Growing up, I have always wondered what makes people different. Athough I have not seen it all, I have seen enough to help me understand how cruel people and life can be. People are not equal in society for sure. I have realized that there are very many factors responsible for inequality in society. Most of these factors are either economic or sociocultural. Economic factors influence the way of life of people, but sociocultural factors carry the most weight. Sociocultural factors define who people are, how they behave, and their general lifestyle. Although there are many aspects of sociocultural factors, the one that stands out is race. Race can be defined as a grouping of individuals based on similar physical or cultural groups that are distinct in society (Dismantling Racism, 2019) . I can define this in simple terms as the grouping of people based on their color. When growing up, different theories tried to explain the orig in of people of different races but now I have come to realize that race is determined by genes.
There are various stereotypes in society that try to characterize a certain race with certain behaviors and lifestyle. I have experienced this all through my life. Being black in a country of whites is really challenging. You are just like dirt in a white cloth. Everyone can notice your existence. I remember all the police patrols in my hometown when I was young. That was not policing but police harassment. My dad, a decent man who earned through genuine means, but I have lost count on the number of times police have searched our house because the neighbors thought he is conducting criminal activities. It is frustrating to have people think of you as a criminal while you live a decent life. At school, it was no different either; teachers are always favoring the whites, which made me feel like an outcast. That feeling as if you don’t matter or nobody cares about you. This is very frustrating and stressful, and thanks to God, I have never been depressed. Racism has been very dominant in the past. Although different measures have been put in place to reduce this, it is still existent in all sectors. Over the years, I have come to learn that blacks are the most affected race. Social stereotypes like to define blacks as violent people. They are seen as people who do not work hard and use violence to get what they want forcefully, even when most of them are hardworking citizens (Lartey, 2018) . Although the condition is improving, there are still issues of racism in different sectors , and I feel for my kids if they have to go through what I encountered growing up and now even when I am an adult. The distribution of black people in different sectors is unequal due to a lack of opportunities for blacks. The world we live in is based on white supremacy. This is a common ideology that white people, their ideas, actions, among other things, are superior compared to those of the people from other races. The white people are, therefore, able to enjoy structural advantages over people from other races either as a group or as individuals. I have learned that racism brings discrimination (Lartey, 2018) . This is among the top dominant social injustices in different countries. This happens when blacks are denied opportunities because of their color even though they meet the qualifications. From personal experience, securing a job is close to impossible regardless of the challenges faced when pursuing education. This phenomenon has changed with the recent introduction of employment laws and the whole of America embracing diversity. Increased pressure from activists and human rights organizations for the push of equality in society has led to the formulation of laws that protect non-whites and females from discrimination. Nowadays, non-whites access education and leadership posts with much ease. My success and success of fellow blacks makes me feel like the difficult challenges faced when growing up are not in vain. It acts as a constant reminder to me that times are changing.
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Oppression has a close relationship with racism and gender (Feagin, 2001) . Oppr ession occurs when a person is subjected to unjust treatment due to their characters or attributes. This does not necessarily apply to a single individual but may apply to a group of people being subjected to oppression by a more powerful social group. The oppressing group normally has the power to determine their reality of themselves and others. For example, common oppression is evident between races and gender. The whites have been oppressors of other races for a long time, even in history. In the past, the whites defined themselves as civilized and the people of color as not civilized. They, therefore, feel superior to other races even though such stereotypes exist only in their mind. In this case, the group that is being oppressed take in and internalize the oppression, which makes them cooperate with their oppressors. In truth, when something is repeated repeatedly, people start believing in it. In this case, the people of color have been subjected to much oppression until it became their new norm. They are ready to be oppressed, and they are unable to fight for themselves. The females are subject to discrimination and oppression regardless of their race. Most of them in society have settled into the "women roles," which limits their success. Back when I was a student, playing football was seen as "boyish," and getting support from even my parents was difficult. Oppressed gender and races find it hard to secure jobs, and when they do, they receive less competitive salaries compared to white males. Condemning these acts is seen as arrogance, which may result in firing
I have experienced oppression in society, and I now understand how big a problem it is. Oppression and discrimination are deep-rooted social injustices that are systematic and institutionalized in a way that not individuals drive them but the mentality of the people in the society. Oppression is dependent on power and prejudice. Strong stereotypes in society are often used to define people of a certain target group. These stereotypes are often damaging as they fail to account that every person has their way of thinking and behavior, and hence associating them with a common stereotype denies them their individuality. To survive this oppression, people from the oppressing group and the oppressed people are socialized to play their roles as defined. The oppressed people can make their own decisions and stand up for themselves, but the systems and opposition they are up against is much stronger (Dismantling Racism, 2019) . This makes them just to follow the rules set by their oppressor.
Over the years, I have been able to understand both oppression and racism in society. These are very deep-rooted injustices that are based on the common stereotypes about a certain group of people. They promote social inequality where the system more favors people from a certain race compared to others. This has created a gap in which the oppressed people are unable to express themselves in the modern and democratic world.
References
Dismantling Racism . (2019). Retrieved from Dismantling Racism Website: http://www.dismantlingracism.org/racism-defined.html
Feagin, R. J. (2001). Science Direct . Retrieved from Science Direct Website: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/computer-science/racial-oppression
Lartey, J. (2018, June 6). Oppression in America. The Guardian . Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jun/06/everyday-racism-in-america-how-to-fix-it
