Racism is a common term amongst the United States’ citizens. From the years of slavery and Jim Crow south, any form of altercation between white and black Americans automatically becomes an indicator of racial prejudice. Even in the twenty-first century, provided there is a problem between people of different races, bystanders automatically see it as an ethnic issue. Consequently, due to the historical facts, different individuals see white skin as a sign of supremacy whilst other colors take the tail. The ideology of white superiority and the inferiority of other races are evident in many countries with people revering the white skin to the extent of bleaching their skin. With such factors in mind, the ongoing protests because of the decision regarding Michael Brown’s murder in Ferguson are understandable. While there are many crimes including murders in the United States, the case has gained the public’s attention because it involves an African American and white American.
Racism is “the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics, abilities, or qualities specific to that race” (The Oxford Dictionary). With the United States being a multicultural country, racial segregation and prejudices are common especially in the sense that people have prior perceptions of each other. An article dubbed “Is Everyone a Little Bit Racist?” appears to concur with the idea of Americans possessing ideas revolving around racial stereotyping. Written by Nicholas Kristof, the newspaper entry argues, “Young black men in America suffer from widespread racism and stereotyping, by all society — including African-Americans themselves.” Kristof starts by pointing out the uncertainty about the exact circumstances surrounding the shooting of Michael Brown. However, the author supports the notion that people are not biased in an obvious manner, rather, “ people harbor unconscious attitudes that result in discriminatory policies and behavior.” Hence, different studies documented in the article found a pattern in people showing biased tendencies despite their beliefs in equality.
Very few human beings have the courage to admit that they are racist. Therefore, one can argue that most people fail to recognize the discriminatory nature of their minds unless a third party points it out. Kristof’s writing does not make wild assumptions but focuses on studies by researchers determining the probability of people having racial inclinations. The same situation is apparent in the ongoing riots against the grand jury’s decision in the case of Brown’s shooting. People automatically assume that Wilson’s decision to shoot Brown finds a basis for the prejudices existing in black youth. Kristof concurs with this notion by stating that law enforcers “have more impulsive trigger finger” whilst dealing with black people than they are in the case of whites.
Americans believe that Wilson’s act of shooting Brown revolves around racism. Kristof’s work attests to the perception but also argues that many American citizens will act in the same manner. Hence, people cannot hold Wilson’s actions against him because of the possibility of racial segregation. Instead, people should focus on the available evidence and allow the case handling to take a regular course of other murder cases. In addition, hostile actions cannot be beneficial to the state or public. Violence does not solve any situation.
Work Cited
Kristof, Nicholas. "Is Everyone a Little Bit Racist?" 27 August 2014. The New York Times. Web. 27 November 2014.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/28/opinion/nicholas-kristof-is-everyone-a-little-bit-racist.html>.
Stevenson, Angus. Oxford Dictionary of English. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010. Print.
