Racism is the belief that certain races are above others. It is the idea that a person’s social and moral traits are pre-determined by their ethnicity. The historical Atlantic slave trade, where the Caucasians enslaved some 12 million Africans, proves that racism has always existed. Nowadays, many people have the misconception that racism exists in minimal amounts. This is quite simply false.
The U.S. is known for being the melting pot of the world, with dozens of ethnicities and cultures rubbing shoulders everyday. This diversity was caused by waves of immigrants in the 19th century, waves that still continue to move today. The prevalence of diversity in the U.S, however, immediately caused friction between the different ethnicities. The African-American’s endured the bulk of the backlash, with discriminatory laws against them locked and loaded by the mid 19th century, barely half a decade into the existence of the U.S.
Racist people exist in two forms: those that are covertly racist and those that are outwardly racist. The vast majority of contemporary society rightfully looks down upon the outwardly racist. These are the people that openly and publicly condemn certain races. For the majority of American history, this unfortunately was the form of racism that was most predominant.
However, it is the covertly racist that will be the topic of this article. They are the people that are racist in subtle and disguised ways. Covert racism is hidden in the fabric of society; often going unnoticed and rationalised by explanations that society is more willing to accept.
An example of covert racism is the division of races in urban areas in the 1950s. After World War 2, urban areas were divided into blocks by race. Minorities had to live in areas that were less desirable than the areas that Caucasians populated, such as areas that were close to toxic dumps or noisy highways. The argument that the separation of races would lead to less violence is a clear scapegoat of society’s enduring covert racism. The wide acceptance of this subtle racial segregation, even to today, is an arrow that points towards the xenophobia that still inhibits Caucasians in the U.S. to this day.
It is true that these people do not mean to be racist. It is often the subconscious mind that makes a decision on certain races, based on the racial stereotypes drilled into the brain by mainstream media. An anonymous sophomore says, “[It is] sad to say, but I think [it is] true that some people immediately assess the credibility of strangers based on skin color or culture. I think that people immediately group certain ethnicities based on the things they hear on TV, such as “ISIS” becoming almost synonymous with “Islam”, and obviously [that is] not the case.”
Whether it is the 1800’s or the 2000’s, racism still exists. It always will. The inherent mentality of humanity dictates this. We are still a predatory species, whether we want to be labeled as one or not. We “prey” on our own kind; shaming and putting other ethnicities that are so-called “lower than our own.” Sadly, there is not much we can do to curb this ideology, unless we start to treat everyone, regardless of ethnicity or race, with the same amount of respect and integrity.
Poon Singhatiraj
