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Roots of Racism

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Submitted By carolinekubicki
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Racism. A word that we would like to lay in the dark and avoid but a word that is buried deep in our souls and history. Racism can be defined as a statement you make about another person, without knowing the person but judging it because of the skin color, language, or birthplace. You judge a person’s social background because of biological characteristics. It is the fear of the unknown that draws us to racial conclusions. It still exists in our daily life, on the streets, in schools and elsewhere. Though it still exists to a limited extend, if we look decades ago it had a whole other meaning. Though that people may be more aware of the consequences of using labels, it can offend one’s sense of equality in the society.
A study developed by the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology shows that the racial labels can have a tremendous impact on how a person is met by other people. The study explains that the racial label “black” makes people think of a person with lower socioeconomic status, compared to the racial label “African- American”. It is rather disturbing that a peoples racial label, can have such a big impact on people’s opinion about one another. It is directly saying that a black labeled person is less worth than an African-American. This can also mean that when a man is going to a job interview, he will be situated less ambitious compared to another. The differences in words can play a large role in how persons are perceived by one another.

It is important to remember, that the black people are not the only victims in the persistent racism that is found in 21st century. The roots of the racism can impact an African-American perception of white people and conversely. The racism happens from both points of view. Because of the persistent racism that we see today, there are a lot of race and segregation problems that never will be solved. It has been

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