Is Racism and Anti Semitism Still Alive in the Us
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Racism is defined as the hatred that one person has for another person because of their race or culture. Racist individuals believe that another person is less human because of skin color, or cultural beliefs are different from those viewed by the racist. Anti- Semitism is a hatred of Jews, therefore it is also racism. When hatred is focused on a particular race or culture it can take the form of racism. Racism has been present all through history and because hatred is a basic human emotion, will probably exist through eternity.
Discrimination is also a part of racism. It is the act of treating people differently. It is defined in the American Heritage dictionary as “treatment or consideration based on class or category rather than individual merit; partiality or prejudice.” (American Heritage dictionary, 2010). Samuel Lucas (Lucas, 2010) proposes that discrimination is the act of social individuals, but not only that; discrimination also entails the matrix of norms, values, and public support mechanisms that are erected by that persons norms, values and mechanisms. In other words, people that discriminate are products of their environments, therefore the hatred is bred.
African Americans have endured the pain of racism and discrimination since the beginning of time. They have been humiliated, enslaved, murdered, and persecuted simply because of the color of their skin. After the Civil War ended in 1865 African Americans were faced with many inequities. Although the Civil War was aimed at freeing the slaves, situations seemed to remain the same for the freed slaves. They still had to fight for the same rights that white people had although laws like the thirteenth , fourteenth and fifteenth amendments had been passed to help African Americans with equal protection legally. (Bowles, 2011). From many years before the civil war era to the present, African Americans have worked for social equality by means of boycotts, and other measures of civil rights movements. Although the Civil War was aimed at freeing the slaves, situations seemed to remain the same for the freed slaves.
Things have changed drastically for the African-American as far as race relations is concerned over time, however, racism still exists. Numerous advances have been made against polarity concerning African-Americans that have lessened the severity of racism. Although discrimination still exists, it is not as blatant as it used to be. Today it is carried out in a more careful and covert fashion.
Examples of racism are evident from the simplest of community affairs to the most complex government policies. From the beginning of time, people have been judged as less human because of the color of their skin, and the customs associated with their particular sect. Wars, slavery, and some legal programs such as the Black Codes have been influenced by hatred. Because hatred breeds hatred, racism will exist forever as generations pass on their hatred towards others to their children. In this case, the easiest way to reduce hatred is to starve the hate; simply do not feed into it.
Some examples are racism are:
Denial of right to marry someone of another race.
A Louisiana judge, Keith Bardwell, is yet another indicator that racism is still alive in America. In 2009, despite the election of the first African-American President, Bardwell refused to give a marriage license to an interracial couple. This action placed Justice of the peace Bardwell in the