RACIAL DISCRIMINATION

Have you ever been joked at by people? For the color of your
skin, for your ethnicity or belief? That is just one of many
forms of racial discrimination. Racial discrimination has
existed for a long time, and even though there have been
efforts to stop racial discrimination, it occurs on an everyday
basis. People with racial differences are set apart from the
crowd and are harassed beyond belief. This results in divisions
that have separated the world and has created many conflicts.
So, if it’s so wrong, why is it still tolerated?

EXAMPLES FOR RACISM

1. Anti Seminitism
History provides us with many unfortunate examples of
racism. One example is anti-Semitism, the hatred and
mistreatment of Jews, a form of racism that targets people of
the Jewish faith. Particularly in the 1930s and 1940s, anti-
Semitism encouraged restrictive and draconian laws and
policies against Jews who were also a prime target for
scapegoating. For example, Jews were blamed for natural
phenomena such as famine or disease and for economic
woes. Jews were often abused, tortured, and expelled from
European countries
 2. Australian Aborigines
Another example of racism is perpetrated against the
Australian Aborigines, the native peoples of Australia. They
were seen as less than human and mistreated accordingly.
They were killed en masse, forcibly removed to reserves,
their sacred spaces desecrated, and their children were
removed from their families and placed in missionary
schools. This abhorrent treatment nearly led to cultural
genocide.
3. African Americans
One of the most egregious examples of racism is the history
of enslaved Africans. From the time of slavery in America,
African Americans have been treated poorly just because of
their different-colored skin. During the times of slavery,
Africans were bought and sold like cattle. They were often
separated from their loved ones, beaten, raped, and
murdered.
After slavery was abolished, African Americans were still seen
as less than human, considered to be only 3/5 human, and
not given their full civil rights. In the early 20th century,
African Americans organized the Civil Rights Movement. Rosa
Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X, along with
many others, protested Jim Crow laws, segregation, and
unequal treatment of African-Americans. While the Civil
Rights Movement alleviated some of the burdens of racism,
racism continues to exist and presents a challenge to modern
society.
South Africa also had a similar system to America's Jim Crow
laws and segregation, called Apartheid. Apartheid policies
were enforced for much of the 20th century but the people
protested and the world enacted sanctions against South
Africa because of it. Apartheid ended in 1994 with the
enfranchisement of black Africans and people of color in a
new constitution and the election of Nelson Mandela as
South Africa's first black African president.

Racism
Racism is the illogical belief that a particular race has
distinctive cultural traits endowed due to the genetic factors
that make individual races inherently superior to the others
and give them the right to exploit the inferior races. When
we openly state the meaning of racism, we can see how
inexplicable and unimaginable, such a thought is. But, racism
is so deep-seated in our consciousness and subconsciousness
that we have long bowed down to such infuriating ideals.
Such instances of subtle racism within a society are rampant
and lead to inexcusable behaviour of people towards others.
Such unjustifiable behaviour and actions are things like
mental stress, social harassment, and even physical assaults.
Since we have let racist comments and activities unnoticed, it
is left untreated and leads to more division and anger
between the two different people of different backgrounds.
It is a never-ending, vicious cycle and a massive crisis in
today’s world.
1. Racism is the wrong belief that some people are better
and superior to others due to their genetic trait
corresponding to their skin colour and race.
2. It refers to the thought that inherent physical
appearance has a link with personality and intelligence.
3. Many corrupt people use racism as an excuse to
justify horrific behaviour towards others.
4. The beginning of racism is somewhat unclear but
might have originated when migration began.
5. People think that passing casual comments that link
people’s work with their ethnicity is a joke.
6. Racism comes in several forms like symbolic,
ideological, structural, interactional, etc.
7. Ideas and assumptions about racial categories dictate
the behaviour of some people towards others.
8. Racism is a baseless and unscientific method of
judging people.
9. Racism is a discriminatory process of thinking which is
unacceptable.
10. We must correct people and not let casual racist
comments pass when we hear them.