Racism: Understanding the Problem

# Racism ## What is Racism? Racism is a prejudicious conception that categorises one race on intrinsically superior or better than another. It also includes beliefs, attitudes, institutional anangement and acts that tend to designate individuals/groups because of phenotype characteristics or ethni...

# Racism ## What is Racism? Racism is a prejudicious conception that categorises one race on intrinsically superior or better than another. It also includes beliefs, attitudes, institutional anangement and acts that tend to designate individuals/groups because of phenotype characteristics or ethnic origin. In countries where racism exists REVERSE RACISM may also exist. Reverse racism refers to the phenomenon where majority groups face discrimination. It is a term used to describe the discrimination against members of the majority group. It is NOT a crime to be human. In the world today there are many skin types, if it were up to me there would be no hype, Black or white, yellow or brown. You should not look at people with a frown, we are all the same, the color of our blood, you should not throw other races in the mud. So it really doesn't matter, the place of our birth, if we all realize we're from the same earth. ## Types of Racism ### Old vs. Modern Racism Racism can be divided into two types: old and modern/symbolic. * **Old Racism:** Based on biological and skin color * **Modern/Symbolic Racism:** More subtle and indirect forms of racism. There is a diagram that depicts this with an arrow pointing from "Old" to "Modern or Symbolic" in order to symbolize that modern racism is a continuation of old racism. ### Types of Modern Racism - **Institutional Racism** - Institutional racism is revealed by policies and practices within organizations and institutions that contribute to discrimination for a group of people. - **Cultural Racism:** - It is seen in the assumed superiority of a language, values, beliefs, worldviews, and cultural artifacts dominant in a society. - **Social & Political Racism:** - Social racism often includes prejudices against a group or community. - Political racism is used to describe discrimination based on nationality. #### Institutional Racism - **Religion Discrimination:** - Discrimnation against people on the basis of their religion is a form of institutional racism. - **Gender Discrimination** - This refers to discrimination based on an individual’s gender as a member of society. - **Hierarchy:** - This refers to the ranking of different groups in a society, with some groups being given more power and privilege than others because of their assumed race. #### Social & Political Racism - **Individual:** - This is the kind of racism that is exhibited on an individual level. - **Nationalism:** - Nationalism is a type of racism in which the majority group believes that their country is superior to all others. #### Cultural Racism A horizontal chart is presented to show the key components of Cultural Racism: | | | ----------- | | **Language** | | **Dress** | | **Food** | Under **Language** there are pictures of 5 different styles of Muslim women's head coverings. Under **Dress** there are pictures of 2 women wearing what appear to be business attire. Under **Food** there are pictures of many meals. - **Language:** - This kind of cultural racism is when a language is treated as superior to other languages. - **Dress:** - This kind of cultural racism is when the dress of a particular group is treated as being better than other styles of dress. - **Food:** - This kind of cultural racism is when the food of a particular group is treated as being better than other types of food. ## Causes Of Racism - Socioeconomic status - Mentality of superiority - Lack of diversity in the area - Unfamiliarity - Stereotypes - Selfishness - Environmental factors - Ignorance and peer pressure - False perception - The desire to exploit other people ## Examples of Racism ### Examples for Old Ways of Racism: The document provides two images as examples of old racism: - **1863:** A black man with wounds all over his back. - **Late 1800s:** A black man on his knees while being whipped by a white man. ### Examples of Racism in Modern Times: These examples are presented as image captions from social media. - Examples of racism in the media: - A picture of Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj who had a public disagreement. The caption says "Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj get in Twitter spat over MTV VMAs nominations —ow.ly/PUZEY". - A picture of the singer Rihanna, she is being portrayed with an angry expression. The caption says “Dear @EW: Lef's reverse the imagery & not uphold the angryblackwomen stereotype" - **Cultural Appropriation** - “@glamgira It's the evolution portion of #wallflower artistry summer challenge! I’ve chosen Ganesha, the Hindu God of success. - Credit: thisiseverydayracism.tumblr.com” - **Portraying Both Sides As Equal:** - Two images of characters from Disney movies - one is of a evil character from Aladdin, the other is from The Little Mermaid. - “They’re not like you and me which means they must be evil" - “They’re different from us which means they can’t be trusted" - **Examples of Racial Bias** - “A White Man With A Criminal Record Is More Likely To Get A Job" — Image shows two men of different ethnicity: a white man and a black man wearing prison clothes. - “Black People Face Stricter Punishments For The Same Crimes" — Image shows a newspaper headline on a computer screen — ‘Parents Whose Kids Were Found Locked In A Cage Won’t Go To Prison’. Also, a black woman is shown being interviewed by police, the caption for the image says ‘Single mom arrested for abandoning kids at food court while interviewing for job 30 feet away ow.ly/PMDK ## Racism Across The Globe The article lists the 12 most Racist Countries in the World: 1. India 2. Pakistan 3. Russia 4. Israel 5. Germany 6. Japan 7. Rwanda 8. Australia 9. United Kingdom 10. USA 11. Saudi Arabia 12. South Africa ### India Racism exists not just in terms of color, but also cast and religion. Black people have been victimised in many occasions. - Blames the British for being racist. - Advertisement for fair-skinned people in matrimonial ads. - Image of a headline “African girl beaten & stripped". ### Pakistan Conflicts between Shia and Sunni groups. Hostility towards Indians, Africans and Latin Americans. - Image of an inflammatory statement: “Shias are not Muslims!…Shias are the enemies of Islam and Muslims. May Allah (swt) punish them.” ### Russia Xenophobia prevails allover the nation. They are racist towards Africans, Asians, Caucasians, Chinese etc. ### Japan The Japanese government encourage ‘positive discrimination.’ ### Germany Neo Nazis still exist, who openly express Anti-Sematic views. - An image of a protest with a sign that says “RAPEFUGEES stay away, NOT WELCOME” ### Australia Racism exists despite the population being diverse. In 2009, there were many cases in Australia wherein Indians were targeted and harassed. Almost 100 cases were filed and in 23 cases, there were racial undertones. - An image of a sign that says “BUGGER OFF WERE FULL” - An image asking the question “RACIST AUSTRALIA?”. ### United Kingdom They call Indians ‘DESI’ and the Americans ‘YANKEES’. They also show hatred towards the Muslim community. - Images of signs that say “PROTECT PENRITH SAYS NO TO MOSQUES”. ### United States of America In the Deep South and Mid-West regions racism is very common, be it against Asians, Africans, South Americans or even the actual people of USA – the Native Americans. - Images of signs that say "I'M NOT A RACIST" and “NO DOGS NEGROES MEXICANS" ### Israel Heavily criticized for their oppression against Palestinians. - Images of signs saying “Don’t forget to go back to the jungle in Africa." "We don’t need you in Israel!” and “Ga’s the Arabsi JDL” ### Saudi Arabia Laborers from Bangladesh, India and Pakistan are exploited. Saudi nationals mistreat the poor. Refugees from Syria are also maltreated. - Image of a sign that says “NO WHITES ALLOWED” ### South Africa Apartheid may have been abolished and racist behavior may be illegal but racism is a fact of life. Rates of products and good are decided depending on the race of a person. ### Rwanda The 1994 genocide between Hutu and Titsu tribes was a shame to the entire human race. - Image of a skinny man crawling, and also an image of a pile of skulls. ### Racism in Bangladesh In Bangladesh racism occurs in various forms. Colorism is the most widespread form of racism in the country. - Elias Mollah, an Awami League MP commented on Bangladesh Army's visit to Congo saying: _"Our army has gone there (Africa) to civilise those black people. I am sure they will accomplish the task. They take bath every 15 days. After applying soaps before bath, they do not even use water in a bid to retain the aroma."_ - Images of homes that were attacked. One of the captions reads “Biharis and Bengalis are extremely hostile to each other. In 2014, Mirpur Bihari camp was attacked on the occasion of Shab-E-Barat. 10 Biharis were killed and their houses burned." - **In 2013, nearly 50 houses in six Chakma and Tripura villages were attacked in Matiranga based on the rumor that a Bengali had been kidnapped by the indigenous people.** -**The whole thing was in fact staged.** ## Overcoming Racism We can choose many things in life—but we cannot choose our parents or racial background. Racism has been the motive behind: - Assaults - Vandalism - Humiliating people - Deliberately excluding people ## Good News! **Racism is not only very serious, it is 100% preventable.** ## How to Prevent It? 1. Film the accident. 2. Call for help. 3. Support the victim. - **Support others who have come forward.** - **Change policies and practice in your workplace.** **So next time you see racism occurring—don’t just stand by—** **STEP UP!** ## Strategies to Overcome Racism - Role of educators - Cooperative learning groups - Eliminate biases - Behave more as decent human beings - Establish support for mental health - Change yourself before attempting others - Understand the depth of the problem - Determine short term and long term goals - Learn about your community - Speak up if you see racism in action. ## References - *http://listovative.com/top-12-most-racist-countries-in-the-world/* - *https://rehmat1.com/2014/06/15/bangla-racism/* - *http://www.rantpolitical.com/2015/08/17/11-examples-of-casual-everyday-racism-in-our-society/* # Thank You