Racism is a system of human waste that spoils the oppressed as well as the oppressor. It is like the spineless/boneless Ameoba proteus that can change its shape depending upon the situations and circumstances. It can range from interpersonal interactions to institutional practices. The United States is a multicultural nation in which profound and persistent racial/ethnic differences in socio-economic status, educational/occupational status, wealth and political power do exist. Racial classifications have been stipulated in the legal and social systems thoroughly. Despite the white consensus on the decline of racism, many ‘colored’ men and women face extensive racial discrimination in their daily lives. The major markers of racial identity in the U. S. are skin color, hair texture, nose width and lip thickness (Smedley and Smedley 16; Feagin, Vera, and Batur 1).
The race ideology began to develop in the U.S. in seventeenth century with the legal establishment of slavery for Africans. In the mid-nineteenth century, the highest ranked races were European Whites and Native Americans followed by Asians (Chinese & Japanese) and then Black Africans (referred to as Negros). The anti-black feelings, ideas and actions were spread by parents, friends, media and the education system in the U.S. and were passed from generation to generation (Smedley and Smedley 16). The state level indicators of structural racism include political participation, employment and job status, educational attainment and judicial treatment.
A very important area affected by the racial discrimination in the United States is healthcare services. It has been an important risk factor in determining the health of Blacks in the U.S. The eco-social theory of racism and health was proposed by Krieger to demonstrate the embodiment of racism over the life-course. Racism was concluded to adversely affect the health of targets of stigma through multiple pathways including exposure to toxins and social & economic deprivation (Lukachko, Hatzenbuehler and Keyes 42; Krieger 936). A recent study conducted to establish a correlation between structural racism and myocardial infarction in the Black Americans concluded that the Blacks living in states with high racial discriminations were more likely to report past-year myocardial infarction as compared to the Blacks living in low racism states (Lukachko, Hatzenbuehler and Keyes 42). Several other studies have found disparities in a range of clinical settings, healthcare and treatment for the minority communities in the U.S. (Smedley and Smedley 16).
As is the case of (private and public) healthcare services, the criminal justice system of the U.S. is also engrossed with the racial discrimination. The governments had taken several concrete steps to minimize the racial attacks and riots after the Civil War in America. The Freedmen’s Bureau Act, a civil rights act, was passed by the U.S. Congress in the late nineteenth century to allow the African Americans to testify in all federal courts. However, until recently numerous incidents have reported the racial discrimination in all the areas of the U.S. The Blacks in America are more likely to be the victims of crimes when compared to the whites. They are also arrested and convicted for criminal offenses at higher rates than whites (Mustard 19).
Discrimination in education is a more drastic form of racism that also affects social and economic status of minority communities. Historically, the minority communities were much less educated than the Whites in the U.S. and there was a little progress in promoting equality in education before the first half of twentieth century. However, substantial strides were made in the second half of the twentieth century to reduce the educational gaps between different races. Some of the measure taken to provide the quality education to low-income African Americans included home-schooling, turning of the public schools into private education management organizations, charter schools, etc. The role of race in education has changed substantially over time. Presently, many educational institutes have explicit objectives to increase the minority enrollment. This objective is fulfilled by implementing a quota that reserves a particular number of places for minority students (Mustard 19).
The effect of racism is also noted in employment and economic well-being. The data presents persistent and major economic inequalities between ‘colored’ and white Americans. Black workers make much less than their white counterparts and black unemployment rate is almost twice as that of whites. This contributes to the overall family income and wealth (Feagin, Vera, and Batur 1). Racism among the workers also weakens the labor unions shifts the revenues of firms towards profits and away from the wages. Similarly, racism also affects the polity of the United States. White Americans vote against the redistributive party (the Democrats in the U.S.), as blacks are the beneficiaries of redistributive taxation (Lee and Roemer 1027).
Volumes of text have been written on the prevalence of racism in the U.S. since last four centuries. However, there are gaps in the present knowledge regarding to what extent racism is actually prevalent currently. It may be ‘huge’ for some and ‘nothing at all’ for others. At the same time, it is almost impossible to evaluate the extent of interpersonal racism because the individuals who experience discrimination may not be willing to report these events. On the other hand, it may only be ‘perceived’ discrimination and the different individuals may vary in their perceptions (Lukachko, Hatzenbuehler and Keyes 42). Some authors have also argued that Blacks have a tendency to claim to be victims of racism and blame their own failures on the racist oppression that does not actually exist in the U.S. of the twentieth century (Mustard 19). On the other hand, it is anticipated that structural racism has taken the shape of a legally sanctioned aversive behavior involving the avoidance of racial/ethnic minorities. This aversive form of racism often exists outside of conscious awareness and hence it becomes difficult to measure the degree of racism on a social scale. While many whites passively consent to racial rituals, there are others who engage in racial discrimination out of their own fear, personal vulnerability and jealousy (Lukachko, Hatzenbuehler and Keyes 42). Many anti-black practices are legal in the white-controlled system and lead to the silent progression of racism in the U.S. society. For example, Hollywood movie makers use negative stereotypes of African Americans, Latinos and Asian Americans in their profitable and global products. These subtle practices disseminate the racist ideas and practices in the society and prevent many black men, women and children to realize their full potential (Feagin, Vera, and Batur 1).
Having seen the racism in terms of educational, social, political, judicial, healthcare and personal deficits, one can evaluate the consequences of this discrimination on the American society. In the past half-century, national and international agencies, government and non-governmental organizations have been working hard to uproot the racism from the land of America. Because of the intensive mixing of the people in the last century, it is difficult to racialize nowadays. People even expected the end of the ‘racism era’ in the U.S. after the election of Barack Obama as the first African American President. It is high time that we change the negative beliefs and image of African Americans and other Americans of color and shun the white dominance and supremacy. America needs to understand that ‘black’ talent and resources are being wasted by the discriminatory barriers, and at the same time, huge amount of energy, time and talent is wasted by the whites themselves in creating the anti-black attitudes and ideologies. Though the cost of racism is far greater for the oppressed ‘colored’ than the oppressor ‘whites’, the U.S. society is paying a heavy price in material, psychological and moral terms (Feagin, Vera, and Batur 1).
Works Cited
Feagin, J. R., Vera, H., and Batur, P. White Racism: The Basics. New York: Routledge, 2001. Print.
Krieger, N. “Methods for the scientific study of discrimination and health: an ecosocial approach.” American Journal of Public Health 102.5 (2012): 936-944. Print.
Lee, W. and Roemer, J. E. “Racism and redistribution in the United States: A solution to the problem of American exceptionalism.” Journal of Public Economics 90 (2006): 1027-1052. Print.
Lukachko, A., Hatzenbuehler, M. L. and Keyes, K. M. “Structural racism and myocardial infarction in the United States.” Social Science and Medicine 103 (2014): 42-50. Print.
Mustard, D. B. Racial justice in America: Reference Handbook (Contemporary World Issues). California: ABC-CLIO, 2003. Print.
Smedley, A. and Smedley, B. D. “Race as Biology is fiction, racism as a social
problem is real.” American Psychologist 60.1 (2005): 16-26. Print.
