The Romanticization of the
Civil Rights Movement is
Damaging Our Society
Racism Still Exists
Many people in today's society have the luxury of never experiencing blatant racism. There may not be hate crimes against black people in their cities, or they may simply be oblivious.
There is nothing wrong with avoiding hate or racism, but simply because it isn't directly in front of you does not mean that it does not exist.
Racial Profiling
Racial profiling is a discriminatory practise that is generally carried out by law enforcement. It targets individuals for being suspicious of a crime based on their race or ethnicity.
A study was done to gage how African American police officers felt in their workplace. The officers who participated were all African American, and were asked question related to racial profiling on the job. These were the results:
WILSON, CHARLES P., and SHIRLEY A. WILSON. "Are We There Yet? Perceptive Roles Of African American Police Officers In Small Agency Settings." Western Journal Of Black Studies 38.2 (2014): 123. Advanced Placement Source. Web. 2 Dec. 2015
72% of African American police officers feel that they are racially profiled in thier workplace, and that it is condoned. Only 15% feel that they are supported in their roles.
The following charts contain data recorded from the Ferguson Police Department and the U.S Census Bureau. They show the racial profiling that is common for those who live in Ferguson, Missouri.
Even though white people are always caught with the most contraband during car searches, they are still stopped, searched, and arrested less than minority races.
Boomer Sooner. "OU SAE racist chant." Youtube. Youtube, 9 March 2015. Web. 6 December 2015.
Mrholtshistory. "Malcolm X- On Progress." Youtube. Youtube, 28 April 2008. Web. 27 November 2015.
Microaggressions, Stereotypes and Fetishes
Microaggressions are subtle but offensive comments or acts. They are generally said or given with good intentions, but that still does not make them okay.
Stereotypes are widely held but oversimplified ideas of a particular type of person or thing. Stereotypes are very cliché and a damaging form of prejudice that can cause bias. The video to the right does a great job at explaining where empirical generalizations (which are true and based on data) turn into harmful stereotypes.
A fetish is the act of taking an object, body part, or action that is not inherently sexual, and eroticizing or fixating on it. To fetishize is to turn something into a fetish. The most common fetishes tend to be women who are deemed as "exotic," which is especially harmful because these weomen are then seen as sexual items rather that people, and their races or ethnicities are seen as jokes or sexual costumes.This is especially damaging to the self-esteem of those being fetishized how do not fit perfectly into the mold, or fit so well that they are defined by it.
Harvard University began a project known as #itooamharvard, where non-white students were given the chance to show the microaggressions that were presented to them in their day to day life, and how they don't fit into common stereotypes. A short compilation of the many images of this project can be found below.
Chescaleigh. "Why do you think stereotypes are true? |Decoded| MTV news." Youtube. Youtube, 2 December 2015. Web. 6 December 2015.
Chescaleigh. "The many problems with, 'I want mixed babies.'" Youtube. Youtube, 2 December 2015. Web. 6 December 2015.