Racism In America

Prejudice defined is an unjustifiable and usually negative attitude towards a group

and its members. Here in America, racism has always been an issue among people. It became more present than ever when slavery was abolished, racial segregation was enforced, and ethnic minorities began to fight for their civil rights and for equal opportunity. But that intense time period has passed us now. Now we are in the new millennium and racism is gone about in a more discreet way. Racism was once very open, and people expressed their hostility and hate in public. Now you can't think of turning the hose on somebody or verbally attacking them in public because of their race, without consequences. But as openly prejudiced actions fade, subtle prejudice remains in some people.

One of the reasons for feelings of prejudice is the stereotype of a group of people. A stereotype is a generalized belief about a group of people. Stereotypes are accurate in some cases, but can never be said about an entire group of people. And for every racial group, there is a stereotype. A narrow-minded policeman may decide to stop an African American who's a driving a nice, expensive car on the highway. Not for speeding or a traffic violation or expired license plate("Black While Walking"). But for the reason that he believes the African American male couldn't have gotten this car in any other way but stealing it or doing something illegal to pay for it. Granted, there are some African Americans who have stolen a car or sold drugs to get his car. But that doesn't mean that's the case with every black person driving a nice car. I'm sure there have also been white criminals who have stolen cars or gotten a nice car illegally. A person's race or skin color doesn't determine everything about their personality, character, or morals. Sometimes, people will put a person into an automatic category because of their ethnicity. For example, if someone's Native American, they must automatically be an alcoholic or do rain dances. It's not true for all, but sometimes, people will develop assumptions and opinions (usually negative) about someone based on their race, which causes racism.

Another factor behind racism is the scapegoat theory. The scapegoat theory is the theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame. This is especially relevant in this day and age. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, everyone was very emotionally distressed about the lives that were taken. And who did America suddenly point the finger to? Middle Easterners and Arabic Americans. The Middle Easterners who lived in America had nothing to do with the terrorist plots or attacks. But America still blamed them, figuring that if they could not find Osama bin Laden and attack him for 9/11, they could lash out someone else of his racial group. Or worse yet, if he's responsible, they are all responsible. As Latinos have heavily immigrated to America from different countries over the years, many Americans have begun to blame them for their loss of jobs. But why point the finger at them? Several other things could be responsible for lack of jobs, such as the economy or their own personal faults or the competition to find work amongst other Americans. Also, not every Latino living in America is an immigrant. Some were born in America. Why make someone feel guilty for something that they aren't truly responsible for? Because placing blame on others makes people feel better about themselves. Circumstances with some members of a certain race may cause certain problems, but that's