everyone has an equal opportunity. These equal opportunity programs and quotas are their so called solutions to the problem. However, these programs also promote the favoritism of minorities. This is supposed to counterbalance the “take care of our own” mentality that has been a mainstay of our society. Citizens are justified in their arguments of job and opportunity theft since the system openly admits handicapping. It is true that it helps increase minority employment, but to the person that was rejected, all that is seen is the color of his substitute. Unfortunately, this is how many people react to these programs. Social tensions increase and the resentment increases.
This resentment is proportional to the number of opportunities lost. In hard economic times, the number of jobs lost is increased across the board. As the unemployment rate goes up, more people look for an explanation. They need a reason for their failure. The colored person is always an easy target. It is not a question of hate towards any particular race, but rather hate in general. The hate of what you don’t have, the hate of what you have lost, the hate caused by losing.
Racism is an economically induced hate that gives a reason for failure. In a society of winners and losers, the losers search for blame. As the number of losers increases, the amount of blame increases. This proportional relation causes other imbalances that fuel the hate. What would happen if the economy collapses to depression era levels?
Bibliography
No