The Concept of Race and Racism - Essay Example

Racism, a Social Infestation The concept of race and racism is a social construct and not a clearly defined term. Few people in the U.S. have a ‘pure’ heritage therefore explicit labels of race are cumbersome and usually incorrect. Certainly, many people could be, for, example, Asiatic/Euro-Native/African Americans, as far as they know. The motives for racism make little sense; given a majority of Americans are racial ‘mutts’ until one examines the economic rationale. Racism is, essentially, fueled by an over-zealous capitalist society which can be explained by two trains of thought. One, the ‘white privilege’ viewpoint is that there is only so much of the economic pie to be had and for whites to be financially well-off, as is the tradition, other groups must be must be poor, as they are accustomed to be. Everyone knows their place. The second school of economic racial theory is the Marxist viewpoint, that employers have an interest in keeping the races socially divided so they are less likely to organize and demand more pay. Racism is not a skin color issue; it is one of ignorance, of not understanding other cultures, a condition caused by a separation of the races by those who seek to profit from it, both individuals and business. Defining race carries an ominous outcome. What constitutes being labeled a black person is subjective. A person can be considered black by others but have no black ancestry or be considered black when they are half white. President Obama is an example. Race is not based on biology. It is of social and political origin. People tend to categorize themselves and other persons into racial groups by several easily identifiable social and physical features. When discussed in terms of a social construction, race could help in understanding some social experiences. However, race cannot be legitimately described as a biological difference between peoples. A preponderance of scientific opinion claims that race has no connection whatsoever with biological differences. There are several issues with the supposed race-biological connection. Persons who are grouped together into the same major racial category due to social considerations are often very different from each another in terms of both appearance and more importantly, genetically. “DNA testing shows that a ‘Caucasian’ person can be more similar to his ‘black’ neighbor than to his own grandchildren in the genes that he has.” (Boyce, 2011). Assigning racial groupings to people cannot be based on genetic, biological similarities since many people in any given ‘racial group’ are often more genetically similar to people who are considered outside that race than they are to persons considered a ‘typical’ member of the racial group they are erroneously assigned to. Race identification is a long-used method of endorsing white purity while stigmatizing the black population as people who are inferior, to be feared and not to be trusted. Racist rhetoric implies blacks should be oppressed, scrutinized and their labor used for white profit. The black experience in America is vastly different than the white. Blacks are accustomed to be watched in stores and being stopped by police for ‘driving while black.’ This constant and pervasive racist overtone causes a strong and negative psychological impact on black youths which they carry into adulthood. “There becomes a burden of proof on blacks to show that they are OK; a burden of proof to show that they are competent.” (Suddreth, 1993). Racism creates a subculture without merit or reason. It is an adverse reaction to circumstances some cannot understand and feel they can’t control. It causes harms ranging from deep individual psychological scars to the genocide of an entire classification of people. Racism is an institutionalized manifestation of a social failing. The main focus of the Civil Rights Movement, ultimately, was to change the law so that a black life meant the same as a white life. When the law demands that equal value be given to the lives of all persons; those who had been legally oppressed before begin to put more value on their own life. Devalued life has negative connotations for both the person and the society in which they live. It’s understandable how a young black person would lash out at a society because that society made him feel inferior at every opportunity. That race is a fundamental part of humankind and therefore organically ingrained in us all has been challenged by the Critical Race Theory. “For critical race scholars, racial categories like Black, White, Latino, Asian, Mulatto, Quadroon, etc., are social constructions, produced not by biology but by social relationships, cultural meanings, and institutions like law, politics, religion, and the state.” (“Critical,” 1999). In addition, the critical race theory contends that the creation of ‘race’ has been a vital part of social groupings and contemporary forms of knowledge such as law, human biology and medicine. Racism is not merely a result of prejudices resulting in hateful words and actions. There is a much more systemic and structural aspect to racism frequently referred to as ‘institutional racism,’ a theory that racism is embedded in not only peoples minds but also in social practices and relationship, in all types of societal institutions. Racism is entrenched firmly into the social fabric and in people’s minds, a condition that shapes self -identities and forms subconscious expectations regarding economic entitlement and social status based on to race alone. (“Critical,” 1999). According to W.E. Du Bois, the meaning of race could mean many things. It was, in part, an accident of nature, but more importantly, race was a cultural phenomenon, something interwoven into the entirety of human history due to “differences--subtle, delicate and elusive, though they may be--which have silently but definitely separated men into groups.” (Rabaka, Pg. 45.) Racism has always been, at least predominantly, the result of economic interests as expressed in two theories involving the expectation of white privilege and maintaining the social status of a class/race. ‘White privilege’ is the erroneous opinion that the traditional ruling class of the U.S., whites, is the beneficiary of inequality. If minorities gain then whites lose and no amount of evidence that proves otherwise will seemingly alter this perception. The economic offshoot of this opinion states that when blacks are discriminated against in the workplace, whites get the better paying jobs and enjoy lower unemployment. The theory continues that when the racist business owner hires only whites the labor pool of experienced workers lessens meaning his workers can demand higher pay. It was predicted by economists during the racially-charged 1950’s that business owners would eventually stop discriminating when it became impossible to make a profit with white-only workers. The prediction was incorrect. Discrimination continues today even though minorities have greatly bridged the educational and societal gap with whites since the 50’s. In addition to the ‘white privilege’ economic theory of racism is ‘class interest’ developed by Karl Marx. Business owners know that if their workforce organizes they can demand better pay, work conditions and other benefits all of which eat into the owners profits. However, racism can be and is often used to keep the workers divided. Hard-core white racists would never join with black workers even it if meant more money. This theory recognizes that both white and non-white employees suffer from division and both would benefit there were less if racial inequality and conflict. Evidence for this theory was found in study conducted by Michael Reich. It showed that “in the metropolitan areas where there is more racial inequality, there is also more income inequality among whites.” (Boyce, 2001). The class interest theory explains this. Increased racism leads to conflict meaning less negotiating power for every worker, bigger profits for the owner and more inequality for all working class. Marxist thought identifies racism as class-based; a circumstance especially true in the U.S. where unions are weak and the working class is racially divided ideologically, socially, educationally and economically. The link between accumulating wealth and the subjugation of blacks and other minorities has been apparent for centuries. This link remains intact today. Racial oppression is justified by racist rhetoric. Racism, as discussed, divides therefore controls the workers. Racist strategies such as paying black workers less and laying them off first help divide the employees even more. During an economic recession, racist employers can give their white workers job security by laying-off blacks in disproportionate numbers. During an economic growth period a large pool of unemployed black workers are readily available to accommodate the new demand for labor. Capitalism is buoyed by racism in that it allows for a two-tiered pay system and a higher unemployment rate among blacks to be generally tolerable. “Racist ideology makes black unemployment more acceptable than white unemployment to white society. It is therefore easier to maintain higher unemployment (in Marxist terms, a larger reserve army of labor) than if whites and blacks shared unemployment equally.” (Bohmer, 1998). A relatively high unemployment numbers means the owners have leverage. They can demand more from their employees for less pay. High black unemployment keeps the overall figure high and, due to institutional racism, few whites are outraged. This is the expected outcome because of pervasive racist ideologies encouraged by the elite class and accepted as the ‘norm,’ more of less, by the majority white workers. Pervasive institutional racism practiced over many generations creates a ‘false consciousness’ among many white persons. They think they are somehow more entitled to better wages, work conditions and life in general than blacks and other minorities, otherwise known as ‘white privilege.’ Racism actually makes otherwise decent, intelligent people think they are entitled to a life of relative privilege as the expense of others. (Bohmer, 1998). Racism is a tool of suppression used for personal, class and imagined racial advantage. It is rooted in greed and not in biological differences although that is how it’s often presented. It is a means of control and is readily accepted by persons who are willing to ignore the reality of the situation in favor of accepting the hateful rhetoric as fact, an intellectually lazy approach. A nation’s economic and cultural strength relies on collaboration between its people, all its people. Suppressing vocational, social and educational opportunities harms people psychologically and economically. The same can be said for the entirety of a country. History provides many examples of how multiculturalism greatly benefits a society, its arts, sciences and foods, to name a few. Racism discourages the combined contributions to a nation’s culture and development while encouraging hate and misunderstanding for the supposed benefit of the dominant class. There is no race. No one person, particularly in the U.S. can claim to be pure of race but even if they could there are no benefits to racism, at least not for the majority, the people most negatively affected by it. . Works Cited “Critical Race and Postcolonial Theory” Routledge. Social Theory Rewired Web.1999. “How Racism Affects Everyone Alvin Poussaint Delivers Keynote Address” Suddreth, Lucy. Library of Congress. Web. February 22, 1993. “Marxist Theory of Racism and Racial Inequality.” Bohmer, Peter. Readings in Black Political Economy. Web. 1998 “’Race’: Confusion About Zoological and Social Taxonomies, and their Places in Science” Keita and A. J. Boyce, American Journal of Human Biology 13:569-575 2001 “W.E.B. Du Bois and the Problems of the Twenty-First Century: An Essay on Africana Critical Theory.” Reiland Rabaka Lexington Books February 3, 2007 Read More