Race is more of a social construct that divides people into distinct groups based on their particular characteristics, including physical appearance, cultural history, and ethnic classification (Banton, 2018). Racism, on the other hand, is more of systemic subordination for members in targeted racial groups that tend to have little social powers such as the Black and Native Americans as well as the Asians (Banton, 2018). It is done by the members of the groups that have relatively more power like the Whites. The form of subordination is supported by the actions of individuals, norms, and values.
Racism has been experienced in the western powers towards individuals who are non-westerners for an extended period of approximately 500-1000 years ago (Banton, 2018). The westerners, more so the Europeans, plays a significant impact on the history of racism than any other group in the world. The perfect example of racism by the Europeans was slavery, particularly enslaving Africans in the new world. This habit of slavery was accomplished due to the racist ideologies that black Africans were inferior to humans than white Europeans.
Power and oppression are the primary roots of racism in the world. It is through the power that most groups tend to categorize others that have no potential to be inferior and therefore oppressing them in many ways; for instance, slavery on the blacks could have brought up by power and oppression through slavery itself (Bowser, 2017). For example, Jews were regarded to be inferior and anti-human from the anti-Semite groups, which later used their power to oppress them into slavery and even through murder as a punishment.
Darwin’s Theory
Darwin developed a theory on class and society where he had a view of the human origins and divided humanity into their distinct races according to the skin differences, eye, or the color of their hair. He convinced people that their evolution was progressive and that the white races were more advanced compared to the black races. It was the source of the race differences between these groups hence leading to racial hierarchy.
Darwin made emphasis on human unity and dwelt on superficial differences while having the assumption that there were races superior to others. He held the conviction that he grew up with the fact that that human beings need not be bought, sold, or owned. Darin describes the comfort of slave-owners in America, where he explains that there are people who believe they are smart than others while insisting that theirs is a scientific claim judged by the content they put out there rather than the context of values.
Reasons for Division between the Blacks and Whites
There is the belief that the division between the black and whites is from the idea that the blacks could be struggling to get ahead. From the economic realities, the financial situation of the blacks in comparison to those of the whites reveals that 30% of the blacks believe that they are becoming equally well-off while only 8% believes that blacks are better off than the whites as the rest 62% believes that blacks are worse off.
The main reason why blacks are having a harder time getting ahead these days is that there is racial discrimination, among other issues such as failing schools, racial discrimination, and the lack of jobs. Other factors include family instability and the lack of suitable models in society, as well as the lack of motivation.
Discrimination, according to Race, is a bigger problem in the present because the public thinks that perception is based on prejudice o individual people. The reason why discrimination has become a significant problem is that it is built on the laws of nations and institutions. The majority of black adults are mistreated in many of the institutional settings, such as the criminal justice system, the workplace, and financial institutions.
The blacks are treated less fairly than the whites when it comes to dealing with the police and the courts as well. The two races also differ in their opinions concerning the best approach to improving race relations. The trends in economic and demographic indicators provide the context of the experience and outlooks of blacks.
Theoretical Perspectives on Race and Racism
Functionalism
It seeks to build the framework that a society is a complex system where the elements work together in promoting stability and solidarity. Because of this theory, racial inequality served as an essential function for people to exist. This particular theory is problematic in suggesting that racism and discrimination positively contribute to society (Golash-Boza, 2016). A functionalist looks at the functions as well as dysfunctions that are caused by inequality.
The focus of the argument that racism is functional for the dominant group is the suggestion that racism morally justifies an unequal society. An example is the justification of slave-owners, where they suggested that black people were fundamentally inferior to the whites and had a preference for slavery than freedom. The support for white privilege is such that there are concrete benefits of gaining access to resources and social rewards. They have the power to shape the norms and values of the society that the whites receive both consciously and unconsciously.
Applying a functionalist perspective is discussing the positive contribution to the functioning of the society through strengthening the bonds existing in the in-group members through ostracism. A community may increase solidarity by refusing to allow access to outsiders. Some of the associated dysfunctions with racism include the failure to take advantage of the talent in the subjugated group. The society has to deviate from other time purposes and put efforts in maintaining racial boundaries. There is quite a lot of money, time, and also the effort that goes towards maintaining separate educational systems before the civil rights movement.
Conflict Theory
The theory helps to examine the past and current struggles between the ruling class of the whites and racial minorities. It also includes noting some of the specific conflicts that have emerged when the dominant group perceives a threat from the minority group (Golash-Boza, 2016). An example is in the 19th century, where there was the rising power of the black Americans soon after the civil war. However, it resulted in Jim Crow laws that limited the black political and also social ability. The politics have targeted the minority neighborhoods where there has been a pattern of attempted disenfranchisement and suppression of voter efforts.
The conflict theory advances the intersection theory that suggests the difficulty of separating the impacts of Race and racism. While examining how racism has both advantages and disadvantages of racism, it is also crucial to acknowledge that the way people experience Race is shaped by gender and class. There is a range of layers of disadvantage that intersect to create the way people experience Race.
Culture of Prejudice
It is the theory that prejudice is embedded in people’s culture. People grow when they are surrounded by images of stereotypes as well as casual expressions of Race and prejudice. The reason why racism still exists is that generation after another passes on the same idea that it is instilled in culture. They portray that an individual born to a particular lifestyle is considered a minority while another has power over them (Golash-Boza, 2016). They are thus unable to fight back and enhance equality.
People get exposed to images and thoughts, making it impossible to know to what extent they have influenced the thought processes. This way, the culture keeps revolving in a specific community, and they keep an identity of being minorities. The majority of blacks have believed that they are inferior to the whites because they are grown knowing the things that the whites have done and how they have treated the blacks. This way, it is symbolic that they have accepted to be subordinates of other races.
Interactionism
It is the theory that suggests that Race and ethnicity provide potent symbols that are the sources of identity. The theory proposes that some of the symbols for Race may have led to racism. The formation of racial prejudice is through the interactions of the members belonging to the dominant group. When these interactions do not exist, the individuals in the dominant group cannot hold racist reviews.
The impact of the interactions is that they contribute to an abstract picture of the subordinate group, where the dominant group is allowed to support its view of the auxiliary group (Golash-Boza, 2016). This way, there is the maintenance of the status quo. An example is where an individual has beliefs concerning a particular group based on the images that the media conveys. Additionally, the individual unquestionably believes these images even without personally meeting a member of the group.
The interactionism belief can be from the perspective of how people their Race to themselves and others as well. An example is how people define themselves as either being black or white. Some that claim a white identity tend to have a more significant amount of skin pigmentation while there are those that claim a black status.
Changes in Racism
Racism replaced prejudice, and it was understood as discrimination that was directed against an individual from a different race based on the belief that the Race of one individual is superior. In simple terms, it was wrong to think that there are people who are inferior as a result of something like the color of their skin.
Racism is an ideology that tends to undertake individual races to be inferior or superior to the other, with the perception of believing that an individual’s moral and social character is determined through his or her innate genetic behaviors and appearance. Racial autonomy, many times, is the perception based on discrimination in the fact that various races need to remain segregated and far from each other. However, racism has been in existence for many years since ancient times.
Racism is the detestation of one individual by the other and through the ideology that some people less more inferior than others in the basis of language, color, place of birth, cultural beliefs, and any other aspect that can display the true nature of an individual (Banton, 2018). Racism has triggered wars and conflict, the information of nations, slavery, and constitutional rights.
It is not possible that the attitudes towards the blacks will change overnight if they make a move of electing a black president like the instance with President Obama, where people changed their approach because they got to see him as an exceptional person. His election had the potential to reduce prejudice in unprecedented ways. People have to admit that attitudes present in racial prejudice tend to serve psychological and material functions. All these have features then have an underlying core that is quite resistant to change.
There need to be modern ways to deal with Race and racism by changing the demographics to ensure a more excellent representation of people of color. This way, it will produce more opportunities for interaction in the different groups. In a multicultural society, there will be more intergroup contact and closer friendships. Such experiences can impact positively on the way people think about Race and ensure they combat racism at its roots. Race is more of a social construct that divides people into distinct groups based on their particular characteristics, including physical appearance, cultural history, and ethnic classification that eventually leads to the subordination of the minorities to the superiors.
