Racism Still Exists in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Racism Still Exists in America - Essay Example Facts about racism would be well understood among the Americans if it would be considered for what it really is; an institutional ideology, according to CNN which reported that â€Å"racism is like a virus that has mutated into a new form that we don’t recognize†. There is more to racism than personal hatred. It refers to the belief that a group of people, identified by unique biological make up are superior to other groups with different biological make up. The President of Catholic Charities USA, Synder further indicates that racism refers to â€Å"unearned advantage, conferred dominance, and invisible privilege enjoyed by white Americans, to the detriment, burden, and disadvantage of people of color† (8). The superior group would thus be allowed to rule economically and socially over the groups considered to be weaker. The situation has been made worse in America due to the many action plans that have been started in the recent past to fight racism in the country. Since the times of Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955 to the 1965 Selma March led by Martin Luther King, the relations were assumed to be headed towards improvement. With every move forward, the country appeared to be moving backwards in achieving genuine racial reconciliation. In the 20th Century, racism was mainly between the Blacks and the Whites. However, with the immigration of people from different parts of the world into the country, racism now includes hostility among people from different cultures.... Effects of racism Synder (11) acknowledges that the privileged status of being white did not just happen accidentally. This had been constructed through time, through social policies, procedures and institutions which deliberately developed a system that promoted the white Americans’ welfare while greatly hindering opportunities for people of color. Racism has caused people from other cultures in America to despise their own cultures in favor of Americanism. Alvarez (37) describes her personal experience in America, having emigrated from Dominican Republic where beauty was synonymous with all women. In America, however, beauty was reserved for American girls only. Women from other races would not enjoy what Synders (5) describes as white privileges but would always be socially discriminated due to their different biological traits. This was well demonstrated with the airing of Miss America beauty pageant where Julia Alvarez and her sisters were portrayed to admire being Americ an girls to be considered beautiful. The beauty pageant show presented Americanism as desirable and made people from other races appreciate the American blue eyes and blonde hair while despising their biological traits. Such discrimination in beauty contests enhanced racism in the American society. Among the major indications of racism, or otherwise white privilege include economic advantage which has been reserved for the white Americans through public policy and also through political power over years. Racism results into economic burden and disadvantages people of color. Take for instance the institution of slavery. Slavery was just a means to exploit labor where African slaves would be used to create