Race in America
Abstract
The issue of race has caused separation in American society. Though now fewer people consider racism a problem and do not tolerate public racism, structural racism is strong. Blacks are still considered to be lazy and less intelligent than whites and hence, are not always preferred at work or other institutions. Black and Latino men are more likely to be incarnated and their families are more likely to live in poverty. Access to jobs and financial resources among non-whites is lower. Herewith, media supports and develops racial stereotypes including poverty and criminal behavior. Hence, whites are overrepresented as victims and officers and non-whites as perpetrators in media messages. Criminal justice relies on these stereotypes and prejudice. Therefore, blacks are more likely to be arrested for drugs despite its equal use with whites and non-whites are more often stopped and searched. Moreover, police killings of black teenagers are much more frequent than of white ones. Most inmates with life sentences are also blacks. Thus, race is still a significant issue in America. Race in America American history is strongly connected with race. Active involvement of black slaves in the 18th century laid foundations for social separation in modern society. Abolishment of slavery and further reforms could not solve racial issues totally. Moreover, these issues are strengthened by migration from Mexico and South America.
This paper considers the influence of race on America including current state of the issue in terms of attitudes, media, and criminal justice. Race has significantly affected America while leading to separation of society. On the one hand, more than 75% of Americans do not believe there is a problem with racial tensions in the US. Fewer Americans admit they face racial biases than before. A recent study by journal Social Forces has shown that America has become a more tolerant nation over the past 40 years. Tolerance regards militarists, Communists, anti-religious atheists, and homosexuals, but not racism. A slightly smaller percentage of people would let a racist person speak publicly, namely 58% in 2010-2012 compared to 61% in 1975-1979 (“Tolerance in America,” 2015).On the other hand, white people prefer whites over blacks in social, educational, and professional settings (Nesbit, 2015). Though young people (aged 17-34) are considered to be more tolerant of race, they, as well as other age groups, often believe that blacks are lazy, unintelligent, and face little or no discrimination.
Half of young whites believe that if blacks tried harder, they could live as good as whites. This rate is not much lower compared to other age groups. Herewith, a much lower percentage of blacks agrees with the latter statement. In addition, only about 30% of whites believe that slavery and discrimination made it difficult for blacks to improve their lives in contrast to 60-70% of blacks. Moreover, more young people than other age groups never felt admiration for blacks (McElwee, 2015). Importantly, most Americans have a confined view of racism. Today, racism is structural. …
