Everyone is racist, it seems harsh,
but it is true we all prefer one race over another and it’s natural. Racism has
always existed, it is the product of fear of something new and the need to feel
superior to others. Our fear is caused by our ignorance but that can change
just by learning about the customs of a culture. This is a natural human
quality because the unknown is scary for example the deepest part of the ocean
or the undiscovered galaxy. We all want the feeling of being superior to
another to boost our self-esteem, some more than others. Somehow, we see
something different and we automatically go towards hatred because we get
scared. After, getting accustomed to different cultures we get more comfortable
experiencing their customs and beliefs. It does take time because we hesitate
the idea of having different customs and beliefs.
In America racism was seen since
the beginning with Native Americans. Europeans came to the U.S. believing that
everything was theirs because they felt superior to the people living here. They
thought this because the Native Americans had different customs and beliefs
shaped around their environment. This is the reason why Europeans decided to kill
and enslave Native Americans instead of trying to learn from them. Native
Americans were also against Europeans because they knew nothing of them and
what they brought from Europe was strange and exotic. Another example, of
racism in America was the enslavement of Africans Americans. After, there
weren’t enough Native Americans to use for labor white Americans decided to go
to a country that they believed inferior. Americans brought people from Africa
to the U.S. and enslaved them because they weren’t seen as equal. It wasn’t
until 1955 to 1968 for the Civil Rights Movement to bring some sort of
equality. Racism can be formed from pure hatred and ignorance. This was seen in
the holocaust and the killing of Native Americans and the torture of African
Americans. Racism surrounds genocide because many believe that is the only
solution to end their fear. Hitler used hatred for power and blamed Jews
for their problems. People needed something to blame for their country’s problems
and being racist to Jews was their solution.
Even if people didn’t have the same idea
because they had an open mind it was hard to speak up. People who were racist
would threaten anyone who thought everyone is equal. So, those people with
open minds were shut down quickly. Later on, more people started to educate
themselves on the subject of racism and cultures, many more saw that everyone
is equal. With the knowledge of different cultures stereotypes formed and
people were affected in their judgment. We live in a society where some people
do believe these stereotypes and they form their opinions before getting to
know someone. When you meet or see someone you automatically assume some part
of their personality because of their skin color or features. As people we need
to have compassion and an open mind for everyone.
The title of this post really caught me off guard, but then again I couldn't help but agree with your statement. In my day-to-day life, I fully support the idea of equality for all people, regardless of skin color, gender, disability, etc. However, I know from my youth that I was raised to be judgmental of those who are different from me. Although I no longer have this point of view on others, I still catch my subconscious being discriminatory of others. So your statement is very true, I think it's just a matter of how we intend to act on it.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post, very well-written. Based on this, isn’t racism an instinctual thing that is based more on familiarity than race? I enjoyed reading this because it presents a common topic in a new light. Good post
ReplyDeleteI completely AGREE!!! Racism is something that is faced everyday whether it's towards you or someone else,this was thoroughly explained and thought out along with the valid history behind where it all began. I really appreciate this piece.
ReplyDeleteThis piece is very relevant to the problem of today's world and accurately captures how racism has become natural. Your use of early American examples were very strong and appropriate to include as it supported your stance about racism. Great work!
ReplyDeleteThe title alone hooked me into reading what you had to say. This piece speaks to the current racial tension still in the U.S. today. It is unfortunate that this is a problem that can hold us back as a nation. This pointed to self-reflection to check myself how I judge people. Overall, great piece and well done!
ReplyDelete-Joseph Madere Period 1
As a member of the Black Student Union Board your title alone had me hooked! I agree with your statement that people having a racist mindset is due to ignorance making those that are more open minded and quick to learn not automatically racist. I like that you included the examples of the Native Americans and African Americans to show an example of how ignorance caused genocide and constant hatred. I appreicate you writing about this topic. -Sabrina Wilkerson- P.1
ReplyDeleteI totally agree! We all go out give speech about "WE ARE AGAINST RACISM" but at the end of the day we all do it and most of face the reality. I was personally attacked because of my religion and skin color, which did broke my hurt and respect for some people but not people. Because when i shared this incident to my friend back in my country, they asked why i am even living here and why don't i go somewhere else and my reply was " this country gave me more than it took from me. " And it's so sad that, RACISM still does exist and it's our fault. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts out here. I hope it will make difference.
ReplyDelete-Taslima Ahamed
-Per: 05
Hi Jocelyn, I agree with others on how your piece is so applicable with our world today and especially now. I 100% agree with you on how others and even myself can be so quick to judge someone based of the color of their skin. Sometimes we don't intentionally mean to judge others but, it's what we hear and learn from our surroundings. Also I agree with you that once we learn about people's cultures and who they are as a person; we can leave our first judgement behind. Great piece Jocelyn, loved it!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this because you covered all the main topics surrounding Racism and made very valid points. I believe in equality for everyone but reading this reminds me that there are still those out there that believe otherwise.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you racism is everywhere and it happens everyday. It’s true that when we don’t know something about someone who is different from us we do tend to Set our minds about it. I loved how you put examples on how this has been going on around the world from the beginning.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this piece it was very blunt and to the point. I also agree with what you said about how racism is everywhere and very much still alive. I'm really glad that you chose to write about racism especially since it is a topic that most people would choose to avoid because it makes them "uncomfortable".
ReplyDeleteThe title of this is what brought this to my attention .I completely agree with you and made very good points to support your reasoning. Racism is a super controversial topic so props to you for writing your opinion about it. You're right we do need to show more compassion and be more open minded towards people. Great job:).
ReplyDeleteI would rather say everyone is born with a preference to their own ethnic group rather than racist. I completely agree that most of racism is derived from fear and ignorance of other ethnic groups. I view racism as hatred or acts of discrimination to another group something that I don't believe were born with but rather it's taught by parents or friends etc.
ReplyDeleteAt first when I looked at the title to your post I was a little skeptical but now I completely agree. And I know not everyone in society will judge a person entirely based on their race but many people will define at least one characteristic based on first glance so I like how you added that element in the end. Good job Jocelyn!
ReplyDelete"Racism" has pretty strong connotations, but I do agree that we are all subject to various degrees of prejudice. It's a shame that people who are more openly racist tend to speak louder than open-minded individuals. I think you did a good job using a wide variety of historical examples to identify the problem, and that's the first step of working toward a solution! ����
ReplyDeleteSuch a sensitive, yet needed topic that you just discussed. I totally understand and believe that people are racist because of not truly understanding. Even though I do consider myself open-minded and quite diverse myself, I still find myself victim to racist, or ignorant thoughts. I sometimes find myself judging someone simply because I don't know them. Thank you for touching up on this topic that we all have dealt with. Such a great blog post, loved it!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very well written piece that speaks upon a sensitive topic that many would just rather avoid. Although I agree with a majority of your writing, I have to disagree with a part of your statement and say that preferring a certain race over another is not exactly racism but just a preference to certain traits or characteristics of a specific ethnic group.
ReplyDeleteThe title caught my attention as it had caught me off guard and I knew from there that I had to definitely read this piece. This is a topic that does need more people being vocal about it because we are subject to various forms of prejudice as we see it revolve around in our social climate nearly constantly. Your piece is very truthful, and we have to progress ourselves further to act in a more open point of view.
ReplyDeleteThis post captivated me and made me want to keep reading because your take on the topic of racism was one I wasn't really familiar with before. I also really liked how you tried to have a real and practical stance on the topic and didn't sugarcoat anything. Thank you for sharing and great job!
ReplyDeleteUsually the topic of racism is always very one sided when being talked abut, however I found it really interesting that you gave both sides on why racism happens and how we can fix it. By you telling all sides of this problem I felt this made your piece very convincing and helped get your message across of stopping this issue. I really enjoyed reading your piece great job!
ReplyDeleteAs soon as I saw the title I instantly wanted to read your piece. I like how you made your piece relatable by using "we" throughout the piece to connect with your audience, making us reflect on ourselves to see in what ways and how we've happened to be racist on our own lives. I like how you explained how racism came about in the United States and examples of how this issue is still prevalent today. This piece shows how you want changes in racism and I like how you ended it encouraging people to be more open-minded and compassionate to make those changes.
ReplyDeleteWhen I hear someone say they’re not racist, I laugh especially because you are right: everyone is at least a little racists. I’m so glad you wrote about something many people are too afraid to vocalize. Great use of historical examples like the Holocaust, and the enslavement of African Americans and Native Americans. Those important yet disappointing times in history help add to the fact that people do horrific things out of fear and hatred. Thank you for writing this.
ReplyDeleteYour post perfectly puts my thoughts into words. I completely agree with you that racism is a fear of the unknown. It is a shame that people are born this way but if people were taught about other cultures, people would be more accepting.
ReplyDeleteYour post really helped my realize that racism is still a problem at hand and we need to start saying things to stop it. Its sad that it is still a problem we still face today. Your post most definitely made me and most likely more kids realize that this is still a thing people face today.
ReplyDeleteYour use of examples such as the Holocaust and Native Americans helped to support your idea. I also believe that racism is a common trait found in human beings. Despite it being a undeniable evil, it still exists today. Your statement on how education and acceptance to other cultures would help the idea of racism is one that is very true. Great piece
ReplyDeleteThis is relevant to us all. In today's society we say that racism is not a major issue, as it has greatly improved from before the civil rights movement. However, racism is still very much prevalent in our lives. Although most of us are careful to not outwardly show it, we know that there are certain groups of people who we refuse to associate with due to underlying biases and beliefs.
ReplyDeleteLoved the title that immediately caught my eye. The topic is something a lot of people fear talking about and the fact that you faced it head on while remaining aware of the sensitivity of the topic was great. It is important that we continue to remind people that racism is still alive. Nice use of history and the present to support that.
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