Past Exceptionalized Racism

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Past institutionalized racism impacts race relations in the present United States. Throughout history, the national government supported white supremacy. The Jim Crow laws exemplified such action by segregating the African Americans’ participation in many social opportunities. Consequently, the legacy of this policy shapes our current society. People of color often end up living in poorer neighborhoods with low-quality schools, low-wage occupations, and inadequate transportation. According to Sendhil Mullainathan, “unconscious prejudice”, also known as “fast thinking”, is the conduction of quick judgments under unawareness. The media’s usage of stereotypes, some considered appalling and others shamelessly used, influence these judgments. Even though we strive to avoid discrimination, it can easily sneak into our “fast thinking”. Mullainathan points out that good intentions do not always guarantee immunity. Inevitably, we all contribute to unconscious prejudice in some way. …show more content…

Kristoff constantly emphasizes that the history of racial discrimination has led to an economic inequality that is greater in the United States today than it was in apartheid South Africa during 1948-1994. Withstanding to his arguments, I agree with his opinions. Especially, when he indicates that institutional discrimination has left a painful scar containing personal and societal issues in the African-American community. As a result, many of them reacted to this by behaving in self-destructive ways, increasing incarceration

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