A Better Understanding of Racism - Essay Example

A Better Understanding of Racism Racism refers to a system of formulating opportunity and assigning significance that offers unfair benefit to a certain faction of people while unfairly acting to the disadvantage of the remaining faction. Racism has remained to be a crushing force of cruelty in our society. However, the internal strength of persons permits various people of colour to attain success and fulfilment despite its existence. The continued existence of racism in a nation can greatly affect existence of unity. Reason being, at some point it leads to the violation of individual’s rights at the benefit of others. Matters dealing with race have led to conflicting views among scholars. Whereby, some have discredited race as having any scientific links. An analysis of racism reveals that race takes different forms and there exist new kinds of racism. New racism implies the design that individuals who practice racism found their arguments on the cultural and differential concept. Furthermore, this form of racism usually expresses the negative views of various individuals to seem like traditional racism. Consequently, this enables participants of the new racism to keep away from groundless negative views regarding marginalized ethnic factions. Romm asserts that, new racism is an encompassing type of racism that presents itself in the modelling of social way of life in less obvious ways compared to the old-fashioned racism (Romm, 2010). New racism takes the form of cultural and differential racism. Cultural racism refers to community beliefs and traditions that uphold the assumption that things to do with a certain culture, as well as the language of that culture are better compared to those from various cultures. On the other hand, differential racism is a form of new racism that has no races. This implies that, it views racial tensions with regard to incompatible cultural disparities, traditions, and lifestyle. Between the two types of new racism, cultural one stands out as being an ordinary determinative force. Reason being, it locks groups and persons into their cultural lineage. There are four key approaches aimed at describing new racism they include symbolic racism, ambivalent racism, blatant verses subtle racism, and aversive racism. First, Aversive racism refers to a form of new racism that presents itself at a personal level. Consequently, this form of new racism is always presented in people who knowingly assert democratic values but unknowingly hold anti-minority feelings. For that reason, aversive racists knowingly sympathize with fatalities of past injustice. In addition, they prop up the doctrines of equality and consider themselves as being unbiased. Second, symbolic racism implies the tendency of different people to convey their prejudice in a symbolic manner rather than through unconcealed behaviours. In addition, symbolic racism also refers to an amalgamation of racism and a traditionalist world opinion. The two forms of racism are similar since they both argue that someone possessing biased views cannot express them or act out of the normal (Doverspiker, Taylor, & Arthur, 2006). Third, subtle bias refers to strong and unconcealed negative sensation intended for the out-group. On the other hand, prejudice is defined as the absence of positive sensation about a given minority faction. Clearly, both forms of prejudice are conveyed within families. Furthermore, parents maintain being a significant source of bias transmission until late adolescence (Hayes, Livesey, & White, 2012). Finally, ambivalent racism is the contradictory amalgamation of generally positive viewpoint regarding African Americans and a commonly negative influence to the African American. The contradictory amalgamation gives rise to relentless ambivalence within aversive racialist. In addition, this ambivalence is greatly vulnerable to situational influence. Furthermore, its manner of revolving at different times is always dependant on a number of situational factors. However, the solution at one time does not determine the solution of some other time, unless the situation formulates the ambivalent significant (Donaghue, Walker, & Augoustinos, 2014). Strong racism refers to the belief that separate, distinctive, biologically distinct races exist. The characteristic possessed by this races makes it possible for them to be prearranged in a hierarchically manner basing on their innate. Consequently, this makes them to have irreversible inferior and superior characteristics. Therefore, this makes the hostility experienced by these races to be natural. Rattansi asserts that, every element is of great significance. However, they by themselves do not offer sufficient condition necessary for the recognition of strong racism. He further adds that, the necessary factor underlying grading racism as strong is the number of common beliefs it combines (Rattansi, 2007). Therefore, strong racism provides a theory that offers explanation regarding the inferiority of certain faction to another. In addition, it presents moral theory with the aim of justifying ill treatment of the inferior group. Contrary to strong racism is the weak racism. In the view of Ward and Lott (2008), weak racism usually involves disliking people as a grouping but not as an individual without any reason (Ward & Lott, 2008). Consequently, this makes it hard to prove. For illustration, disliking a group of slaves without any reason does qualify one as being a racist. Ideological racism is one of the conceptual, yet significantly important forms of racism. It refers to the beliefs in intellectual, biological, and cultural weakness or dominance of various racial groups. Repeatedly, this ideology among many more have elevated the position of the scientific theory related to racism. In whichever civilization that ideological racism flourishes there is bound to be its expression in the policy structure of different institutions. This form of racism is related with the majority community’s discriminatory mind-set towards the small community. In relation to the United States, previously the key institutions were highly dominated by the white race. As a result, the immigrants factions were disadvantaged from the beginning. Having a proper understanding of this form of racism is vital. Reason being, beliefs to do with the dominance of one racial faction over the other are used historically to give reason for existing mistreatment of one faction by another. For illustration, in the America, the whole slavery system came into existence basing on persistent ideology of the white superiority. This belief is what gave rise to the enslavement of persons because of their skin colour. The black race was regarded as being sub-human or animal-like beings that were best matched for manual labour. They justified their enslavement by claiming that they were unable to take care of themselves, therefore enslavement was the best solution. Consequently, this ideology of the white superiority made slavery possible while at the same time concurrently justifying its extension (Laszloffy & Rockquemore, 2005). Apart from the ideological form of racism, there is also individual racism. Mostly, it is within this level that there is necessity to put emphasis on the difference between unintentional and intentional racism. In the view of Rockquemore and Aszloffy, international racism is a form of racism linked to obvious behaviour where the purpose is to deny an individual access to resource or opportunity or hurt somebody on basis of their race. Numerous scholars classify the contemporary racism as being of unintentional form. With regard to this case, the individual committing the act of discrimination is always unconscious of the ways that racist ideology is arranging their behaviour. At the central part of individual racism is a conviction that an individual or a group on basis of race generates negative emotions to a group or person. Individual racism in the education sector is revealed by various teachers’ expectations. Numerous researches reveal that the teachers mostly influence the performance of the students. In relation to the black and white students, it was reveals that the whites highly performed because they were usually motivated more than the blacks were. Individual racism is can also be expressed when parents dispirit their children against getting friends from other races (Laszloffy & Rockquemore, 2005). Despite the success of individual racism in various quarters, this form of racism is a disagreement in itself from what defines racism, which usually implies expression of a group power to a specific matter. Troyna and Williams (2012) define institutional racism as the system of inequality presented in form of a racially based degree of difference in allocation of privileges, status, and material rewards within various institutional quarters. They go further to assert that, persisting practice of subordination whose system primarily entails the obligation of conventional customs by often-unbiased role players among various institutional sectors in a manner though concealed and unintentional gives rise to racially significant consequences (Williams & Troyna, 2012). In simple terms, institutional racism implies discriminatory actions and policies towards a racial faction that encompasses the foremost macro-system of a given society. This includes economic, legal, educational, and political systems. Some of these policies are always legal while others are not. In our current civilization, institutional values immensely contribute to the foundation of macro system guiding principles. Institutional racism greatly affects the community’s life. Reason being, it is a key contributing factor to increased unemployment levels, elevated levels of infant mortality whereby the rate of the nonwhites approximately twice that of the whites. Furthermore, the normal number of years of academic achievements for the nonwhites is usually less than that of the whites (Kirst-Ashman & Zastrow, 2009). For illustration, the limiting of non-white students from attending some public schools represents institutional racism. Consequently, this limits the other races from achieving their educational aspirations. With time, the restricted individuals will have a low status compared to their white counterparts. Religious racism refers to treating an individual or a group of people unfavourably due to their religious beliefs. Religious racism also refers to limitations regarding religious institutions of the minorities. Cases of this form of racism happen in various places. Just to mention a few hospitals, places of work, hotels among many more. In the view of Fox, religious racism can happen to any religion on condition that the religion is a minority within a certain geographical location. This form of racism is because of various motivational factors. First, it occurs if the majority religion in a given are wants to maintain their superiority. Second, it happens due to political and social conflict from two groups of different religion. Third, the longing for protecting the native culture from external influence might also cause religious racism. Fourth, it can also emerge due to the government’s desire of protecting its people from religions that are viewed to be dangerous and voracious. A notable example of this was an organization in France to regulate the introduction of other form of religion (Fox, 2013). Under religious racism, there has been an emergence of Islamophobia. Where after the 9/11 attack the western countries developed the fear over the Muslim religion. However, classifying Islamophobia as a form of race has both undergone opposition and support by various scholars. However, in the view of Rattansi, Islamophobia is inexistence, since there are numerous Muslims with different nationality, skin colour, and ethnicity (Rattansi, 2007). The effect of religious racism is that it results to the mistreatment of the minority and denying them access to their necessary needs. Conclusion, racism is considered as being a system of formulating opportunity and conveying significance that presents unfair advantages to a certain group of people while unfairly acting to the disadvantage of the remaining faction. An analysis of racism reveals that race takes different forms and there exist new kinds of racism. New race refers to the design that individuals who practice racism found their arguments on the cultural and differential concept. There are various kinds of new races. First, aversive racism is a form of new racism that presents itself at a personal level. Second, symbolic racism implies the tendency of different people to convey their prejudice in a symbolic manner rather than through unconcealed behaviours. Third, subtle bias is the strong and unconcealed negative sensation intended for the out-group. The prejudice is defined as the absence of positive sensation about a given minority faction. Finally, ambivalent racism is the contradictory amalgamation of generally positive viewpoint regarding African Americans and a commonly negative influence to the African American. Apart from new racism, there exist other set of racism falling under historical, scientific, and institutional racism. They consist of religious racism, ideological racism, strong racism, individual racism, cultural racism and differential racism. All forms of racism play n important role in enabling understand more about races. References Donaghue, N., Walker, I., & Augoustinos, M. (2014) Introduction, In N. Donaghue, I. Walker, & M. Augoustinos, Social Cognition. SAGE. Doverspiker, D., Taylor, M. A., & Arthur, V. (2006). In D. Doverspiker, M. A. Taylor, & V. Arthur, Psychological Perspective on Affirmative Action (p. 44). Nova Publishers. Fox, J. (2013) Introduction, In J. Fox, An Introduction to Religion and Politics (p. 12). Routledge. Hayes, B., Livesey, D., & White, F. (2012) Social Development, In B. Hayes, D. Livesey, & F. White, Developmental Psychology: From Infancy to Development (pp. 341-342). Pearson Higher Education AU. Kirst-Ashman, K., & Zastrow, C. (2009) Institutional Values and Racism, In K. Kirst-Ashman, & C. Zastrow, Understanding Human Behavior and the Social Environment (p. 224). Cengage Learning. Laszloffy, T. A., & Rockquemore, K. (2005) Ideological Racism, In T. A. Laszloffy, & K. Rockquemore, Raising Biracial Children (pp. 41-60). Rowman Altamira. Rattansi, A. (2007) New Racism, In A. Rattansi, Racism: A Very Short Introduction (pp. 86-117). New York: Oxford. Romm, N. R. (2010) New Racism, In N. R. Romm, New Racism (pp. 1-3). Springer Science & Business Media. Ward, J. K., & Lott, T. L. (2008) An Inconsistency not to be Excused, In J. K. Ward, & T. L. Lott, Philosophers on Race: Critical Essays (pp. 81-83). John Wiley & Sons. Williams, J., & Troyna, B. (2012) Institutional Racism, In J. Williams, & B. Troyna, Racism, Education and the State (pp. 49-53). Taylor & Francis. Read More