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Right now, I am kind of mesmerized by all the discussion of the anniversary of the March on Washington. And I am an NPR junkie. I also religiously read The New Yorker and The Atlantic - both liberal magazines. So warning - I am liberal.
Read the article at http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/08/my-march-on-washington-what-i-saw-and-what-still-hasnt-been-achieved/279056/. I found it interesting - especially the political statement at the end. So - Take a look. Read it. Let me know what you think about issues of race, poverty and education. Tell each other. Read each others' posts. THINK.
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ReplyDeleteI think growing up in the North most of us don't realize that race is still an issue. Though racism definitely is not the most predominant issue here, it still is in many other states and we can't forget that. There are still some high schools in the south that have segregated proms, which to me seems absolutely ridiculous. I agree with the author, there is still a lot to be done. I also believe that living in the North we do not see racism as an issue except for the occasional story like Trayvon Martin.
ReplyDeleteI personally believe that the issue of race has come a long way and I don't agree with the author's statement at the end. How can one say that prisons are overflowing with black males without addressing the crimes that put them there? I don't feel that our legal system has THAT many flaws where blacks would be put in jail solely on the color of there skin. Also, there are plenty of white people in jail too. Modern history (Barack Obama in particular) has shown that when a person has enough drive and ambition to achieve success then they have that power whether they are black or white. I completely understand that the struggles blacks had to go through to gain equality were difficult and unfair but I don't believe we are anywhere near where we were in 1963. The author states "it is not yet safe for a black teenager wearing a hoodie to walk through a white neighborhood" but is it honestly safe for a white teenager to walk through a black neighborhood? I think any situation is two-sided however many disagreements, especially involving people from our generation and even the one before, are over something other than the race issue.
ReplyDeleteThe issue of race has come a long way throughout the years, and I do disagree with the author's last statement, too. Throughout the years, interracial marriage has been legalized, and many black Americans have been successful (such as Barack Obama) in achieving their goals. There has been significant change with the discrimination issue. But, I believe that there are many other social issues that need to be addressed. This is sort of off topic, but the issue of LGBT Americans can go in line with this racial issue. Personally, as a gay teenager, I don't encounter any problems with my sexual orientation, but I know many people that do. Unfortunately, there are many people that are bullied because of their sexual orientation. It is sickening to hear about suicide as a result of bullying or discrimination. I believe true equality will never be reached, but any steps taken to reach that destination can benefit society. For example, over half of the US states do not have laws that protect LGBT citizens from keeping their jobs. In over 30 states, there are no laws that prevent discriminatory employment practices such as bias in hiring, promotion, job assignment, termination, and compensation, other types of harassment. Discrimination exists in not just racial form; it can be against any group, minority or majority. When our Constitution states that "all men were created equal," how come that does not follow in the US today? Unfortunately, these social issues exist and while many attempts have been made to stop these issues, they still exist and we have to live with them.
ReplyDeleteI agree 100%. I think we have to make equality a reality with small, but meaningful steps. It's awful to hear about other teenagers who harm themselves because they are discriminated against.
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ReplyDeleteI feel like our nation has come a long way in accepting blacks into the community as equals, considering what blacks had to go through in the 1900’s. However, I do notice that when a black man walks by, people still find the need to call him a “black man,” while if a white man walks by, he is just called a “man.” I’m not really sure if it’s because our nation is still slightly racist against anyone who is something other than white, or if we still subconsciously separate blacks specifically from any other race. I also do think it’s a concern how most of our prisons have a lot of black inmates, and how we associate “sketchy” neighborhoods and schools as being “black” communities.
Race is definitely a bigger issue than many people want to admit. I agree with Sydney that our location has lowered our opinion of the subject down to background noise that no one pays much attention to. The fact that people are consistently denounced as racist for non offensive remarks is a sign that our nation is not at all confident in itself on this subject. We use the term hate crime more as the standard than the extreme. Sometimes a murder is just a murder, and labeling it a hate crime as an instinct brings us more trouble than it should. There are still racist people, both voters and their elected officials. It isn't something that has gone away because of a few laws; its a cultural issue as well. The only way our nation can truly progress in this area is when race becomes irrelevant, not sensationalized. Thats something that can really only happen with time. Sure we've come a long way making blacks politically equal, but until they're also socially equal, the entire effort can still be wasted. We can not just give up on the issue and pretend it's finished because its been going on for so long as some of the other comments seem to imply. Its entire populations of America. You can't just say good enough and be done with it. I do, however, think that the author is being impatient with his statement at the end. Half a decade may feel like a long time to a person, but in relation to the world, it might not be enough time to turn around centuries of bigotry.
ReplyDeleteTo say a lot has not changed in fifty years would be incorrect, but it would also be incorrect to say that everything is perfect. Recently, a popular cheerios commercial that features an interracial couple has caused a lot of uproar. Ironically, it did not even cross my mind once that anything was odd and I saw the commercial many times. This leads me to believe some level of racism is lost on every generation and today we live in a more accepting culture regarding all discrimination. I don’t think that the issue of race will ever disappear, but with work it has and slowly will fade into history. I don’t believe that a man is thrown into prison because he is black; however, society still looks at a black man as a criminal. It is not so much a race issue as a perspective issue. America has a preconceived notion of who “we” are and what roles we play; this basic cultural mentality is where change must occur. So yes, we have made incredible progress in fifty short years, but social equality is still needed.
ReplyDeleteEveryone above me mentions many valid points.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kathryn that there are two sides to a story, and it is easy to victimize those that are in the minority. Stereotypes can be both ways, and such stereotypes are not fair to black or white people. Yes, the Trayvon Martin case demonstrates the racial strains of our country; but what about the more recent Oklahoma shooting of an Australian teenager who was jogging around a neighborhood? It isn't just not safe for a black person to wander around a neighborhood, it is not safe for a white person either. Obviously, after being treated unfairly for so long, many blacks resent whites. The tension between black and white people is nothing new, even though we have come a long way.
Furthermore, society is much too concerned with being politically correct than with being fair, as Alex described. The double standard within our society may never be fully overcome. However, we cannot move forward as a society if we constantly look backward about how blacks have been treated instead of progressing forward and becoming more accepting of others.
Annette also brings up a good point that can be connected to education and other resources available to those that are in the lower classes of our society. On the TV show "Inside Man" on CNN, Morgan Spurlock delved into the issue of education in the United States. One large factor of the US' inability to provide uniform education to all was the high amount of children who are living in poverty in the US. Personally, I feel that education needs to be addressed immediately. Too many students are unmotivated and are not receiving the educations that are able to help them live better lives. I don't think skin color correlates to someone's ability to perform a crime; both black and white people can perform a crime. However, I believe that poverty and being from a low income family does have a relationship to crime, and the disparity between the resources available for low income students and high income students is large.
Racism has always been a huge issue in our world. However, it has come a long way. No longer are people separated from the masses due to skin color. There are now so many more opportunities for both races. As Sydney said, from the North it looks like racism has almost been eradicated. But racism works both ways. The news might focus on black teenagers like Trayvon Martin but there are plenty of whites, Latinos, or Indians that are involved in hate crimes due to race. We, as Americans, never hear about the majority of these crimes.
ReplyDeleteRacism these days just means discriminating against blacks. No one ever thinks that racism can be against other races too. Our world is so careful now to make sure that the blacks are not put in a position to be prejudiced that we no longer worry about other races. Has there ever been a time when an Indian was prejudiced and we heard about it all over national television? Would it receive as much attention as a black man being prejudiced? Probably not.
The world has truly come a huge way. In 1963, no one ever thought that a black man could ever become President of the United States. We, in 2008, proved that thought wrong. Racism might still be here, but it's on the mend.
I agree with this article, but i do think that society has made leaps and bounds in accepting people of color. However, many people are still racist. They just hide it because racism is becoming less socially acceptable. The process of ending discrimination and racism is a long one. I look forward to the day when Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream becomes reality.
ReplyDeleteThe topic of racism is one seldom spoken about in regards to finding practical solutions. Many seem to point to time and education as the only possible answers, and after thought and consideration, I wholeheartedly agree. People have come a long way in acknowledging that barriers between races are illusory. Our society offers equal opportunity in both education and the workforce. Equal opportunity is not the problem, though. News channels and websites pick and choose which stories to disclose. In my opinion, I believe that in communities that are predominantly populated by one race, it is inevitable that another race will face adversity in some sense. I agree with Alison that racism applies to the improper treatment not only of blacks, but of other races as well. The public must find ways to educate itself and each other when it comes to controversial topics, which are often presented in a one-sided and bias manner. If I could put the entire issue of racism under the umbrella of one problem, it would be that of the depravity of the human heart.
ReplyDeleteBy this article saying that little has changed in our society since the march on Washington would be a tremendous understatment. Although racism is not completely eliminated from the world we live in it is no way as present now than it was over fifty years ago. However it is true that in some states more than others racism is still a major problem and we still have not reached the goals of those people who fought for equal civil rights all those years ago. Sadly though it is still true that often when some people drive through a a neighborhood with a "shady" looking black man they still roll up their windows and become more cautious, so when will out society ever actually be equal?
ReplyDeleteI liked the points Gwen mentioned, I believe that America has improved, although not to the degree we all hoped for.
ReplyDeleteI believe racism stems from upbringing. I have been graced to grow up in the North, under the direction of a loving family. They always instilled upon me the need to judge character, not color. When people grow up learning to hate without good reason, this cycle will continue without end. That's how wars drag on for centuries, bondage lasts for generations, and genocides occur. On the same note, if people grow up deprived from parental care or involvement, its easier to fall into the trap of bitter resentment and hate without reason.
I think the best way to fix this race issue at the heart of America and the swelling of the prisons is to return to the core family upbringing. We must raise the next generation to love, better than we ever could. A generation free from "outsiders" and "racists" begins as soon as we raise them to accept our superficial differences.