Racism is a problem still to this day. For those who disagree I am inviting you to read this blog post. Sure, we don't have minorities working on farms as slaves and a constitution that legally makes all men equal. But does that mean American citizens are not living through the terror of racism in their everyday lives? They still are. And it is a problem that needs to be addressed. Will we ever have a perfect world with egalitarian societies? Probably not unfortunately. But the racist beliefs and mind sets that people still hold onto need to go.
I've seen it time and time again, people less subjected to racism don't really care. They think it is no big deal to hold certain views and that racism isn't an actual concept, it's just an "excuse" that people use. That in a way is sickening. If any American of any color feels that they are being oppressed in any way don't they have a right to speak out against it? Also, by saying that a certain ethnic group uses it as an excuse is characterizing a whole population of individuals, which by itself is racist.
As I have these arguments with my friends, they all seem to like to shove little pie charts and data tables of which ethnicity or racial group commits the most crime or lives in most poverty, and that these statistics are proof of their remarks. Holy racist. Characterizing all black people (for example) based on stats is completely racist. You cannot assume anything about someone based on their skin.
I guarantee if these people in class who think the victims of racism bring it onto themselves, were the ones being victimized, they'd change their tune. Who's to say anything when you aren't living in it? The upper middle class white teen from Manorville may not be the most reliable source when it comes to the effects of racism and whether they think it is a problem or not. (Which would also make my rambling useless however I am challenging the common belief I see from the majority of our classmates).
People think it is ok to be racist. There's no black people around so who cares what I say. What a stupid attitude. SO many people think they aren't racist yet SO many people are without realizing it. I hear it with my ears everyday just walking down the hallway.
I do not think the case of Erik Garner is a case of racism, as it is more so using excessive force by law enforcement. The Ferguson case I understand how that could fall under the reigns of racism. Maybe not. With this case we may never know what truly happened exactly, and that doesn't really matter because that young man lost his life. However I do absolutely hold this belief. Police officers hold certain degree of racism. If a white guy and black guy are both mysteriously walking down the street mysteriously, no doubt will most cops be more concerned with the black man instantly. If a black man and white man both reach for their pockets, the officer will feel more threatened by the black man. You can show me all these bar graphs saying blacks are more likely to be up to something, (even though that goes back to stereotyping and categorizing people because of the skin color they were born with), but then I will also show you statistics that explicitly display that more than any color, African Americans are stopped and questioned without any reasonable suspicion or probable cause, both legally and illegally frisked without suspicion and cause, and targeted for other minor offenses that can really be brought about on anybody. Are all cops racist, no way. But I do think absurd consensus beliefs are in the minds of enforcement officers. This is an issue that can't go without action being taken.
I don't really get people. That's what it comes down to. It's about to be 2015 yet we don't see everyone the same? Yeah, it so happens to be that in high crime areas/ low income communities are where some black people call their home. Does that mean they are bad people or should be subjected to jokes and harsh comments? Do sometimes they take desperate measures to take care of themselves and their family? If I was in their situation, I would do some of the same stuff that they are stereotyped for doing. People need to wake up, and realize that they're wrong and disgusting remarks and thoughts are doing no good and making things worse for the human race. It's not OK to think that white people are superior, or that Mexicans steal jobs, blacks deal drugs and kill people. I'm even laughing as I write this. Because it is a joke, people that aren't effected by racism are the ones that need to step in and make a difference with the situation, not think it's a waste of time that shouldn't be talked about. That's a selfish move.
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