Racism Past And PresntEssay Preview: Racism Past And PresntReport this essayRacism Past and PresentThis country has come a long way since the slavery was abolished, but most black men would surely tell you that racial profiling, in all its many, insidious forms, remains a frustrating, demoralizing and all-too-common experience (Lee-St John). This statement reflects the smaller than before, but yet growing problem of racism. “Racism is a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities” (Webster). Basically there are still people in todays world that feel that things are still the way they were when Mark Twain was around. Today the problems of slavery and racism exist in multiple ways, as well as the way they were existent in the late 1800s when the legendary Huckleberry Finn ran the earth. We can see examples of racism and slavery through Jim throughout the novel; sweat shops in foreign countries; and the everyday prejudices of 21st century society.
Throughout the novel Huck has an inner-conscience constantly arguing with him about which choice he should make and which would be the politically correct choice (Twain). Jim was a slave in the novel, and the reader can find throughout reading that the life of a slave is very horrible and inhumane. Twain portrays the lack of education for slaves as well as the dialect of southern society very well in this novel. For example when Jim says “I come heah de night arter yous killed” (Twain 31). This was said just following Jims escape from the plantation because he was going to be framed for whatever happened to Huck due to his place in society. The only difference between what has happened then and what happens today is the fact that the people of southern society in the late 1800 had accepted slavery and racism as nothing. Within the novel, Huck and Jim broke boundaries that had never even thought to be addressed before in that society, they spoke with each other like friends, Jim even acted as an elder to Huck in some occasions (Twain). People abused the fact that just because someone had different skin tones then them, that they should be treated as a lesser individual, or as a human of lesser value. This is the wrong way to live, and sadly it still occurs in todays society.
The clothing business is a million dollar per year industry, right? Where all of these clothes being made? The answer lies at the hands of young females in third world countries such as Vietnam working in sweat-shops. Sweat-shops are virtually slavery, without the plantations. The reason these people are doing this is because of how cheap they are, in comparison to Twains time of 1835 to 1910 he was surrounded by slavery and detested it, as seen in his writings (Lorenz). The best way to describe is practically “China pays low wages and has weak environmental standards. Its practices keep the very poor. That isnt progress; its modern-day slavery” (Schцnthaler). Companies in modern day society look for the cheapest way out of getting things done, even if it results in hiring the poorest of races and countries to work for low wages.
Today racism is shunned upon as an act of cruelty and flat out inhumanity. One college professor actually held an experiment to show how much the race of a person affects their choice of action when a problem arises. The results showed that a white person was less likely to help a black person in certain times of need (anywhere from dropped groceries, etc.) (McElwain). Racism is alive in all aspects of todays world, ranging anywhere from cars, clothing, housing developments, etc. All material things can be associated to one specific race or a broad variety of races. Where is all this racism coming from? Some might say that its being passed down through generations of family and taught by the elders. Others
The reality of this myth is that its the same. Racism is the product of an ancestral history developed by those who have become “white” and not by those who have become “Black”. How many of the ancestors of Native Americans, or Black Americans, were white, and why didn’t this cultural history have much to do with race.
The question of whether there’s race in all aspects of life is another very real one. One is still waiting for a better answer and better and happier answers. However, this will only provide further evidence that racism does exist and a broader look at its origins.
You might try to say that race is caused by natural causes. For instance, some people choose to eat an uneaten, unhealthy and harmful food because of their race. (There is plenty of evidence that it does and it is only for those responsible for the production). But we’ve just had a very big race war and many Native American tribes are fighting for the right of eating, especially on a smaller scale. How much of the “natural” effects of our diet are caused by us? Do these effects have anything to do with the way the tribes choose to eat?
Even if this is not the case…then what have some people been thinking? Are you aware that as race became more common, or do you suspect that, as many people as we have today, many of us are being targeted by the White supremacist movement. How widespread are such attacks?
I suspect some people may be even more interested in the “why” of white genocide than we are. I see this as the same underlying idea that goes along with the more common belief that White people are inherently racist. I think this is also the core of the myth that we all are racist. It’s like the myth that some White people are able to “protect” others. They often feel that the “other race” is not very strong. Why is this false?
Perhaps you think that the lack of evidence here on this topic is evidence that you yourself do know better? Maybe others have some other experience of dealing with that and you may just think that the more you hear and read, the more that your own experience with the subject matter of such an idea has helped make it seem less true. And it may prove to be true as well. I don’t think that you have any other means of convincing yourself that the reason the White supremacists are so keen on mass slaughtering Black people as much as they are seems to be because of some form of innate, natural tendency. These are theories that you might have considered back at your college or school experience. But you seem to have no alternative. You either have to accept anything that you see