So often I hear people say that America is still a racist country. I'm not sure I really see it. This may be because I am trapped in the "water" of the North Shore life, but I don't think that is the case. I started thinking about this when one of my American Studies teachers made a sarcastic comment about people who say America isn’t racist, referring to the fact that we have a black president. He said something along the lines of, “Oh, just because our president is black that means we aren’t racist anymore right?” and sort of laughed a bit. Our president is black. If our country is still prejudice towards black people, why would we have voted Obama in? People who play the race card to force their agendas remind me of Japanese soldiers who refused to believe WWII ever ended (http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/02/a-japanese-soldier-who-continued-fighting-wwii-29-years-after-the-japanese-surrendered-because-he-didnt-know/).
No, I’m not calling these people supporters of the Axis powers, I’m simply saying they are fighting a war that is already over. We have a black president. That should speak volumes. The days of discrimination are over. There are no more “Whites only” water fountains, no longer do white people get seating priority on busses. Everyone has the same rights. In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, he shared a few of his dreams. He dreamed that black and white children would be able to play and hold hands together. That is socially acceptable and legal in America. He dreamed that people in government (specifically the governor of Alabama) would no longer discriminate and hate on other races. President Barack Obama is not a racist man. He dreamed that as a nation we would recognize that all men are created equal. There are no laws in this country that prevent anyone of color to do what they want, live where they want, or work where they want. King Jr.’s dreams have come true. Of course I realize that there are people out there who are still racist inside, but as a country, we’ve done all we can do to help them. We have removed the disgusting, racist roadblocks for minorities in this country. The war for racism is over. Any racism left is personal, and is up to the individual to end. If you completely disagree with me, or have some thoughts about anything I just said, feel free to leave comments below.
4 comments:
While I agree that America has come a long way in the struggle with racism since the days of Martin Luther King Junior, I think it is absurd to say that, "The days of discrimination are over." There are many aspects of American life that to this day remain unequal, with clear divides right down the white/black line. For example, one area in which this problem still exists is in average income per household. NPR, a national radio news center, recently conducted a study and gathered extensive research. They found that, "In 2004, a typical black family had an income that was 58 percent of a typical white family's." How can it be said that discrimination is outright gone when black families still make less than 60 cents for every dollar their white counterparts do. It is impossible to deny that this disparaging gap is rooted in the racism, prejudice, and discrimination of the past. Unfortunately, this was not the most disturbing part. The data also suggests that the problem has not improved since the civil rights movement of the last century but has in fact gotten worse. The article goes on to say, "In 1974, median black incomes were 63 percent of those of whites." While many steps have been taken to reduce racism since Dr. King's time it seems misguided and ignorant to say, "but as a country, we’ve done all we can do to help them. We have removed the disgusting, racist roadblocks for minorities in this country. The war for racism is over. Any racism left is personal, and is up to the individual to end." Many disgusting injustices have been eliminated across the country but the country is far from reflecting one of its early foundations: that "all men are created equal."
First off, I commend you for making such a bold claim but I would have to pretty much completely disagree with you on nearly every point. First off to say that since we elected a black president means that Americans aren't racist is a huge stretch. All that means is that just over half of the nation isn't racist towards blacks. With nearly half of the nation unaccounted for it's impossible to say that because a black president no Americans are racist anymore.
In addition, you say that you realize that there are still some people who are racist on the "inside". Well I don't think there is any such thing. Say a business owner is racist and a white person and a Latino person apply for a job at their business. Who do you think will get the job? Also, there are plenty of people who are VERY racist on the outside. Take the shooting at a Sikh temple in August of 2012. Would that occur in a country where racism and discrimination are a thing of the past? Imagine being a Sikh or a Muslim or even just a person from the Middle East (because people's hatred after 9/11 seemed to often categorize all these groups as one: the enemy) living in America and hearing that on the news. I doubt they would say that the "war on racism" is over. Also, I wouldn't categorize it as a war, just people standing up for their rights. Similarly, I remember in 8th grade there was huge controversy over building a mosque 4 blocks from ground zero. I heard kids in my class openly protest this and say things like "THEY are being insensitive" and "that's so insulting of THEM". Taking their hatred of the people responsible for the horrible events of 9/11 and spreading it to cover an entire religion. If that isn't prejudice than I don't know what is.
I also disagree with the statement "as a country we have done all we can to help them". Assuming you mean minorities, I would argue that there are still laws in place that allow racism to continue. For example, "Stop and Frisk" is a policy that pretty much allows police officers to guess whether someone has broken the law based on how they look. According to the New York Civil liberties union, in 2012 90% of the citizens stopped were minorities. This is a law that clearly enables those with racial prejudice to harass people of color.
Dante addressed this as well, informing us of the income difference between black and white families. While I don't believe that this is mainly because of current racism, I do believe that this is because of the legacy of racism. Therefore, we can't say that "we have done all we can" to help minorities break free from the bonds of racism because it's clear from the difference of income that the legacy of racism continues to hold minorities down.
In conclusion, I would like to second what Dante said, "America has come a long way in the struggle with racism since the days of Martin Luther King Junior, [but] I think it is absurd to say that the 'days of discrimination are over'".
This blog certainly got me thinking, so much so that I wrote a post in response to the issues discussed:
http://middlenorthamerica.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-effects-of-silent-and-hidden.html
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