Topic > The concept of racial formation and why racism still exists in the world

Many people currently living in the United States of America or around the world tend to believe that racism is the culmination of past events and is gradually disappearing . Whether it is European expansion, African slavery, segregation, the Muslim ban, or having an African American president – ​​although the United States has evolved over the years of these events, racism has not yet been demolished. Several memorable speculations behind this statement reassure that racism is still active momentarily, whether through political, media, social, or historical representations. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay During one of her interviews, Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning author and social critic Toni Morrison responds to the concept of "post-racism" during an NPR interview in which she states that racism will disappear when it is "no longer profitable and will no longer be psychologically useful" (NPR Interview 2008). In particular, he goes on to say that when it disappears, racists “will face something truly terrible: misery, self-unhappiness, and deep grief over who they are” (NPR Interview 2008). Remembering the sociological theories we have defined in this course, I recognize Toni Morrison's concept of how racism still persists in the United States and around the world. However, from what I understand, racism will never disappear, but rather push towards a different community or racial association. Over the past few centuries we have seen such racial groups become victims of racism. Whether you are African, Irish, Native American, Muslim, or affiliated with any other characteristic that does not “represent” them as “American,” racism arises intentionally against them. Since the European expansion of 1492, racism should and will be eternally present throughout the history of the United States. Due to racism, initially, in the world's memory, a conflict had started within the corresponding nation, which led the nation to split into North and South and is known as the American Civil War. Only from this event, we can perceive how much racism can be influential and influential. It is also associated with the concept of colorblind racism, “whites may express resentment toward minorities; criticize their morality, values ​​and work ethic; and even claim to be victims of "reverse racism"" (Bonilla-Silva 2003:4). In the discussion we reviewed how the Irish, when they arrived in the United States, were discriminated against even if it was not possible to differentiate them from their physical characteristics, making them adapt to the "American" culture. Additionally, we discussed and watched a documentary about how white people used Affirmative Action against them by claiming that the government was becoming racist towards them. They tried to victimize themselves because of the concept of color blindness. Not only that, but in class, we watched Jane Elliott's famous Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes experiment, in which she simulates that if growing children, in remarkably naive years, are trained to distinguish between and others. This leads to their ever-changing attitude, attraction, and judgment towards the other racial community that is not related like them. From an early age, children are guided by or acquire racial prejudices from their surrounding environment that psychologically induce difference in them. One day after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., a third-grade teacher, Jane Elliott, divided her all-white class by eye color, telling them that children with blue eyes were better. ,faster, and smarter than those with brown eyes and vice versa the next day. Arguments, misbehavior, name-calling, and other offensive aspects developed during this experience among the third graders.Hance circling back to Toni Morrison's statement that racism will disappear when it "...is no longer psychologically useful" (NPR Interview 2008). From this experiment, Jane Elliott discovered that racial prejudice is a learned behavior that can be unlearned if desired. However, my understanding is that the behavior cannot be psychologically eliminated from civilization due to our complete knowledge of history. Before immigrating to the United States, I was never open to the concept of racism until my physical and social skills encompassed my upbringing and making friends because of my background: being Muslim. It took years before I seemed satisfied with my body and my physical characteristics that diverged from my surroundings settling me in a bubble for all those years. Starting the course with American sociologists and authors, Michael Omi and Howard Winant, who wrote the book, “Racial Formation in the United States” bears various theories, however one concerns the theory of racial formation. According to them, the theory of racial formation indicates that people have distinguished themselves from individuals based on their characteristics, whether socially, economically or politically. Sociologists and authors also begin to express that the community is composed of a micro and macro level that interprets society's evaluation or reasoning based on how they perceive or examine racial disparities regarding certain groups of people. From personal experiences, one can be justified that nowadays racial distinctions can be immediately seen in the United States through Muslim communities. After the most important event, September 11, 2001, people's judgment towards Muslims turned negative. An example of the cause of this negativity is mass communication, which has facilitated the development and dissemination of information through the operating system and a dynamic capability never seen before. Social media coverage of the event generated regular sociological and psychological adjustments not only for Americans but also for Muslim people. Some sixteen years later, the Muslim community came under political attack in the United States when President Donald Trump adopted a new policy. On January 27, 2017, the Supreme Court issued Executive Order 13769 or in other words known as the Muslim Ban, which stated that all persons entering the United States of America from the seven Muslim-majority countries incorporating - Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen will face a 90-day visa suspension. The previously reserved term, Islamophobia, was gradually beginning to generate fear and apprehension towards the Muslim community. Whenever an unusual attack occurs, the initial thought that comes to everyone's mind is, "Oh, he/she must be Muslim." From particular experiences, I have heard this comment countless times from my surroundings. This ties in with Toni Morrison's statement about how it is advantageous for “the vitriolic racist as well as the social racist type” to say, 'That one over there is the cause of all my problems.'” Instead of addressing the real dilemma behind all of this, people simply manage to criticize their own movements to dictate the prescription of different ones. Being personally touched by this, I was detained and checked for hours at LAX airport on my way back from mine”.