What is Racism?

A detailed Summary of What is Racism?


What is racism? Racism is something that has been a part of our world since the beginning of time. Whether people realize it or not, the number one reason most people are racist is skin color. There are also those people who are still dwelling on the past, during the time of slavery. Although many may feel they have a good reason to be racist, there is no good reason to hate a group of people. In the essay "Racism", Kwame Anthony Appiah quoted that "the Holocaust made unreservedly clear the threat that racism poses to human decency. But it also blurred our thinking because in focusing our attention on the racist character of the Nazi our attention on the racist character of the Nazi atrocities, it obscured their character as atrocities"(Appiah, 75).

Racism is one of the largest problems in our society. It is used in so many different ways that many people are not aware. There does not seem to be too many people who really want to put an end to this controversy. Most of us do not realize how serious racism is and what it is doing to our society. In addition, if people do not begin to realize the seriousness of racism, it just may go on forever.

Many racist people, black and white, are not well educated. However, they


One of the main causes of racism is pride in one's own race. For some reason, many racist people tend to think that there is something different between the different races. I think it is not only just the color of the skin that is the problem but the fact that there was once a time when they ruled just about everything. They owned blacks as slaves and now we are free and are able to live as they do. Some people cannot adjust to that. In addition, they think if they put blacks down it would make their race stronger.

Racism is very deep. It goes further than calling someone a nigger or a redneck. Churches have been burned to the ground, as well as homes, and people have been beaten and/or killed. Whites have been able to get away with many things just because of their color. Things of this nature still go on today.

His mother would get mad at him when he would get dark in the sun. " When I was a boy the white summer sun of Sacramento would darken me so, my T-shirt would seem bleached against my slender dark arms. My mother would see me come up the front steps. She'd wait for the screen door to slam at my back (Rodriquez, 20)" She would make such remarks as "You look like a Negrito", and "You know how important looks are in this country".

Richard Rodriguez, the author of "Complexion" explains in his essay how being Mexican has affected his life in a

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Approximate Word count = 920
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

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