According to Mr Doudou Diene, former united nations special rapporteur, racism and racial
discrimination still permeates all dimensions of life and American society.
In response, lifes biggest questions asks, why is there still racism in America?
Welcome back to LBQ, I’m charlotte dobre.
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Racism in America began in the colonial era with slavery, and then when slavery was abolished,
it continued to be reinforced and accepted through segregation and Jim Crowe Laws.
Rights like the right to vote, citizenship, land acquisition and criminal procedure were
still denied to people of colour until the 1960s.
By the mid 20th century, formal racial discrimination was banned, and started to become socially
unacceptable and morally wrong, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist to this day.
Racism is not just a problem when it comes to African Americans.
There is racism toward white men and women, who are often stereotyped as being rich and
racists.
Muslim men are labelled terrorists.
Latinos are labelled as druglords.
Most commonly, racial prejudice is usually directed at minorities, who shouldn’t even
be called minorities.
Minorities is an incorrect term assigned to other races who are not white.
Minorities are actually the majority, they make up more than 50 percent of America.
It is true that many people do not believe racism still exists in America, simply because
they believe they do not encounter it themselves.
But prejudice is so normal, it occurs in our day to day life without us even realizing
it.
Maybe you keep your purse close on a crowded subway when you’re next to an African American
man.
Maybe you make fun of Asian drivers when they make you late to work.
Maybe you get worried when you see a dude with a turban on your airplane.
According to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll, 49 percent of americans believe racism is
still a big problem in today’s society.
The percentage of americans that feel this way has gone up 24% since 2011.
Many argue that racism in America appeared to get worse when Barack Obama was elected
president in 2008.
According to Mark Naison, a professor of history and African American studies at Fordham university,
simmering rage has been fuelled by backlash after obamas election, the economic struggles
of lower and middle income whites and demographic shifts across the country.
Racism in the united states remains alive and well, and perhaps some of the best examples
of racism occur in fraternities at American colleges and universities.
In February 2013, sigma alpha EpSILLon fraternity was suspended by Washington university in
St. Louis because the fraternity’s pledges were singing racial slurs to African American
students.
A university of Maryland student resigned from a Kappa Sigma fraternity after sending
an email that contained racist and sexually suggestive language toward people of color.
Members of a fraternity at the university of Oklahoma were caught on video participating
in a racist chant about lynching African americans.
These are just a few examples that show that racism is still an underlying problem in the
US, even among educated young people.
So why is there still racism in America?
Well, Its not just one or two bad apples, it’s the tree that produces those apples.
Racism is rooted in prejudice and fear.
People are taught racism by their culture and society.
It is often assumed that parents had to teach children to be racist for them to end up racist,
but that is not the case.
According to Jennifer Richeson, a yale university social psychologist, unless Parents actively
teach kids not to be racist, they will be.
She went on to say, it comes from the environment, the air all around us.
When it comes down to it, People are allowed to think however they want.
If people silently think racist thoughts to themselves, theres not much that can be done
to punish those people.
After all, they were brought up in a society that created those thoughts.
The only thing that a government can do is take action when those who wish to express
their racism, express it in a vocal or violent manner that puts others in danger.
But there are things that the government can do to change culture.
Everything we are exposed to gives us messages about what is good and bad.
Advertisements, political leaders, pop culture.
The methods that we communicate and share instances of racism have changed in recent
years.
Social media has allowed us to witness these incidents, which is also creating more empathy
for racism in America, like the rally at Charlottesville where protesters chanted things like ‘white
lives matter’ and ‘you will not replace us’.
Yes, we are moving forward as a society, we are beginning to accept and even elevate those
of different backgrounds who have become successful.
Perhaps a diverse society can’t exist without stereotypes and prejudice.
But until we stop denying that racism is a problem in America, its going to remain a
problem.
I’m charlotte dobre for lifes biggest questions, don’t forget to like this video, subscribe
and perhaps even become a patron of lifes biggest questions by donating to our patreon.
If you would like to continue watching LBQ, check out this video, what if America had
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