The Definition Of Racism

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In today’s society the definition of racism and what it entails may vary from person to person and the differences in the definition may be a reflection of alternative perspectives taken on the issue. A lot of the responses to the definition of racism may be based solely on personal experiences including the individual’s interactions with others, how they were raised, and the influences that affected them during their lifetime. With further research it can be discovered that contrary to popular belief, racism is not that simple and cannot simply be described by ones interactions or attitudes towards a specific group of people. Traditional views describe racism as the belief of the superiority of one race above others (Lecture, September 12, …show more content…

Racism is not present in society because of a few bad apples that can be taken out of the bunch. Definition X points to racism as a being psychological issue with the person or group of people that are accused of being racist (Bonilla-Silva 34). It is much more deeply embedded into society than this definition promotes and is not the result of negative or incorrect thinking. Intertwining racism with prejudice neglects the reality that racism is buried deep within hundreds of years of history and is the very foundation that the nation was built on. Therefore, it must be acknowledged that racism is structural and ideas about it should shift from trying to identify certain groups as racist but trying to uncover the ways in which society forces us to live in a world where racism surround us and is a part of our lives whether intentional or unintentional. Definition X also contributes to the fixed fallacy that surrounds racism. By attributing racism to violence against people the idea that racism is an act is promoted. By classifying racism as an act that is committed against people it can be thought that racism will stay the same throughout time and continue to be present through the execution of the violent behavior. In addition, racism does not always take place in the form of an overt behavior of act but if often

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