Racial Treatment in Community - Essay Example

? Personal account of racial treatment I get from members of my community “Essentially, race is a ification of people based on physical differences and usually divides people into three major groups: Mongoloid, Caucasoid and Negroid,” (O’Donnell, 1994). As such, this autobiographical research seeks to analyze the influence of race as it relates to my community. The paper starts by outlining my identity and this followed by an analysis of how human interactions in my community have been racialized. The paper will also look at community relations in the neighbourhood, service groups, government as well as workplace. As such, the thesis of the paper is to outline the aspect of racism in particular with regards to the way I relate with the people in my community. In this discussion, I will also outline the measures that I can implement to effectively counter the negative aspects that are related to the concept of race. I am an African American and I currently live and work in New York. By virtue of my race, I have come to realize that as an African American, I am often viewed from a different perspective by different people in my community as well as at work. I live in a Jewish community and there are few people like me in this particular place. Even at work, I have also realized that African Americans are seen as a minority race give that we are few in numbers compared to other races though we are fairly treated in other aspects of life such as freedom of movement and the right to associate with people of your own choice. I have also realized that we are not give equal employment opportunities though we can be absorbed into the mainstream employment in this particular state. Our race is often looked down upon and there are various reasons that can be attributed to this state of affairs. America has a strong history of absorbing immigrants and research has shown that African Americans in particular are not fairly treated when it comes to the aspect of race. Because members of ethnic groups are often highly visible compared with the host group, they can easily become the target for prejudice, a bias, usually hostility without reasonable reason (Alant, 1993). From this assertion, I would like to strongly believe that as an African American in my community, my race is very visible to the members of the community in which I live. This community as indicated above is predominantly comprised of Jewish people and they often view me from a different perspective. I have a feeling that racism exists in my community as well as the workplace by virtue of the treatment I often get from the people who live in these areas. Though I am fairly treated by the other members of the community as well as workmates, I have come to realize that these Jewish people in particular have their own perceptions of African Americans who are often viewed as inferior to them. I say so because the treatment I sometimes get bears testimony of the fact that there are some elements of racism prevailing among the members of the Jewish community. The way they look at me suggests that I am a target of hatred as I am viewed from a negative perspective. Some people often see me as if I not a special human being as they often look at me with weird suspicion. It is difficult for some of them to fully accept me as a full member of their community given that I am different from them. The Jewish people have a tendency of treating their colleagues as special people compared to us African Americans and this kind of relationship which exists is not very much comfortable to me. African Americans are more visible compared to other races and these are often viewed from a different angle as they are often considered to be responsible for social ills such as crime and violence. In most cases, people like me are used as scapegoats by the other members of the society and they are often blamed for things like unemployment, poor educational standards as well as other failings in general. This emanates from the widely held view that African Americans are inferior compared to other races since there several negative connotations attached to them. The general view is that people from other races that are deemed inferior by other groups is that there is lack of trust which make other members of the society not to feel comfortable when they are around us. As a result, there is a tendency by these people to shun us though in some cases the problem is not widely pronounced. In the workplace, I can safely say that I am fairly treated given that the degree of discrimination is not widespread compared to the community in which I live. However, an element of racism exists given that there are some people who are given preferential treatment compared to the others. A closer analysis of this particular type of treatment points to the aspect of race plays a big role with regards to aspects such as promotion as well as position held in the organisation. To a certain extent, I can safely say that I relate well with other employees but there are some who only want to socialise with people who belong to their same race. This aspect of framing relationships is also a cause for concern within the workplace given that it affects production since the people will not be able to pull their efforts towards the same direction. I have noticed that during break times, people belonging to the same race often cluster together but I often try to make myself comfortable by engaging other willing people in dialogue. I have realised that this trick works well if you try to engage people who often show discrimination tendencies against others. The other thing I have also noticed is that the quality of education received by black Americans is lower compared to the education received by other races which are seen as superior to others. Black children often suffer as a result of the rigidity of the class system that is used in different parts of the US to determine the class of a particular person within the society. Research has shown that African Americans often score low in terms of academic achievement and this can be attributed to the fact that these people are not treated as equal when it comes to the aspect of race. Such trends in the education system are rooted in the social patterns produced by slavery. However, it is not easier for the previously disadvantaged groups to alter the situation though there is growing concern that the education standards for the black Americans have to be upgraded in order to improve their welfare (Alant, 1993). The prospects for African Americans are limited as a result of their poor educational background compared to the whites who are treated as a superior race in America. In some instances, membership is required for African Americans to join social clubs which form part of the recreation in New York. I partly believe that this measure is meant to screen the type of people who can have access to these social amenities. Black Americans are often regarded as occupying the lower class hence they may not freely mingle with the superior race. If you attempt to get into some of these social clubs, the people inside will look at you as if you are somehow weird given that my appearance is different from the majority of people residing in my neighbourhood. The problem related to this is mainly caused by stereotyping where African Americas are often labelled as people fit to be treated as equal to the predominantly white race. On the other hand, Jews also take a similar position given that they are not very accommodative to our race though they attempt to treat us with fairness. Our race is a convenient target to blame for general failings in the society that would have existed anyway. These include poor housing, crime as well as unemployment but I would not like to believe that the African Americans are the ones responsible for this situation which is widespread in different parts of America. Though it is not widespread in some contexts, racism takes different forms in America. I am of the view that racism is caused by different elements which I have personally experienced. There is general fear of African Americans since they are often labelled as criminals who have low levels of understanding and reasoning. I noticed that the white people in different settings have a feeling that these people lower their standard of life and that is the main reason why they often treat the black Americans with scorn. The whites always want to enjoy supremacy over other races and they are bent on asserting their dominance on every race. It is my strong conviction that I have to work hard for the betterment of my welfare as well as the general good for the organization that employed me. I have realized that hard work pays given that it gives freedom whereby one is entitled to what he likes on his own without necessarily relying on getting help from other people. I also believe that I should be neutral when I deal with different people from different races. I am also of the view that racism cannot be abolished by legislation alone but it needs to be shown to be unfair and should be treated with the contempt it deserves. Over and above, I can say that as an African American living in a predominantly Jewish community, my identity is readily recognized and this is one of the reasons why people often look at me from a different angle which is not the case with other races. Though I am fairly treated to a certain extent, some people still view me from a negative perspective as a result of the various factors I have discussed above. References Alant, C. (1993). Sociology and society: A Humanist Profile. Cape Town: Southern Book Publishers. Lowry, R. (1979). Social problems. Lexington, MA: D.C. Heath. O’Donnel, G. (1994). Mastering Sociology. Third Edition. London: McMillan Press LTD. O’Malley, J. (1988). Sociology of meaning. London: Human Context Books. Read More