Racism Unfortunately, racism is a pervasive element in American society. As the reaction to the 2008 Presidential election at the University of Mississippi shows, many Americans cannot tolerate a person of color in a position of power. The right-wing rhetoric that continually denounces Obama in the media stems in part from covert racism, rather than being just attributable to different political beliefs. The causes of racism are complex and multifaceted, and

RACISM Seven people in a room The concept of the race came about in the nineteenth century in Europe. This is when they incorporated racial superiority, racial inferiority and racial difference into the western culture. At that time, race was viewed as inherited, permanent biological differences. Today race is viewed as a social construction that is influenced by physical characteristics. People are socialized to identify a person's race by; first skin color,

Also, selective scholarships and empowerment of some Blacks, in a world where most Blacks are still, continually not recognized as full citizens, can be divisive rather than empowering to a marginalized community. Even the forms of Black enfranchisement can be reinforcing of stereotypes. The experiences of the Invisible Man, who has been given a scholarship by the school not for the excellence of his mind, but more for the prowess

Racism 'Latinos are drug addicts. They don't work because they're lazy and they depend on welfare." These are but a few of the ethnic stereotypes that have haunted me throughout much of my life as Puerto Rican-American. Growing up in an ethnically diverse but poor neighborhood in Chicago, I actually never felt "different" until I moved to an almost all white school in Massachusetts. There, I noticed that people would mutter

... When a stranger comes into our presence, then, first appearances are likely to enable us to anticipate his category and attributes, his "social identity" ... We lean on these anticipations that we have, transforming them into normative expec-tations, into righteously presented demands. ... It is [when an active question arises as to whether these demands will be filled] that we are likely to realize that all along we

Consequent to this, being aware of the discrimination he or she experienced in their last workplace, the individual (even if he or she is extremely talented in what they do) is expected to get a job where they would feel less stress, but where they would no longer be able to make use of their abilities. As a result, racism harms society for the fact that it prevents a