Is Racism a prominent feature in the African American Society
Is Racism a Permanent Feature of American Society?
Is Racism a Permanent Feature of American Society?
Throughout Slavery (1619-1865), Americans faced prejudice, segregation and racism. In today’s world, we as African Americans still face prejudice due to the mere color of our skin, segregation due to how we communicate with each other and racism because of our painful history.
Racism can be defined as a prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior. In this case, the antagonistic race who believes that their race is superior would be whites and the race being discriminated against, is the black race. But is this so though? Are blacks still being preyed on today as in our past? Derick Bell, a prominent African-American Professor of Harvard Law School, believed that “the prospects for achieving racial equality in the United States are “illusory” for blacks”. Bell argues that “few whites are able to identify with blacks as a group” and tend to view them through “comforting stereotypes”. This maybe so, Derick Bell has supporting evidence and good reason to believe that blacks will never be equal to whites. However Dinesh D’Souza of the American Enterprise Institute begs to differ. Dinesh D’Souza believes that there are three things that can cause segregation; whether it is culture, genes or discrimination. He rejects the liberal views which states that black failure is due to discrimination or that it is due to genes. He believes that blacks have developed a culture which represents an adaptation to historical circumstances which in today’s world is dysfunctional.
Both arguments are solid but which one answers the question of racism being a permanent feature of the American Society? If we approach the situation from Derick Bell’s point of view, we can understand that there is some logic from where he stands. Derick Bell gave examples of how racism was
Is Racism a Permanent Feature of American Society?
Throughout Slavery (1619-1865), Americans faced prejudice, segregation and racism. In today’s world, we as African Americans still face prejudice due to the mere color of our skin, segregation due to how we communicate with each other and racism because of our painful history.
Racism can be defined as a prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior. In this case, the antagonistic race who believes that their race is superior would be whites and the race being discriminated against, is the black race. But is this so though? Are blacks still being preyed on today as in our past? Derick Bell, a prominent African-American Professor of Harvard Law School, believed that “the prospects for achieving racial equality in the United States are “illusory” for blacks”. Bell argues that “few whites are able to identify with blacks as a group” and tend to view them through “comforting stereotypes”. This maybe so, Derick Bell has supporting evidence and good reason to believe that blacks will never be equal to whites. However Dinesh D’Souza of the American Enterprise Institute begs to differ. Dinesh D’Souza believes that there are three things that can cause segregation; whether it is culture, genes or discrimination. He rejects the liberal views which states that black failure is due to discrimination or that it is due to genes. He believes that blacks have developed a culture which represents an adaptation to historical circumstances which in today’s world is dysfunctional.
Both arguments are solid but which one answers the question of racism being a permanent feature of the American Society? If we approach the situation from Derick Bell’s point of view, we can understand that there is some logic from where he stands. Derick Bell gave examples of how racism was