Racism, discrimination, prejudice, and stereotyping are some of the issues that impact the social wellbeing of people in a society. Each of the mentioned concepts is applicable in different situations as they have unique and distinct elements. When examining the mentioned concepts, it is important to note that racism is the root cause of all other aspects. In America, the issue of racism is prevalent considering the availability of people with different cultural backgrounds. The paper will focus on addressing the rise of the Black Lives Matters movement in America and the issues addressed by the movement. The paper will focus on two main events that increased the recognition of the movement considering the killings of the blacks by the police and by the civilians. Additionally, the paper will address a personal experience with racism focusing on the strategies implemented to cope and reflect on personal thoughts regarding whether the issue will come to an end.
Racism, Discrimination, Prejudice, and Stereotyping in America
Part 1
Racism is a belief that members of a certain group/race have distinct characteristics, abilities, and behavioral traits that are distinct in the group thus defining their superiority or inferiority over other people in a different race. Discrimination refers to an act of unjust treatment of people based on facts such as race, age, gender, or social class. Discrimination is an act that may occur directly or indirectly and may take place in different contexts in human life. The concept of prejudice refers to an affective feeling or a preconceived opinion that is not based on facts or actual experiences. Prejudice dwells much on injustices and hostility preconceived based on factors such as different cultural beliefs. Lastly, stereotyping refers to the overgeneralization of a belief regarding a given group of people. The concept of stereotyping focuses on the ideology and expectation that every person in a group of people should meet certain standards or behavior that is affiliated with the group.
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The analysis of the mentioned concepts indicates that some major differences and similarities relate to each element in the society. Firstly, it is important to note that all the mentioned aspects have a major role in influencing social interactions among individuals in society. Secondly, the mentioned concepts focus on creating conflicts among people based on their diversities such as racial disparities, gender, age, and social classes. However, it is important to note some differences that create a unique approach in the mentioned factors. Firstly, it is necessary to note that racism is a belief that is initiated by individuals and is passed on to other generations, while discrimination is a behavior that is practiced by people, and in worst cases, it becomes a habit. Secondly, prejudice is an attitude while stereotype is an opinion about a group of people. Each of the mentioned concepts is applied differently and may exist independently or simultaneously in a society.
In America, the issue of racism, discrimination, prejudice, and stereotyping are common contributing to an increase in social issues affecting the interaction and relations of people in society. Considering that America is a metropolitan area that is characterized by people with major diversities, the occurrence of the mentioned issues is prevalent thus impacting the social cohesion of people in the society. In America, racism is a major issue where the minority races are discriminated against based on their skin color. The minority race in America is the African Americans who receive the worst forms of racism. As part of racism, there are different kinds of stereotypes that are placed against African Americans based on their diversities. To overcome the mentioned issues, some movements and campaigns are established to ensure that the minority groups can live in a society without any kind of fear.
Part 2
The Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a movement that was established to protest the discrimination and brutality of the police against African Americans. The movement was formed on July 13, 2013, following increased cases of racism in the United States of America. The key founders of the movement were Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, Opal Tometi, who are human rights activists with a passion to enable people to overcome issues of racism in society. Although the movement was based in the United States, the main objective was to handle issues relating to racism on the international platform. The movement began with a single hashtag in social media following the death of an African American teen who was shot in February 2012 (Kang, 2020). The objective was to protest the killings and to urge the government to investigate and provide justice regarding the matter. The movement earned a major recognition in America, which is an aspect related to the following gained through the use of the hashtag.
Recently, the Black Lives Matters movement has risen because of the occurrence of different events that depicted the issue of racism in society. The occurrence of two interrelated events sparked the rise of the movement thus resulting in a situation where it earned international recognition by following on the issues and advocating for justice. Firstly, the killing of George Floyd by the police elicited anger among the individuals in the society as it was a case of prejudice as he was from the minority group (Buchanan, Bui and Patel, 2020). The organization of protests following the death of Floyd by the BLM movement attracted international attention considering the number of people that took place in the protest. The estimated number of people who took part in the protest were approximately 26 million people, thus making BLM one of the largest movements that ever existed in the history of America.
The fact that Floyd was killed by armed police in the full glare of cameras and the most inhumane manner attracted many people to take part in the protest (Wortham, 2020). Additionally, the killing of Eric Garner and Breonna Taylor provoked the human rights activists to call for mass protests and to address the killings of the African Americans who are killed by the police without an apparent reason. The mentioned incidents where the police killed the blacks resulted in the rise of the movement, which addressed the issues of racism in society. In the event where the police killed the blacks, the members and supporters of the movement became furious considering that the police did not protect the people as per their oath (Campo-Flores and Jamerson, 2020). The movement portrayed the level of brutality taking place and the hatred that the police harbored against the African Americans who are the minority groups in American society.
Another major event that resulted in the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement is the killing of unarmed black men by white civilians. The killing of Treyvon Martin, Ahmad Arberry, and Michael Brown who are some of the African Americans killed by the whites prompted the rise of the movement protesting the killings of unarmed people (Campo-Flores, A., McWhirter C., and Martin, 2019). The BLM movement planned for protests that advocated for the rights of the blacks in the United States who faced a major risk of discrimination that resulted in death in the worst cases. The movement called for the government to devise mechanisms to detect individuals that perpetuate racial discrimination in the society that lead to the killings of innocent souls. Additionally, the movement called out for people to be vigilant in identifying cases of racial discrimination in society (Cohn and Quealy, 2020). The organization of the protests following the given cases played a significant role in ensuring that the government can deal with the people involved through the development of different policies.
Part 3
Considering the increased cases of racism in the society involving brutality of the police against the blacks, different protests are organized in a bid to address the issue and create a lasting solution. Recently, I attended the George Floyd protests, which began soon after he was brutally killed by a police officer in the Minneapolis Police Department. Floyd who was a 46-year-old African American was by an officer who knelt on his neck for close to 8 minutes as his counterparts watched. The fact that the victim was unarmed created a major concern as to why would the officer engage in the brutal act leading to death. The organized protest in my city was peaceful with minimal looting and to ensure that the people understand the need to appreciate other people regardless of their racial differences. The incorporated people with different racial backgrounds who considered the death of Floyd as inhumane and disturbing.
Taking part in the protest was a personal choice that resulted from the need to understand the impact of racism in society. Secondly, taking part in the protest was fueled by the fact that the issue of police brutality continues to increase in America thus the need for people to be vigilant in addressing the issue. Although engaging in the protest was not very safe considering the global pandemic of Covid-19, most people took part in the protest without fear considering that they were angered by the increasing habit of police brutality in America. It is important to note that the protest has played a major role in seeking justice for the families of the victims by focusing on aspects such as compensation. Additionally, the protest helped in the implementation of legislative proposals that help to combat the increasing cases of racism in the society and more so among the police. Airing of the protests in major televisions contributed to the effectiveness and the ability to meet the desired objective.
Part 4
Racism is a prevalent issue in society that requires the implementation of effective measures to create an end to the given issue. The question of whether racism will ever end is dependent on the nature of policy implemented and the enthusiasm that people have towards fighting the issue in society. Considering the issue of racism has been in existence for a long time, the implementation of a strategy that creates gradual changes may have a significant role in changing ending the issues. The implementation of a strategy that focuses on defunding the police to divert the funds in social programs is an effective strategy that may gradually change the perception and mentality of people on issues concerning racism. Spending much on social programs is important as it is a strategy that helps to focus on building social interactions and relations thus limiting the engagement of people in cases of racism. Additionally, investing in social programs helps to focus on the provision of education programs to educate people on the dangers of racism.
The second significant measure that may help to deal with the issue is racism and create an end to it is the provision of executive orders by governors regarding the use of chokeholds by the police. The measure seeks to reduce brutality cases involving the police who use the chokeholds to harass and kill the victims involved. Although the measure may not have a major impact on the members of the society, the strategy may result in a significant reduction of racism cases among the police considering the requirement to follow the executive orders provided. Banning of the use of chokeholds may result in a situation where the police capitalize on the use of reasonable punitive measures against law offenders in society. Another key strategy that is implemented to reduce the causes of racism in society includes the provision of a platform to make an untrue racist telephone call a hate crime. The ability to report hate crime to relevant authorities is an effective measure that helps to reduce racism cases in the United States.
Lastly, the move by major corporations to support the BLM movement is a significant measure that may help to gradually deal with the issues of racism in society. The strategy ensures that the movement receives adequate funding to undertake different engagements that seek to reduce the causes of racism in society. The main challenge experienced in the movement is adequate funding and support to engage in an in-depth analysis of the issue of racism. In that case, supporting the organization would mean that it can establish campaigns that seek sensitive people on the need to maintain social cohesion despite the racial disparities that may exist among the individuals. Although the measures and proposal defined to reduce cases of racism in society, the outcome may not experienced immediately as it is a gradual process that ultimately focuses on creating a racism-free society.
References
Buchanan, L., Bui, Q., and Patel, J. (2020). Black Lives Matter May Be the Largest Movement in U.S. History. The New York Times . https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/03/us/george-floyd-protests-crowd-size.html
Campo-Flores, A., and Jamerson, J. (2020). Black Lives Matter’s Years of Pressure Paved Way for Sudden Police Overhaul. The Wall Street Journal . https://www.wsj.com/articles/black-lives-matters-years-of-pressure-paved-way-for-sudden-police-overhaul-11592516422
Campo-Flores, A., McWhirter C., and Martin, T. (2019). Murder Charge in Shooting. The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304356604577337892597447300
Cohn, N., and Quealy, K. (2020). How Public Opinion Has Moved on Black Lives Matter. The New York Times . https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/06/10/upshot/black-lives-matter-attitudes.html
Kang J. C. (2020). Can We Please Talk About Black Lives Matter for One Second? The New York Times . https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/02/magazine/can-we-please-talk-about-black-lives-matter-for-one-second.html.
Wortham, J. (2020). A ‘Glorious Poetic Rage.’ The New York Times . https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/05/sunday-review/black-lives-matter-protests-floyd.htmln
