America is still a racist country. I would say racism is still practiced in America in various cities, institutions of learning, places of work, and even in the streets. Yet racism is a barbaric behavior that I suppose should be long gone and non-existential in society. Racism in America is manifested in various ways; for instance, if one is a black American or a Hispanic, then, there are certain rights that you can’t enjoy. But how does racism manifests itself? This paper gives various ways in which America portrays racism.
Racism is discrimination based on one’s skin color or race. In America, there are several practices that non-native Americans are made to go through that suggests they are mistreated. For instance, the issue of class stratification is an ethical issue in racist America. Black Americans are supposed to settle and live in certain settlements that are not of the same quality as those of white Americans. Being a black, for instance, means you’re portrayed as being of the lowest class in society. Class stratification is also manifested where there are facilities that are to be used by whites, and there are those that are supposed to be mainly for blacks-simply because the facilities accorded to them are not the best in the society but because their class warrants them to use those facilities.
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Racism is witnessed in the health sector too. While human beings are supposed to practice self-discipline on their own health, for instance, exercising, eating healthy foods, and having enough sleep, some factors are beyond individual control. Therefore, the government should chip in to regulate these services. And therefore, blacks do not get the best health facilities like the whites even if they remain healthy. The non-white medical facilities are ill-equipped and with insufficient personnel. Sometimes the staff available look down upon a patient for having dark skin-the the epitome of racism. There has always been a history of black mothers and infants having meager survival rates in the US. This is attributed to the socio-economic and physical environment factors as reasons that ensure racism manifests itself in the US. While these issues are beyond human control, it is ethical that the government tries to bring equality to the health sector and alleviate this huge disparity due to race.
The existence of social class stratification is an indicator that racism is still a common occurrence in the US. Class structure in the US categorizes people as being of low, middle, or high classes. But historically, the existence of class structures has been due to racist regimes in the country. For instance, whites inhabit the best public utilities in three American society. These include having the best houses, going to the best schools in the country, and owning the most prominent firms and estates. The black race, on the other hand, has historically been dethroned to using low-class facilities by being black as the society places them. There are specific neighborhoods such as in Mississippi that is environmentally unfriendly and uninhabitable by the whites. This is an ethical issue that the government should try to tackle to ensure the residential areas used by the “low class’’ are upgraded. The whites have long upheld a feeling that they cant share overcrowded low-class dwelling places with the blacks further fuelling racism. In summary, racism in residential places is an issue that exists in American society and which the government can tackle by providing decent living conditions for all races in an equal manner. I feel this is an issue that should not exist in our society in the 21st century.
Racism is witnessed in the form of civil rights abuses in American society. Civil rights include freedom of movement, freedom of association, and power to life, among others. American society has long been negligent of the rights of blacks and Hispanics living in the country. For instance, the murder of black citizens is still heard of in the society by people who practice punitive acts. There are certain places where Africans are not supposed to mingle and associate with whites. That blacks are only supposed to associate with blacks in social sites like halls, cinemas, etc. is despicable. The white Americans should stop the feeling of being superior and treat the non-natives as humans and with dignity. It is ethical, however, for civil rights movements to fight for the rights of non-whites in America.
Racism based on employment is an exciting to mention too. The employment practices of the American industrial society depicts racist behavior. For instance, black applicants are still denied jobs when they satisfactorily qualify for such employment simply because they are blacks. Usually, the recruitment team ends up picking a white without the pre-requisite qualifications hence eliminating blacks. Morally, society should try to be fair and practice rational thinking to mete out jobs to citizens and avoid racial discrimination in the job market. Trying to treat everyone as equal can help alleviate this, because, at the end of the day, every person needs jobs as long as they qualify, regardless of the race or even gender.
Another issue that arises in racist America is the discrimination in the court systems based on race. This is manifested as unequal justice witnessed in the courts of law. The law enforcement officers are often biased on their rulings such that they sometimes mete punishments that are harsher to the non-whites than the natives. Also, they sometimes fail to charge the American natives for crimes committed against the Negroes simply because everyone detests and hates them. The ethical issue that arises here is that the government, through the judiciary, should be fair in the court system. To try and bring and restore equality in the various societies that make up America.
The education sector in the country still practices racist behaviors too. For example, the school system from lower levels to the higher levels admit students on race. The institutions of learning in the country also practice and fuel racism in their hiring process of teachers and educationists. For instance, in the university or college levels, it is not uncommon to find that the management of such institutions is solely or entirely by whites. The non-whites who have roles in the teaching faculties have lesser roles to play or are junior staff members. Similarly, the hiring process of dons is often marred by favoritism. In the kindergartens, it is also not uncommon to find pupils playing, and the whites insult black children in the playground or seeing the black children playing separately in their own groups. This epitomizes racism in the country and unmasks the role the parents and teachers and instructors have to play to help kick out this scourge called racism.
As I summarize, I agree that blacks and whites practice racism to pursue the same goals. However, their reasons for being racist is different. The blacks practice racist habits only because they want to counter the whites racist characters. They feel that they are unfairly treated for being black, something that is not their fault or their parents’. Another issue regarding racist blacks is that they sometimes view themselves as inferior to whites. My evaluation is that racism would have never developed in American society, had it not been for the unfair treatments that blacks and other non-natives like Negroes receive in the past. Some of these imperialist treatments still exist now. Also, racism would have been a history now if only fairness had been exercised in all sectors of society. Had the government allocated resources among the various populations fairly, perhaps we wouldn’t be talking about racism.
Defending my position on the issue of racism, I would say that racism is a scourge that every noble citizen should not portray, promote, or even be subjected to as it is a human rights violation prohibited by the constitution. However, I agree that fighting racism should be a collective responsibility of the government, the citizens-both whites and non-whites, young and the old, males and females. Civil society also has a role to play in society to eradicate racism.