Racism is one of the major factors resulting from stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination. Examples of social problems are domestic violence, human trafficking, rape, among others. There are many social problems in society because interaction among people is evident. Social problems affect an individual or society and can bring damage or ill relationship between people. This paper aims to discuss the overview and policies developed to address racism in society.
Overview of Racism in the Society
Racism is a major problem because it causes harm to those who are segregated based on their skin color. Racism has been a challenge in many countries such as the US, Britain, Germany, and Asian countries. For example, one can be eliminated in a work procedure because of their skin color. In most cases, African Americans suffer such a vice from white people, especially where most nationals are whites. According to Bush (2017), racism profoundly impacts people’s welfare, health, and peace of mind. Some of the effects include depression, anger, among others. The regular racism experience has led to people withdrawing from schools, competitions, and working environments.
For example, in the US, opinions about the state of racism indicate that more than half of the US nationals are not content with how the problem is handled. African Americans are particularly not contented with the country’s progress on racism issues. From Jochnowitz’s (2018) research, many people living in the US of black, Asian, or Hispanic descent say that white citizens utter racist comments during discussions on fairgrounds (Jochnowitz, 2018). The survey conducted shows inequality in racial issues in the US (Bush, 2017). Many people who are interviewed on their personal experience say that racism has not yet been solved in many regions across the world.
The effects of racism can bring an ill impact on society. First, it leads to psychological torture as people will have low self-esteem in general matters. People who have experienced this social injustice reflect on their lives as a group that is less fortunate and meaningful in society. The extent of the matter is evident because people have committed suicide because they seek to leave the world of uncertainties (Jochnowitz, 2018). There is a need to have public sensitization on how to handle such situations in society.
Other countries have indicated a similar report where there is a high risk of diseases among African Americans, almost twice that of whites. In the healthcare field, workers from the marginalized category will likely not express their concerns about the lack of protective equipment as they feel they will not be heard (Jochnowitz, 2018). In schools, racism affects the learners’ performance, specifically to students of African American descent.
There are reportedly low academic results as the learners do not have the motivation to pursue their academic goals if subjected to racism. The social development of learners who are taken as victims of racism is not much grown due to the challenges of lack of self-determination to pursue school life opportunities. In sports, players who have gone through racism are seen to have aggressive behavior directly to the side where the vice is coming from.
The present perspective of racism is increasing in some parts of the world. The social problem has not yet been eliminated from society due to the self-centeredness of people who commit the offense. For example, George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police sparked a raft of reactions globally as the matter portrayed an extreme level of segregation on black people-based criminology matters (Aratani, 2020). Most whites, blacks, and Hispanics acknowledge that race relations are poor across the world (Rigby, 2017). To reduce racism, there is a need to have deep counseling and guidance on public relations internationally.
History of Racism
Racism is not a new issue because it dates back to the 15th century where over twelve million people were abducted from Africa and taken to the US through the famous transatlantic slave trade. On the hectic traveling, only eleven million people survived the two-month journey (Solly, 2020). There continued to be other mandatory slave trades where Africans were forced to join troops in World Wars. For example, the story of John Casor gained popularity because he lost a court case that was purposely to determine whether or not his contract has lapsed (Solly, 2020). John Casor became the first individual to be declared a slave for life in the US. Additionally, the life of Matilda McCrear, who is said to be the last known survivor of the transatlantic slave trade, is an example of people who encouraged the stopping of the slave trade. McCrear refused to use her master’s last name and did not get influenced by the western lifestyle.
Other great people such as Martin Luther King Junior were advocates of the end of racism evident in their US times. Racism was characterized by forced labor, sodomization of young girls and women, killing of rebels who disputed racial classes, and prosecution with torture for people who were perceived to be against it (Solly, 2020). Fredrick Douglas cannot be forgotten on slavery matters linked with racism because he challenged whites not to despise black Americans as they were also human beings (Solly, 2020).
Other roots to show and indicate racism was present in the letter that black men and women wrote from Nashville in the 19th century to express grievances to the convention union members (Wilson, 2021). The letter was written by black Americans and was addressed to Nashville union leaders. In the letter, they gave submissions that required attention, such as the right to own property and equality in school enrollment.
The human rights impacted by racism include the right to life, own property, and freedom of expression and movement. People who are abused racially are said to lose hope in life and take their lives by accusing the oppressors of limiting their life to a significant level (Rigby, 2017). For example, the apartheid rule in South Africa that segregated people based on their color is a crime against humanity. The right to have equal employment opportunities is breached if the job is assigned by analyzing one’s race (Rigby, 2017). Additionally, the government offices headed by racist workers might deny someone having a license to own a particular thing, concluding a violation of the right to own property.
Values and interests that have catalyzed racism include the need to have cheap labor, the desire to be superior in society, the prestige of neocolonialism, the curiosity to have categories of human class, among others. For example, the slave trade in search of free service personnel was aimed at developing industries in western countries at African countries’ expense (Bush, 2017). The result would be to rule over everything, and perhaps that is where the ideology of superpower came. The cultural perspective, such as the strong political name in some countries such as Germany during Adolf Hitler’s reign, gave racism a big advantage to enter that country. Germany, for instance, wanted to equal the political power that the US had together with Russia.
The cultural interests associated with racism are due to the ethnic profiling of people based on their backgrounds. For example, people from the western world, such as in the US, Canada, and Mexico, have been stereotyped to be of higher class because they come from stable economies compared to the other parts of the world. Therefore, in any forum that requires opinions from different participants, people can be neglected if they do not have complexion as the white people from the western world. Political reasons as to why racism occurs are prejudice that people of color cannot guide a country in any productive opportunities. The stereotype is not true because political leadership capability is based on one’s diligence and skills.
However, the perspectives of economic and cultural issues on racism have changed over time due to globalization. For example, it is against the law to exploit one for economic gains irrespective of their class, ethnicity, and background. The economic developments with the aid of technology have removed the notion that the human workforce is not required at all times. The cultural perspective on racism has changed when black people have taken part in key matters such as politics, academics, research, and art and design (Solly, 2020). For example, black players have won many awards due to their diligence in sports and nurturing other people in the sport. The emergence of black presidents such as Barack Obama and the current vice president Kamala Harris in the US have proved that anyone can prosper in any a given perspective.
The groups that have been influential in racism matters include special interest groups against racism, lawmakers such as parliamentarians, disciplined forces such as the police, modern generation influencers such as bloggers, among others. There is no need to despise one due to their racial affiliations. Laws have been formulated and put into action to bar any activities encouraging racism in society (Rigby, 2017). Social work has responded to the racism by identifying racial cases that people have experienced and forwarding the matter to the authorities for legal actions to be taken against the perpetrators of the human rights acts.
Polices for Dealing with Racism
Legislation, such as setting laws into action for people who abuse others racially, has been imposed as racism’s major policy. After one is alleged of racial misconduct, they are arraigned in court and charged with a breach of human rights (Jochnowitz, 2018). The submissions are made and listened to where one is convicted and can serve in jail, pay heavy fines, or be restricted from carrying duties in public offices. Countries such as England have come up with public sensitization policies to avoid racism (Bush, 2017). For example, before the match commences, players have to kneel to communicate the need to stop racism. Other policies include creating a framework that combats all forms of racism, such as encouraging diversity in all perspectives such as schooling, workplaces, and transportation paraphernalia.
The current policy’s view eligibility on basis of equity and equality. The measures set discourage racial discrimination as a way of eliminating people from different perspectives. The policy aims at accountability for all people, including the racially abused group. The benefits being offered include the non-discriminatory laws that have been imposed to bring equality and prohibition against social profiling in the communities (Bush, 2017). The benefits are not sufficient because racially abused groups require more attention like awareness-raising and community engagement. The policies respond to the oppression by taking legal steps such as charging people guilty of racial discrimination. The current policies are significantly changing racism, with many factors determining the policy’s success.
The policies respond to the group’s oppression because it gives a directive on what can be done. For example, legislation policies allow one to be legally charged for committing racism against other people. There are consequences in the policies as people can conspire against an individual to allege that racism occurred when it did not. Therefore, people can be convicted of conspiracy to meet malicious demands for ill-minded people.
The policies’ outcomes are seen with the low cases of reported racial abuse in society. Legislation policies relate to human rights because it defends people against racial abuse. For example, one can be allowed to vote despite being black in the US and have the confidence to carry out other democratic rights. The policy is funded by allocating resources such as finances to campaign for the anti-racism program. The funding is not sufficient because it has not yet been fully implemented by all people in the society (Jochnowitz, 2018). Legislation policy is significantly effective as people have been penalized for carrying out racial discrimination.
Racism has been a major social issue in the world due to the adverse effects on the victims. It is triggered by the ethnic profiles defined by people in modern society. There is an urgent need to raise voices on incidents where racist culture is being practiced. With the anti-racism policies in place, potential racism victims will not suffer from the vice anymore.
References
Aratani, L. (2020). George Floyd killing: what sparked the protests – and what has been the response? The Guardian. Web.
Bush, R. (2017). Racism without racists: Color-blind racism and the persistence of racial inequality in the United States. Science & Society, 70(17), 431-434. Web.
Jochnowitz, L. (2018). Analyzing wrongful convictions beyond the traditional canonical list of errors for enduring structural and sociological attributes (Juveniles, racism, the adversary system, policing policies). SSRN Electronic Journal,11(2), 34-43. Web.
Rigby, M. (2017). Addressing racism: An approach to the promotion of positive policies. The Lancet, 390(10098), 931-932. Web.
Solly, M. (2020). 158 resources for understanding systemic racism in America. Smithsonian Magazine. Web.
Wilson, M. O. (2021). Negro building: Black Americans in the world of fairs and museums. University of California Press.