reflection - mostly opinion

Morgan Deravin English 111

Final Essay

Racism has always been part of the history of human beings. For a long time, societies

have always defined their superiority on the basis of their distinctive physical characteristics as

well as their languages and religions. There are many instances where those practicing racism do

not even know that they are nurturing as well as propagating prejudice. They see it as a normal

way of life, and they may not understand that they are hurting or even inhibiting the progress of

others (Gallego & Pardos-Prado, 2014).

The feudalism and slavery of the middle-ages were some of the unfortunate consequences

of the earlier forms of racism. There have also been several genocides which have been informed

by the urge to eliminate those other people who may not look like the dominant tribe or society.

Indeed, even the Second World War was in part informed by racism. One particular instance is

the one where the Nazi Germany sought to eliminate the Jews living in Europe in what came to

be known as the Holocaust.

There have also been many instances where individuals of darker skin tones have been

regarded as being inferior to the Whites. This has been witnessed in England, Germany, and even

in the United States. In Africa itself, people like Nelson Mandela were incarcerated for such a

long time since the governing regime viewed the members of the Black community as inferior,

untalented, as well as extremely violence. The challenge is that when people are fighting such

oppressions, they tend to engage in acts which may be defined as terrorism. This reinforces the

belief that, indeed, the individuals being oppressed are violent and uncivilized (Aghababaei &

Tabik, 2013).

Racism continues since after a while, such lines of binaries as ‘Blacks’ and ‘Whites’ as

well as the ‘civilized’ and the ‘uncivilized’ tend to get more pronounced. Some people feel

superior to others, and some of those who are considered to be inferior accept that definition.

This means that even as they fight to be recognized, they still feel as if they cannot reach a

certain level and become appreciated like everyone else. There are multiple reasons why racism

persists, and these include the history of the society or the community in question (Gallego &

Pardos-Prado, 2014).

History acts as the guide upon which most people gauge their actions. It is though those

accounts that future actions can be defined and executed. This means that if the predecessors

ever made mistakes, then these mistakes get reinforced and the kind of humiliation and torture is

continued for a long time. For instance, while Holocaust is widely thought to be a creation of

Adolf Hitler, the fact is that Western European cultures have had a history of discriminating

against the Jews and other minorities for a long time. The Jews were discriminated and actually

expelled from England as well as the Iberian Peninsula. Hitler might have been prompted by the

successes of the past when he tried to make Germany a society of one pure race (Luhmann,

Hawkley & Cacioppo, 2014).

The second most important reason is the lack of awareness. For instance, Nelson

Mandela and the ANC had prepared a statement that stipulated their core principles, and they

regarded to this as the Freedom Charter. The Charter had been endorsed by the party way back in

1955. One of the core principles was that the ANC fought to equality for everyone, irrespective

of their race (Aghababaei & Tabik, 2013). The problem is that it was banned almost immediately

upon its release to the public, and this meant that even the tolerant Whites could not understand

what Mandela was really fighting for. They just got every direction from the government

controlled media, and that means they could not have made any credible decisions on how to

address the issue of racism. This is a clear example of how lack of knowledge impact on the fight

against racism (Vincent, Ward, & Denson, 2013).

There is also the stratification of the society. In Los Angeles, there have always been the

Black neighborhoods and the White areas. For instance, while the Blacks have been confined in

areas such as Watts, the Whites have always lived in such well-off regions as the Rodeo Drive in

Beverly Hills. In fact, had it not been for the success of the Hollywood and other sports and

entertainment activities, not many whites would have come to appreciate the fact that Blacks

have talents. Indeed, there are many people who still believe that Blacks can only prosper in

certain careers but not others (Vincent et al., 2013).

While I have no problem in dealing with people from other races, I do have friends who

tend to agree with the stereotypes advanced by the media and some politicians. Some of my

friends have also told me that they do not believe that the individuals from the ‘third-world’ are

equally competent since if this was the case, they would never have found any need to migrate to

other countries. The challenge is that the ‘third world’ refers to Africa, Latin America, the Arab

World, the Indian Subcontinent, and countries such as Indonesia. Therefore, people who come

from these regions of the world are thought to be inferior in various ways.

I personally believe that all societies and individuals are capable. Besides, civilizations

such as Burma, the Philippines, Indonesia, and even Mexico have been in existence for

thousands of years; and there was a time that they used to be among the richest in the world. It

could be that their current economic models are not really working, and they might probably

achieve a lot if some policy changes were made. One case in point is China. China has managed

to achieve a lot within a span of few decades. Individuals can achieve, and so can the societies.

References

Aghababaei, N., & Tabik, M.T. (2013, Oct.). Gratitude and mental health: Differences between

religious and general gratitude in a Muslim context. Mental Health, Religion & Culture,

16(8), 761-766. DOI: 10.1080/13674676.2012.718754

Gallego, A., & Pardos-Prado, S. (2014, Jan.). The big five personality traits and attitudes towards

immigrants. Journal of Ethnic & Migration Studies, 40(1), 79-99. DOI:

10.1080/1369183X.2013.826131

Luhmann, M., Hawkley, L., & Cacioppo, J. (2014, August). Thinking about one's subjective

well-being: Average trends and individual differences. Journal of Happiness Studies,

15(4), 757-781. DOI: 10.1007/s10902-013-9448-5

Vincent, N., Ward, L., & Denson, L. (2013, Dec.). Personality preferences and their relationship

to ego development in Australian leadership program participants. Journal of Adult

Development, 20(4), 197-211. DOI: 10.1007/s10804-013-9171-9