The Racial Of White Privilege

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When looking back at our country during the civil rights movement, many people are appalled at how people of color were being mistreated and hated for so long. In our society, today, people like to pride themselves in not being racist and being accepting of all different races and cultures. Although people like to think that they are not racist and that our society is entering a “post-racial” phase, the truth is that we are all somewhat subconsciously racist and to think that we will ever become a post-racial society is unrealistic. People may not believe that white privilege is a real issue but the truth is that it is real and it is happening in our country more than ever. Sadly, race still plays a huge and important role on how you are treated and looked at in this country, there are still people in our society who treat others differently simply because of how they look and because of the color of their skin.
How can you tell apart a terrorist or a thug from a regular working member of society? Just because someone dresses or looks a certain way does not determine who they are as a person. After the 9/11 attacks that took place many Americans started to fear and dislike anyone who looked remotely Middle Eastern or dressed in hijabs and turbans. Your typical white American family would most likely never have to experience being stopped and questioned when they are traveling through the airport. As a nation, we are generalizing and discriminating between these people simply because of how they look which makes us no better than how we were years ago during the civil rights movement. In the story “The Terminal Check” by Pico Iyer, Iyer describes his encounters in the airport as a British born Indian. He had one encounter in the O...

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...Because of this idea, people are afraid of any nonwhites and it contributes to the idea that racism is still alive and happening today. Also, minorities are now afraid of white officers and white people in general because they assume they are all racist and view people of color in a negative way.
Although some people may think that we have entered a post-racial phase in our society, there are still many things that prove that race is a still a huge factor in our daily lives. In airports, anyone who looks Middle Eastern or “suspicious” gets asked for id and taken into questioning by authorities. In our everyday lives, anyone who is a non-white is usually seen as thugs or just simply not as superior as people who are white. We might want to pride ourselves in wanting to think that we have overcame our racist and discriminatory face but sadly that is just not true yet.

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