Racialism or racism is a belief or practice that reflects the worldview in respect to different races that a link exists between traits of personality and inherited physical traits, behavioral and cultural features, morality and intellect. Germany’s defeat in the 1st World War led the Nazis to implement policies of persecution, systematic discrimination and mass killing of Jews in Germany.
In apartheid-era South Africa and North America, whites and blacks are segregated from each other and both black and white people to have their communities. It was a sin to marry a person of different race and required them to build their separate hospitals, churches and schools. People who are an advocate of racism believe that races having low status should indulge themselves in jobs bearing low status. The people of the dominant race must have access to economic resources, unrestricted civil rights, political power and high-stature jobs.
The main idea of race is to differentiate European people and African origin whose ancestors were transported and involuntarily enslaved to America. The contradiction between the ideologies of human equality and slavery accompany a philosophy of dignity and human freedom and seem to demand the dehumanization of the enslaved people. In the 19th century, racism spread like wildfire all over the world. Leaders from many countries think there should be discrimination of language or religious groups and designate lower and higher races. Racism triggers distrust and hatred which in turn makes the ordinary people become victimized.
Why is Racism prevalent in our society?
Humans have a usual tendency to become selfish and only care about them. If one is not taught to respect and give value to others, it is easy to become a racist. One of the common reasons to have a racist mindset is not having experience interacting with different races. It is vital to interact with people belonging to different cultures as one can have a broader perspective of life. One should have an adaptability mindset and not fall prey to false stereotypes in the near future.
Another cause of racism is stereotyping which always occurs in radio, books, internet and television. The result is people believe on the facts and the world runs like this way only. One example portrays that few guys from the same race are fighting with each other which enable a person to have a wrong impression of a particular race.
Friends play a massive role in influencing a person. With peer pressure, one makes a racist joke or misbehaves with a person of different race. One thinks that spending time with the racist group is cool, but actually, it makes a person uncool. The upbringing in one’s family has a significant influence and children tend to follow the footsteps of their parents. They treat their parents as role models and if the parents themselves are encouraging their children to have a racist mindset, then they are putting their kids into trouble.
The effects of Racism in the Society
There is discrimination among different races which leads to inequality. The victims lose their self-esteem and make them upset and angry. Due to racism, there were fewer opportunities for the backward masses that led to increase in poverty and affect a country’s economy. It led to injustice in hiring and the criminal justice system.
Various communities and diversification in the society come to a halt. Due to racism, there is the prevalence of different hierarchies which lead to a toxic atmosphere in the society. Everyone should have an opinion irrespective of caste, creed and religion. Victims hesitate to leave their surroundings or house for the fear of bullying. People feel that they don’t have any importance in the society and can be depressed which results in doing stupid acts like suicide.
Solutions to curb the Evil Act- Racism
If someone is ill-behaving with others or cracking a racial joke, we should raise our voice and if one is afraid to take the help of police or any adult if one is a teenager or child. Every city celebrates various events and festivals all the year round. These places are a rich source of learning and getting accustomed to different cultures and people. Invite family and friends to visit these places to have a positive attitude towards others.
Various large events are celebrated with pomp and pleasure like National Hispanic Heritage Month, Black History month, etc. Demonstrations and protests are very useful to prevent racism in the community. One can start by taking help of local law enforcement agencies or neighbors, family, friends, etc. Understand the laws that promote equal opportunity, equal salaries and punishment for the offenders who discriminate in employment or housing. Get one’s article published in the local daily or start a blog to make people aware of the causes and effects of racism.
One can join various organizations for volunteering or donate some money. One gets the opportunity to interact with like-minded individuals or get useful suggestions. One should learn about his/her community to understand the causes of root problems. Take interest in sociology which will help to understand the people’s psychology well.
Read journals, books, watch movies to have an insight of other cultures and race relations. Have an open discussion with the senior citizens who have seen the world for so many years and have a rich source of wisdom. Note down the biases and stereotypes one feels while interacting with others. One needs to be honest with oneself and find where these ideas came from. Frankly speaking, everyone has some racist’s thoughts in one’s mind. It is better to accept the reality and put energy into changing the mindset for building a better future.