The Relevance of Racial Discrimination in Society - Essay Example

Racial Discrimination The topic on race raises varying responses in the society. Race is a pivotal social issue as various individuals have used it as their basis for discriminating against others. Racism refers to actions and practices that castigate differential treatment to different races on the notion that races rank differently in superiority. Racism contributes to the disintegration of society by denying members equal opportunities to various societal rights such as those of equity, education, and use of public utility facilities. Others have justified the existence of racial discrimination on the argument that various human races are superior or inferior when compared to others. They use this superiority and inferiority complex to perpetuate racism across racial and ethnic groups within the society. Looking down on people or denying them services or opportunities based on their skin color is wrong as it is degrades them yet they are similar human beings with almost similar genetic make-up. Racial discrimination should be shunned as it creates divisions within the society as a whole and results to isolationism that marginalizes people within a society limiting their individual potential; this in turn limits the potential of the society as a whole in relation to its self-sustainance. Racism arouses suspicion and animosity among the various racial groups in a society creating divisions and tension between them. This creates a negative atmosphere that does not support the optimum functioning of any given society. Racial discrimination in the society manifests itself in various forms such as offensive comments, name-calling, intimidation or harassment, and denial of social utilities. At its very worst, racial discrimination may result in violence or physical abuse to minority groups. Racial discrimination may occur through either conscious or unconscious prejudice or bias (Bell, 2013). Racial discrimination may directly or indirectly exclude individuals from participating in education, employment, sport, social activities or accessing services. It may take place at various levels of society from the political to economical spheres. On this structural level, racial distinction assists in contributing to inequalities towards accessing resources, opportunities, and power among the various racial and ethnic groups present in a society. Perpetuators of racism ascribe to the belief that a specific race or ethnic group is superior or inferior to others (Bell, 2013). These effects that arise out of racism help to spew negativity and animosity between the various racial groups that exist within a community. It leads to tension within the society and creates room for division among the racial groups. Racism serves to deny equal opportunities for all members of a society. The article ‘this is how we lost to the white man’ by Ta-Nehisi Coates takes a look at what it terms as ‘Bill Cosby’s black conservatism’ (Coates, 2008). The author shares the ideology held by the legendary African-American actor Bill Cosby who contends that black men should ignore the ill effects of racism perpetuated against them and instead focus on themselves by building strong families and communities. He calls on blacks to address the inequality caused by racism by embracing personal responsibility, cleansing their culture, and reclaiming their past traditions that made them stand out. Cosby according to the author contends that no amount of protests, rallies, or pleas will assist in defeating racism. The article tries to propagate the notion that it is best for black communities to acknowledge the ill effects of racism, but at the same time ignore it by focusing on empowering themselves. The argument is well founded; however, it is also flawed. It is difficult for the black society to empower themselves without receiving the equal opportunities that racism may snatch away from them. Racial discrimination curtails equal resource allocation for all members of a society. Racial discrimination towards blacks in the US society dates back to the slavery times. The black community played second or last fiddle in the society and thus could not get to empower themselves with limited opportunities. A lack of opportunities such as education and the ability to vote ensured that they could not participate fully in their empowerment. Racial discrimination thus served to deny a large majority of the black community with avenues through which they could ensure they become self-dependent. Racial distinction leads to development of racial economic inequities as witnessed by the statistic provided in the article which noted that in a census conducted in 2005, black families had the lowest median income of any ethnic group in the US (Coates, 2008). To simply state that a group that the black community should focus on uplifting themselves when they experienced a long history of marginalization even when it came to use of public utilities such as schools is not fair. Yes, they could play a big part in their own empowerment, but a lack of resources to empower themselves among most of them can be attributed to racial discrimination that got witnessed in the American society until the late 20th century. Racial discrimination places a strain on the mental health of the marginalized groups within a society (Bell, 2013). Racism may cause despair among the individuals whom it gets perpetrated on. To be looked down upon makes one or members of a racial group to feel unworthy about themselves. Denial of basic rights and or economic and social opportunities ensures that members of the marginalized groups within the society develop a bad attitude as a response to the inadequacies they get to face. Life further becomes stressful on such individuals thus ensuring that a majority may give up on living or undertake social vices to get what they are denied based on their race. This impacts negatively on the psychosocial living of such a marginalized group. This stands in stark contrast with what Cosby argues for in the article when he asks his audiences to use racism as a power to steer their dreams. Cosby attests that the large number of African-Americans in prison should not charge the criminal justice system with racism. He provides examples of black people who get caught stealing Coca-Cola or pound cake and states that proper parenting would help reduce such incidences (Coates, 2008). What Cosby does not outline is what causes the parents of such people not to provide the correct advice to their children before they take the path of crime. The underlying factor is that racial discrimination denied opportunities to their parents who were unavailable as a result of the stress contributed by discrimination. Racism contributes to structural inequalities within the society. This ensures that various racial and ethnic group contribute little to their economic empowerment and the overall economy of a nation. In the article, the author notes from Georgetown economist Harry Holzer who states that limited opportunities and barriers contribute to criminal records and employment problems (Coates, 2008). Racial discrimination can ensure that a particular group does not receive equal education opportunity as the rest of the groups within the society. A lack of education ensures that the discriminated groups become disenchanted and cannot apply for employment. If they are lucky to have an education, they still may not be able to get jobs as they are discriminated. This may lead to various members of such a group to resort to crime as their source of income. Racial discrimination is a social vice that should be done away with for a society to coexist peacefully and be productive. Discrimination in the fundamental resource allocation and access to public utilities results in the creation of a divided society. Racial distinction leads to emotional, cultural, and moral suffering in various institutional settings that foster development and productivity like schools and lead to unproductive young intellectual output that is bad for a society if not the economy. Racism causes poor mental health and denies individuals the state of well-being. All this negative effects of racism compound the targeted group or community to a life of misery that leads them to question their belonging. It is vital that society do away with racism by instilling tough measures, which will see every individual respect the other in equal measure. Policy makers in the society should work towards adopting various policies that shun racial discrimination. Policies on punitive action should be undertaken towards those found committing racism as they can serve to act as a lesson to potential offenders. Policy makers should also target the education system of the society where the youth get taught on the ills of racism since they represent the future generation. Policy measures should also be undertaken to equally empower all the various races within a society in regards to their economic, social, and psychological well-being to curtail the divisive nature caused by racial discrimination. Provision of equal public social amenities for all the racial groups within the society can serve to initiate the integration of these groups without paying attention to skin colors. A cohesive society is more productive in terms of social and economic production and thus enhances its potential to become self-sustaining. References Bell, J. (2013). Hate Thy Neighbor: Move-In Violence and the Persistence of Racial Segregation in American Housing. New York: NYU Press. Coates, T.-N. (2008, May 1). ‘This Is How We Lost to the White Man’. Retrieved May 6, 2014, from The Atlantic: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/05/-this-is-how-we-lost-to-the-white-man/306774/ Read More