Racial discrimination means the unequal treatment of groups or people on the grounds of ethnicity or race. Racial prejudice occurs when people are treated differently due to their race. It has become an important issue in America as Americans have recognized that racial discrimination is an extensive problem that needs to be eradicated. In the present society, it is tough for people to admit that they are racist but they may unconsciously display racist attitudes. This paper sought to examine the prevalence of racism in the society today, how children learn racial beliefs from a young age, and how racism is seen in various areas of the nation including employment, housing, credit markets, as well as consumer markets.
The author Nesbit (2016) talks about how America is experiencing a significant race problem. Many white individuals in America are racist towards blacks. It is alarming to see black men being shot and killed by white police officers. This triggers racial tension in the country which shows that we have not solved the problem yet. Most white people in America have an implicit racial bias where they subconsciously prefer a white person over a black individual in educational, professional, and social settings. Many national polls carried out in the country have indicated that three-quarters of Americans do not believe that the nation has a problem with racial tension. Fewer Americans openly acknowledge that they are racist.
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Younger generations hold the belief that we reside in a post-racial society. However, this is not entirely true as many whites still believe that African Americans and Hispanics lazier and less intelligent than them. Individuals are not born with racial prejudice. It is something that we learn from the environment either from the media, dialogues, conversations or in the way we interact with others in our daily lives. It is effortless for people to unlearn racial prejudice since the attitudes are learned in the first place.
The authors Ross & Bondy (2008) discuss how racial attitudes can be learned from the school curriculum. Although children learn racial attitudes from schools, they can also be a site for unlearning racism. Nesbit (2016) notes the fact that we are not born with racial prejudice. It is something that we learn from the environment through socialization with other people. Ross & Bondy (2008) acknowledge that the “hidden curriculum” in schools facilitate the learning of racial stereotypes in children. Children learn racism through the structures in schools. For instance, the structures can be the manner in which students are put in a class (special education, advanced placement, gifted), disciplined (e.g., policies on zero tolerance), and grouped within levels (low, average, as well as high groups) (Ross & Bondy, 2008). Many black students are found in lower groups as compared to white students. White people believe that black students are less intelligent than them hence they perform poorly in academics (Nesbit, 2016). The structures segregate children from one another always reminding them of their place in the social, academic, as well as the racial hierarchy.
The policies concerning zero-tolerance also promote the learning of racial attitudes in students. Even though discipline policies are designed to ensure the safety of students, educators see or analyze ethnic differences in the manner in which disciplinary decisions are made. Research studies on school bring to light that African American students are punished more severely than white students for less severe infractions (Ross & Bondy, 2008). The issue of racism should be addressed in schools. When schools avoid this topic, students will learn from the environment outside the school premises thus developing stereotypical attitudes. The students will be aware that the most expelled or disciplined students are students of color.
Schools should eliminate zero-tolerance policies and structures like grouping students for students not to learn racial prejudice. All students should work together in class regardless of race so that they can learn to appreciate each race; Educators should talk about racial discrimination in schools and teach students to value each race and treat them as equals (Ross & Bondy, 2008).
The authors Pager & Shepherd (2010) discuss the prevalence of racial discrimination in employment, credit, housing, and consumer markets. It is often subtle as well as covertly. People who experience racism can suffer from anxiety, depression, and other adverse health outcomes. It can result in diminished performance or effort in the labor market or education (Pager & Shepherd, 2010).
Racial disparities are widely evident in the employment sector. Whites are more likely to get employment as compared to people of color or Hispanics. Blacks spend more time looking for employment, have less work experience, and they have less stable jobs than whites. They are often given positions in departments that of low standards or less permanent. Also, racial minority groups have fewer chances for advances.
There is pervasive racial discrimination in housing as well as rental markets. Segregation is widely evident. Disadvantages groups are given less information about units when seeking houses and are given fewer opportunities to see units (Pager & Shepherd, 2010). When it comes to purchasing homes, minority groups are regularly given less financial assistance.
Many individuals complain about the existence of racism in credit markets particularly when it comes to mortgages. Research indicates that Hispanics and individuals of color face higher rates of rejection. They also face less favorable terms in acquiring leases than do whites. Additionally, they are given less information concerning mortgage information. Consumer markets is another area where racial disparities are evident which increasingly imposes financial as well as psychic costs on minority consumers (Pager & Shepherd, 2010). For instance, when it comes to car purchasing, people of color tend to pay more when buying cars than white people. Moreover, minority customers pay more or receive poor services than their white counterparts (Nesbit, 2016).
Explain whether the kind of prejudice you selected is most often blatant or subtle and explain why.
Racial prejudice is regularly subtle. This is because most individuals make unconscious racial discrimination attitudes when making judgments about individuals from a variety of ethnic as well as racial groups. Racism is often an automatic adverse reaction to a person of a different race than one’s own. Not many people are aware that they are displaying stereotypical attitudes regarding race. Therefore, they may report that they do not hold any racist opinions, but they may communicate their racist ideologies in their interactions in the environment (Sinclair, Kenrick, & Jacoby-Senghor, 2014). No individual openly embraces racism and have prejudicial attitudes towards minority groups. It is often an unconscious reaction. Nesbit (2016), says that when most white people take a test about racial biases, most of them are astonished by the results. Eighty-eight percent of those who undergo the test realize they are subconsciously connected images of people of color with words like “imperfect” and they associate white people with words like “good (Nesbit, 2016).”
Describe two potential impacts of this type of prejudice on individual behavior or relationships when exhibited blatantly and exhibited subtly.
Racism causes emotional and physical effects to a person. Racial discrimination directed to you by other people for reasons that you can't control can cause absolute worry to an individual. As a result, one may suffer from sadness, anxiety, emptiness, depression, as well as a feeling of guilt. These may turn to stress-related conditions, eating disorders and loss of interest.
Racial discrimination makes it hard for people to make and develop interpersonal relationships with other races. Minority groups are often afraid of interacting with white people because of racial prejudice. People facing racial discrimination may form their own opinions on others and develop feelings of hatred for others. Additionally, they may withdraw from others which makes it difficult for them to engage in interpersonal relationships.
Three ways to reduce this type of prejudice
Reducing racism should start from schools. Children acquire stereotypical attitudes from a young age, especially in schools. Students should be taught about the harmful effects of discriminating someone based on sex. They should be encouraged to interact together regardless of race. Educators should also offer equal punishment to all students regardless of race to set an example to the students (Ross & Bondy, 2008).
The government should also come up with a strategy that engages businesses, local government, media, education, and other leaders to show the commitment to eradicate racism in the institutions in the country. Events and public forums should be conducted since they will increase awareness and decrease racial prejudice.Organizing anti-racism demonstrations will also help in reducing racism. This will create awareness, and people will know that racism is evil and should be eliminated in the world.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, racial prejudice is a widespread problem in the society today that needs to eradicated. It occurs when people are treated differently due to their race. The paper has adequately discussed how racism is prevalent in our present society, how children acquire racial attitudes from a young age, and how racism is manifested in various areas of the nation including employment, housing, credit markets, as well as consumer markets. The impacts of racial discrimination have also been discussed where it can lead to stress-related conditions which makes it hard for persons to form and maintain interpersonal relationships.
References
Nesbit, J. (2016, March 28). /news/articles/2016-03-28/america-has-a-big-race-problem . Retrieved from https://www.usnews.com: https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-03-28/america-has-a-big-race-problem
Pager, D., & Shepherd, H. (2010). The Sociology of Discrimination: Racial Discrimination in Employment, Housing, Credit, and Consumer markets. PubMed Central , 181-209.
Ross, D., & Bondy, E. (2008). Learning and Unlearning Racism: Challenging the Hidden Curriculum of Schooling. University of Florida , 2-10.
Sinclair, S., Kenrick, A. C., & Jacoby-Senghor, D. S. (2014). Whites' Interpersonal Interactions Shape, and Are Shaped by, Implicit Prejudice. Sage Journals , 81-87.
