Racism is prejudice or discrimination by one group toward others perceived as a different race. A belief that one race is superior over all others. Groups may be almost identical physiologically, yet be divided against each other on the basis of culture, language, religion, nationality, etc. Racism has the following elements: the belief in separate, definable and recognizable races, the belief that one race is superior to others, possession of power by the "superior race" to act aga

inst "inferior races" without effective defense, displaying actions that are both arbitrary and harmful. Racism is different from racial prejudice, hatred or discrimination because racism involves having the power to carry out discriminatory practices through major institutions. Racism takes many forms, although it is usually understood in the individual sense. Essentially, there are three main forms, individual racism, systemic racism and cultural racism. Individual racism manifests itself in individual's attitudes and behaviors, and is the easiest type to identify. Systemic racism consists of the policies and practices of organizations, which directly or indirectly operate to sustain the advantages of peoples of certain social races. This type of racism is more difficult to address because it is implicit in the policies of organizations and often unconscious. Cultural racism is the basis of both individual and systemic of racism, as it is the value system, which is embedded in society, which supports and allows discriminatory actions, based on perceptions of racial difference, cultural superiority and inferiority.

Prejudice involves the stereotyping of particular groups, and can form a basis for exclusion. While prejudice may not necessarily lead to discriminatory actions, it is likely to influence the decisions and actions of individuals, and may therefore lead to discrimination, in relation to recruitment policies, employment practice and service provision. Prejudice can be because of religion, color, race or sexual preferences. For example, a Muslim applies to rent an apartment from an American landlord. If the landlord hates Muslims personally but rents the apartment and treats the tenant on an equal basis with any other in charging rent, maintaining the apartment, etc, that is an example of prejudice but not of racism. If the landlord refuses to rent the apartment to a Muslim, the landlord's action is racism.

2a- The assumption is that American society is truly equal in opportunities for wealth, education, and occupation, and all Americans have to do is show some effort and they will succeed. Yet, a consistent pattern of discrimination has existed in the United States, denying people these opportunities to succeed based not only on traditional race and sex characteristics, but on social class as well. Minority groups have been consistently discriminated against based on the perception that these people are not economically or educationally successful in a society with equal opportunity for advancement due to a lack of individual effort. Welfare reform policies have the purpose of cutting as much funding as possible to programs that aid the poor. At the same time, these reform policies seek to aid the wealthy and special interests by cutting taxes and granting federal monies with less than explicit instructions on how to use it, all in the name of revitalizing the economy. While Corporations enjoy major tax cuts, the rest of the citizens are obligated to pay 12.5 percent of their paycheck to FICA for social security whether a person makes $5.50 an h

Some common words found in the essay are:
, African Americans, Social Security, York City, white privilege, people color, social security, racial discrimination, systemic racism, intentional unintentional racism, discriminatory actions, individual racism, color skin, institutionalized racism, belief race superior, left welfare,
Approximate Word count = 2088
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)