According to the English dictionary, racism is explained to be a belief regarding different people from different races. Racism occurs where such people from different races possess abilities, characteristics and qualities that are different and at the same time define them (Zack 46). The different abilities are the ones used by people in the society to distinguish superiority and inferiority of people in the society. According to Naomi Zack, racism is an act in which there is a widespread of ignorance towards the ideology of scientific facts, which may overlap the racial and race difference.
However, the world and the system at large have made people believe that racism is all about majority of the white Americans who believe they are superior. Such people initiate acts of hostility, contempt, harmful intentions and hatred towards the other minority race. Zack puts it to show that there are individuals will have ill motives towards other individuals in the form of action and speech, insults, slurs, unfairness and unprovoked violence which are related to racial advocacy. Therefore, classic racists can entail groups such as Nazis, Ku Klux Klan and individuals who advocated burning of human beings because of their race. The act can be instigated deliberately and consciously and thus making it is part of classic racism.
It is through her studies that she comes up with three causative theories dealing with racism. They entail causes such as emotional, cognitive and moral defect. Emotional causes are also referred to as intellectual causes that are sometimes related to criminal offenses. It is because it is punishable in a court of law in relation to the amount of damage caused to the victim. There are different forms of emotional causes of classic racism. There are victims who find themselves feeling inadequate (Zack 47). Others will fill afraid especially those that are vulnerable. At the same time, some victims will be subjected to sadism and cruelty, which in turn changes to become the shortcoming of the individual. This cause of racism can be compensated.
The cognitive form of racism is associated with ignorance.
During this particular moment, individuals enacting the action are not aware that they are prejudicing the others through their deeds. This ideology is also set on the understanding of the traditional model of education, which can be used as a form of remedy for it. It is further explained that the problem is with the adults who were not taught on the basic principle behind the color of the skin and the characteristics and behaviors related to racism (Zack 48). These are behaviors, which were majorly experienced in the nineteenth century. The final course is based on the concept of moral defect. It is related to a person's ability to understand that their action is punishable and blameworthy. It means that they will be expected to have a choice of involving themselves or not in such practice. They are in a position to allow the development of a trait and correct them at the right time.
All the above causes point out to the people that racism is morally wrong. Emotional causes show that one is supposed to be compensated for the damages caused by racism. At the same time, cognitive also explains that one should know that their behaviors and actions are depicting racism should be understood. Final, moral defect explains all the three issues terming them as practices that ought to be punished.
Works Cited
Zack, Naomi. Thinking About Race. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Pub. Co, 1998. Print.
