Essay, Research Paper: What Is Racism?

Racism
What is racism? Racism is something that has been a part of our world since the beginning of time. Whether people realize it or not, the number one reason most people are racist is skin color. There are also those people who are still dwelling on the past, during the time of slavery. Although many may feel they have a good reason to be racist, there is no good reason to hate a group of people. In the essay Racism , Kwame Anthony Appiah quoted that the Holocaust made unreservedly clear the threat that racism poses to human decency. But it also blurred our thinking because in focusing our attention on the racist character of the Nazi our attention on the racist character of the Nazi atrocities, it obscured their character as atrocities (Appiah, 75).
Racism is one of the largest problems in our society. It is used in so many different ways that many people are not aware. There does not seem to be too many people who really want to put an end to this controversy. Most of us do not realize how serious racism is and what it is doing to our society. In addition, if people do not begin to realize the seriousness of racism, it just may go on forever.
Many racist people, black and white, are not well educated. However, they tend to think they are because their skin is a certain color. To be as smart as they claim to be, they are not aware of the ignorance racism brings about. They do not understand the problems it brings forth in our society. If they were actually educated, they would find a way to get rid of the problem.
One of the main causes of racism is pride in one s own race. For some reason, many racist people tend to think that there is something different between the different races. I think it is not only just the color of the skin that is the problem but the fact that there was once a time when they ruled just about everything. They owned blacks as slaves and now we are free and are able to live as they do. Some people cannot adjust to that. In addition, they think if they put blacks down it would make their race stronger.
Richard Rodriguez, the author of Complexion explains in his essay how being Mexican has affected his life in a negative way. He said, In public I occasionally heard racial slurs, complete strangers would yell out at me. A teenager drove past, shouting, Hey, Greaser! Hey Pancho! Over his shoulder I saw the giggling face of his girl friend, A boy pedaled by and announced matter of factly, I pee on dirty Mexicans. (Rodriguez, 21).
His mother would get mad at him when he would get dark in the sun. When I was a boy the white summer sun of Sacramento would darken me so, my T-shirt would seem bleached against my slender dark arms. My mother would see me come up the front steps. She d wait for the screen door to slam at my back (Rodriquez, 20) She would make such remarks as You look like a Negrito , and You know how important looks are in this country .
Blacks continue to struggle for equality and freedom; many racist whites feel that blacks does not deserve to live as well as them. They do not want to see them accomplish anything. Moreover, they will do whatever it takes so that blacks will not succeed. Instead of blacks standing up for them and making it their life dream to accomplish something, many of them settle for less. Although we have to work harder to make our dreams reality, it is worth the time and effort.
When many people think about racism, they simply think about someone not liking a group of people because of their cultural background, Skin color, hair type, or facial features (Appiah, 71) . No one actually thinks about the other things that go along with it. We are all human and I feel that everyone, despite race, color, or cultural background deserves the same amount of respect.
Racism is very deep. It goes further than calling someone a nigger or a redneck. Churches have been burned to the ground, as well as homes, and people have been beaten and/or killed. Whites have been able to get away with many things just because of their color. Things of this nature still go on today.
Many people are racist because they were either taught or raised that way. Some may have also had a bad experience with a person of a different race. Many whites do not want to see others get ahead; they feel they are the dominant race. They feel they are better than everyone else and no one deserves to have as much as them. Although they may not have finished high school or went to college, they feel that they are more educated than those who have finished school and have a degree.
Racism is not something you are born with; it is something you learn. For many people, racism was taught in the home. Parents teach their children to hate people of another race. They teach them to say bad things and call people bad names. They may think so because this may be the exact way they were raised. However, it is wrong. Children should be able to make their own decisions about whether they want to like or dislike people of other races