Sadly, there are many problems in the world. However, today, we’ll be discussing only one specifically. That is racism. Racism is a very disgusting thing. By Wikipedia definition, racism is “the belief in the superiority of one race over another, which often results in discrimination and prejudice towards people based on their race or ethnicity.” To summarize, it basically means that you don’t like someone because of the color of their skin/where their ancestors came from. It is very unfortunate, and many races, such as the African American race, the Caucasian race, the Asian race, the Hispanic race, and the Arab race, experience racism.
Racism is caused by people not liking others who are different than them. For example, a Buddhist may not like a Christian, because the Buddhist doesn’t like the fact that the Christian individual has a different religion than them. Or, a Caucasian (white) person may not like an African American individual, because their skin colors are different. As you can see by the two examples previously given, racism is caused by the act of not liking differences between you and someone else. Yes, today’s society is all about expressing yourself and showing off your differences with pride. However, there is still huge amounts of racism occuring today. It’s upsetting, but it’s true.
Fortunately, there are a number of ways to prevent racism. One of the most effective ways is to speak up. When you witness acts of racism, speak up for the person/people/group being targeted. Say something, because it makes a huge difference. The next way is to learn about other cultures, races, and religions. Make an effort to educate yourself on the ways of different people. Moving on, the last way is to not assume things. Don’t create stereotypes about certain types of people, because this will add to the problem of racism and make it grow larger. These are just a few effective ways to help prevent racism.
Racism has a lot of dangers and consequences as it can have a heavy, negative impact on a lot of people. One huge way racism can be dangerous is that a certain group of people can gain privilege or superiority. To put this in simpler words, a certain group of people can gain more power and importance compared to other groups of people. When a certain group of people gain superiority, there’s a list of negative things that come from it. They may be paid more, hired for jobs more, subjected to police/law enforcement related actions much less than other groups of people unlawfully, etc. As you can see, this will create unfairness and unethicality. Racism can have a negative effect on people and society.
How would a world without racism be? In my opinion the world would be a much better place without racism. More love and positivity would be the result of a world where racism is non-existent. This love and positivity would outnumber the amount of negativity and hate in our world/society, which is exactly what we need. With all of the problems in the world, a significant reduction of negativity would be perfect. And this reduction can occur if racism is completely gone. Nobody can feel joy or happiness from being racist. So why is racism a thing?
Yes, racism still exists today. There are even ways to be racist subconsciously. For example, in the US, why are Caucasians (whites) the only racial group classified solely as Americans? Every other racial group has an adjective. For example, African American, Arab American, etc. Why can’t African Americans and Arab Americans be classified solely as Americans, just like those of the Caucasian race? This is an example of subconscious racism, as most people don't recognize this as racism, however it is, because you’re separating groups because of the color of their skin or where their ancestors came from.
By doing a little research, I found that there are actually 4 main forms of racism. The first one is “individual racism.” Individual racism is when an individual is consciously racist and has a personal prejudice towards a racial group. An example of individual racism would be using racial slurs, or referring to a race in a derogatory manner. The second form of racism is “everyday racism.” Everyday racism includes many (and sometimes small) ways racial discrimination from Caucasians affects non-Caucasians. For example, the way a Caucasian looks, gestures towards, or speaks to someone of color. The third form of racism is “cultural racism.” Cultural racism is when you discriminate against an individual based on their cultural practices, values, and norms. Lastly, we have our fourth type of racism, “systemic racism.” There are two types of this form of racism. The first type is called “institutional.” This type of racism includes the prevention of minorities having equal and full involvement in society. The second type of systemic racism is called “structural.” Structural systemic racism includes the inequalities of a society that particularly exclude substantial amounts of members in a specific group from significantly measured amounts of participation in important social activities.
In my last paragraph, I will explain how I personally can help participate in the reduction of racism. The first way is to speak up. If I see racism occuring in school and/or other public places, I can speak up for those being targeted. The second way would be to attend anti-racism gatherings. Another way would to be politely correcting someone when they either make a racist joke, or are unconsciously racist. Many people make racist jokes, which is very wrong, and the sooner the reduction of racist jokes occurs, the closer we are to becoming a non-racist society. And obviously, as I stated before, many people are subconsciously racist, (racist when they don't intent to be) so I can politely and effectively correct them on that. Racism is a very terrible thing, and I hope to see the amount of racism in society significantly decrease very soon.
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"What Are the Effects of Racism on Society?" What Are the Effects of Racism on Society? | Society. Web. 18 Nov. 2018.
wikiHow. “How to Help Reduce Racism.” WikiHow, WikiHow, 6 Nov. 2017, www.wikihow.com/Help-Reduce-Racism.