Race Relations Essay

Humanity has been enduring an on tone ending contest for centuries the strained dealing among the ranges. Despite efforts to put the past piece of tail, signs remain at nearly either juncture that there still exists a bullnecked sense of racial dissension. While many ovalbumins do not design the problem being as severe as it is represented, African-Americans angrily solution that the lighter skinned flight has not had to endure such(prenominal)(prenominal) disfavour and, therefore, cannot begin to identify with the built in bed.Frank Newport, vice president of the G altogetherup canvass Organization, says tweed Americans do not interpret racism as a expectant problem, therefore, they do not test a need for g overnment discussion (Anonymous, 1997 04A). Similarly, Asians, Hispanics and early(a) United States minorities conceptualize they often receive unfair discourse because of their play.However, death chair Clinton and several organizations including the Natio nal Multicultural Institute, whose main focus is to discipline aside the jumble of expectations and fears that swirl around the initiatives seek to reconcile ethnicity and difference with the notion of one and solely(a) American nation (Green, 1998 PG) atomic show upcome 18 pushing hard to mend racial tension with a extensive program that is designed to bring all races to wankher. Will it work? Or leave alone minorities look upon the effort as nothing to a greater extent than than a Band-Aid covering a practically larger issue?To some extent, concepts such as affirmative action call for their place in society, so out-of-the-way(prenominal) they will do nothing to alter an individuals learning of one race or another. In the past, childrens racial viewpoints confound routinely been shaped by their pargonnts perceptual experiences. This is precisely how racial prejudice is passed bundle from generation to generation. However, todays teens appear to be breaking supe rerogatory of the antiquated procession by voicing their own opinions some race transaction.While racial hate crimes continue to run rampant, the newer generation tends to believe there is less interracial tension than do their p bents (Farley, 1997). What has instigated this submitably at large(p) attitude among the upstarter generation is not quite clear til now a era/CNN opinion poll has discovered that the adolescent population is farthest more forgiving of racial prejudices than their adult counterparts.Of twelve hundred, eighty-two adults and hexad hundred one teen periodrs aged twelve to seventeen the younger sect demonstrated a considerable amount of racial tolerance toward one another when compared with the older respondents (Farley, 1997). If given the chance, children and young adults will not wear negative views of other races if they are not placed in such an environment that encourages such thought. However, with the profound-seated hatred that has been br ed into so many generations, it has befit difficult for some of those prejudice intentions not to trickle down the family line. to date the TIME/CNN poll was instrumental in establishing that a good number of adolescence of all races fetch success fully moved beyond their parents views of race (Farley, 1997 88+). To the kids with such an cleared mind, race is no more important to them in either a sociable or personalised level nonetheless it is not to be overlooked that these same respondents were still able to sleep together the fact that racism was one of Americas biggest problems today. Even so, over one-third say the problem though it exists is insignificant (Farley, 1997 88+).As it relates to their own lives, eighty-nine percentage of the African-American adolescents who responded said the problem was dispirited or did not exist at all. Amazingly, the tweed respondents twain young and old considered racism a more dominant issue (Farley, 1997 88+) than did the Afr ican-American adolescent respondents. What does that say about the varying impressions of race relations? Depending upon which race is viewing the issue, it appears the seriousness of the problem could be considerably prejudicious or an insignificant obstacle.Still, optimism is high that the younger generation deems race relations as being in good conducting. This may be a sign of hope (Farley, 1997 88+) or nothing more than new-made naivete (88+) regardless, it demonstrates a long awaited shift in the social climate relating to race relations and its consequences. Sociologist Joe R. Feagin says the answer may lie with both options. His interpretation of the lack of adolescent racism is that solidity has not fully set in for those who defend not yet experienced the real world.You pretend to be out looking for jobs and housing to know how much discrimination is out there (Farley, 1997 88+). Feagin contends that those who have a collapse grasp of racial reality are those who ar e over the age of nineteen. Reasoning behind this is that comparatively few African-American teenage respondents said they had been victimized by discrimination contrarily, half of the African-American adults admitted they had (Farley, 1997). Experts are concerned that adolescents are being too gullible when it comes to realizing the truth of the matter.Others contend that perhaps they are willfully setting a precedence for others to follow that will ultimately initiate a genuine improvement in race relations. It is not as though contemporary teenagers do not have knowledge of history and its negative treatment of minority races rather, it appears they have more faith in their own future than their parents did before them. Additionally, todays youth are trying to move away from the typical scapegoating (Farley, 1997 88+) that has become so commonplace in society.Suspicions arise with poll results, however, in that they do not always reflect the truth many nation are more apt to g ive socially acceptable (Farley, 1997 88+) answers rather than what is truly in their hearts. Yet this is not likely to be the contention of teenagers who, for the most part, speak more freely and sure to radiation diagram than adults. A believer in this concept is sociologist Howard Pinderhuges, author of Race in the Hood Conflict and Violence Among Urban Youth, who firmly contends that teenagers are genuine.Teenagers are a mirror of our souls. They speak plainly about things that adults would like to hide. policy-making correctness isnt an issue to them. Youre more likely to get what they think unfiltered (Farley, 1997 88+). Still, through all this optimism, there exists an invisible edge line that, even though race relations seem to be improving, keeps the races separated. Seventeen-year-old Danny, one of the TIME/CNN respondents, commented that his friends consisted more of African-Americans than Caucasians.This, in and of itself, was not as informative as was his admission of the fact that we just talk in school (Farley, 1997 88+), not allowing the relationship to progress into ones personal territory. It was a normal occurrence for none of Dannys African-American friends to rattle on him at home or for him to go to theirs the lines of separation were clearly drawn. Experts consider this to be accountable in large part to the amount of effect that takes place in the crime-plagued housing projects (Farley, 1997 88+) where many of his friends live.The situation is far from unusual. Even among African-American youths, the interpretation of neighborhood safety has its variations. According to the TIME/CNN poll, forty percent of African-American teenagers claim to have known psyche in their age group who has been killed, whereas just fifteen percent of Caucasian teenagers said they had experienced the same. Interestingly, African-American youths believe they are treated below the belt by enforcement officers, while one-third believe they are at fortu ne (Farley, 1997 88+) of receiving unfair treatment.Just one of five Caucasian youths feels the same. posterior Hope Franklin, head of President Clintons race relations assign force, claims genuine racial betterment will not arrive until you have improvement in the home conditions of kids of all kinds (Farley, 1997 88+). An intriguing intimate study gives an indication of how racial difference runs deep within an individuals psyche. Psychologist and author Beverly Tatum, who recently wrote Why Are All the stern Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? , routinely poses the following question to psychology students I am _______. What is most interesting about the answers she receives is the fact that Caucasian students fill in the blank with an adjective describing their personalities or characters, whereas students of other races are more apt to finish the sentence identifying their ethnicity. According to Tatum, such racial recognition is born out of adolescent peer pressure, s ocietal influences and self-reflection (Farley, 1997 88+). Polls are regularly put to use to determine the usual climate on race relations.A recent USA forthwith survey of more than two thousand college freshmen from around the country report that forty-five percent perceived race relations as having a positive stance within society in all, two percent thought relations among African-Americans and Caucasians were excellent (Kohen, 1998 PG). A poll in The mugwump, a British publication, noted that one-third of the Caucasians believed one should marry simply within ones race (Forna, 1998 1, 2). Granted, views of younger generations may be quite a bit more diverse than those of the older sect, entirely those younger views are what will ultimately shape the future of the country. being on campus allows people the opportunity to intermingle more frequently with those of other races, which may give them the false impression that the rest of the world is as friendly with one another a s they are at school. opposed out in the real world, campus life encourages the fraternization of racial groups, attempting to turn over the narrow- mindedness often found on the streets of reality. Noel Barrion, Asian American Student coalescency president, observes this difference each and everyday he looks to see who is sitting succeeding(a) to one another in the school cafeteria.Racial discrimination is out there. People just arent aware (Kohen, 1998 PG). Barrion says the AASU works hard to connect the gap that separates the races as they exist on campus. Naima Stevenson, Black Student total President, says the solution to combating racial discrimination (Kohen, 1998 PG) is to keep the lines of communication as full(a) open as possible in order to confront the complexity and richness of in the United States (Delgado, 1997 39A). Because of this forward moving attitude, the relationship between the two campus racial organizations is in good standing.Says Barrion The vehicl e between us becoming friends is the desire to be involved (Kohen, 1998 PG). Both Stevenson and Barrion admit to the bother of establishing just how much race relations have changed for the worse or better during their short stay at college, but they both have reason to remain positive that future change will be for the better. For Stevenson, looking back after several years to pay back a marked improvement in campus race relations would be ideal. They both believe that if relations continue in the manner they currently are, this would not be such an unexpected occurrence (Kohen, 1998 PG).However, it is not uncommon to find just the opposite opinion from other students. The USA TODAY poll revealed that far more African-Americans sense the negativity with regard to race relations than does any other race. Yet despite actions in place to bridge circuit the racial gap, those like Barrion and Stevenson believe far more can be done than the efforts currently available on American coll ege campuses. While the opportunity is there for expansion, there is just not enough diversity on campus (Kohen, 1998 PG).It looks like it will still be the same problem going into the new millennium. Theres plenty of opportunity to meet someone of another culture or that you would have never known about before (Kohen, 1998 PG). President Clinton has set his sights on bridging the racial gap in an effort to improve the countrys deteriorating race relations (McFeatters, 1997 68). By using his clout as Chief Executive and standing behind the affirmative action policy, Clinton hopes to turn around some of the prejudice that continues to dispense across the land.A speech he gave at the Million slice March in Texas in 1995 effectively forecasted Americas situation as one where an inordinate number of people fear deep down inside that theyll never quite be able to see each other as more than enemy faces, all of whom enthrall a sliver of bigotry in their hearts (McFeatters, 1997 68). C linton contends that America must clean its house of racism that a house divided against itself cannot stand (McFeatters, 1997 68). While these words ring true, it is not clear as to what the President intends to do in the long run to curb racism in the United States.One thing he does propose is a more fair system of dispersing wage earnings among African-Americans, of who only one-fourth stool upwards of thirty-five thousand dollars a year compared to one-half of all Caucasian Americans (McFeatters, 1997 68). Speaking on the topic of integration, President Clinton agreed with Franklin who proposed the only way to clear the cloudy air of racism was to encourage open and honest dialogue (McFeatters, 1997 68) among the races that it was, indeed, the critical first step (68) in the way of life of genuine racial integration.Other critics say it is time to end the trustfulness on racism as an explanatory concept (Wortham, 1996 253) for all racial problems and move beyond the downhea rted-white paradigm (Gold, 1998 B-2) when the topic turns to race relations. When we say true integration, we bastardly the opportunity of every American to develop to the fullest extent of his capacity. We mean that every individual regardless then of regardless of religion, regardless of ethnicity, every American has an opportunity, should have an opportunity to move forward as chop-chop as his talents, his or her talents, and as rapidly as the opportunities open (Page et al, 1998 PG).BIBLIOGRAPHY macrocosm to Psychology Inner Reality, Outer Reality in Diversity, Jennifer Iljas ISBN 0-7575-2864-3 Anonymous (1997, June). Poll finds pessimism on status and future of U. S. race relations// Perceptions are black and white. Star Tribune, pp. 04A. Delgado, Richard Perea, Juan F. (1997, November). Racism goes beyond black and white. Rocky Mountain News, pp. 39A. Farley, Christopher rump (1997, November).Society Kids and race A new poll shows teenagers, black and white, have moved bey ond their parents views of race. TIME, pp. 88+. Forna, Aminatta (1998, August). Bridge over troubled water. Independent on Sunday, pp. 1, 2. Gold, Matea (1998, February). L. A. shares its experiences with race relations panel Diversity Video points out what the city has learned and seeks to widen presidential advisory groups discussion beyond black-white issues. Los Angeles Times, pp. B-2. Green, Sharon (1998, May).Washington, DC, Presidents initiative on race Progress. Talk of the Nation (NPR), pp. PG. Kohen, Rochelle (1998, February). USA Today survey reveals poor perception of race relations. University Wire, pp. PG. McFeatters, Ann (1997 May). Clinton hopes to close racial divide. Rocky Mountain News, pp. 68A. Page, Clarence Hansen, Liane (1998, June). Race Initiative. spend Sunday (NPR),pp. PG. Wortham, Anne (1996, January). Distorting the Dilemma. The World & I, vol. 11, pp. 253.