Racism-in-United-States-today

1Racismvs.African-AmericansinAmericaToday:AT-A-GLANCEReorganizethefollowingparagraphsaccordingtotheoutlinegiven:IntroductionRacistStereotypesRemainRacismintheMediaEconomicandSocialDifferencesPoliceTreatmentandRacialProfilingConclusion1.Buttheevidenceisirrefutable.African-Americansaremorelikelytobedepictedasviolentinthemedia,aremorelikelytobesenttoprison,aremorelikelytobepulledoverorinvestigatedbypoliceandmorelikelytobeunemployed.WhileAmericahasmadeprogressfromthedayswhenAfrican-Americanswereenslavedorblatantlypersecutedbythegovernment,ourcountrystillhasalongwaystogo.2America’shistoryhasbeenplaguedbyracism.SlaveryremainsadarkstainonAmerica’shistorywhichmanywouldratherforget.Infact,therearesomewhobelieveitisforgotten,andthatracismisnolongeraseriousissueintoday’sAmericanculture.Asamatteroffact,whilegovernmentsupportofracistpolicyisathingofthepast,thereisstillanundercurrentofracisminthecultureofAmericatoday.3TodaytherearefewpeopleinAmericawhowillopenlyconfesstobeingracist,andthosepeopleandorganizationswhichdo,suchastheremainingKuKluxKlan,areusuallyviewedassocialoutcasts.However,therearestillmanystereotypesagainstAfrican-AmericanswhichinfluenceAmericanculture.Mostofthesestereotypesareaboutviolence.AstudyinPhiladelphia,forexample,foundthatAfrican-Americanswereoverlyrepresentedasperpetratorsofcrimesinlocalnewsoutletswhencomparedtotheactualratesofcrimeinthecity.4Racisminnewsprogramsisevenworse.TheEntman-RojeckiIndexhasfoundthatitisfourtimesmorelikelythatanAfrican-American’smugshotwillbefeaturedinacrimestorythanawhiteperson’smugshot.StoriesaboutAfrican-Americansuspectsarealsotwiceaslikelytoshowthesuspectrestrainedthanstoriesaboutwhitesuspects.5Sexualstereotypesarealsocommon,andAfrican-Americanmenandwomenareoftendepictedasaggressivelysexual.African-AmericanmenaremorelikelytobeassumedguiltyofasexualcrimethanmenofanyotherraceinAmerica.African-Americanwomenaremorelikelytobeinvolvedinthesexindustry,butareoftenpaidfarlessthanwhitewomen.26NorecentcaseillustratesthisbetterthanthearrestofNeli,anAfrican-Americanteenager.Neliwassittingoutsideofaschoollibrarywhensomeonecalledthepolicestatingthattherewasablackmalewithagun.Asitturnedout,therewasnogun,oranyobjectlikeagun–butbythenNelihadbeenconfrontedbypolice.Manyjournalistsandcivilrightsactivistshaverightlypouncedonthiscaseasanexampleofracialprofiling,arguingthattherewasnothingdifferentaboutNelithatwouldhavemadehimstandoutfromanyoneelseintheareathatmorning–exceptforthefactthatheisanAfrican-Americanmale.7ThestudyinPhiladelphiaisn’ttheonlyexampleofracism.TheEntman-RojeckiIndexofRaceinMedia,oneofthemostcomprehensivestudiesonthesubject,hasfoundsignificantdifferencesbetweenhowAfrican-Americanandwhitecharactersareportrayedinmovies.Blackwomenarearoundfivetimesmorelikelytobedepictedasviolentinmovies,forexample.8TheKatrinadisasterwasoneofthemostobviousexamplesofthisbiasinthelastdecade.Themajorityofthenegativepresscoverageconcerninglootingandcriminalbehaviorinpost-KatrinaNewOrleanswasfocusedonAfrican-Americans.Somesarcasticcommentatorsparodiedthemediacoveragebyobservingthat“Blackpeople‘loot’food,butwhitepeople‘find’food.”9TheunfortunatetruthisthatracismstillexistsinAmericanculture.ManyAmericansofallraceswouldrathernotadmitthatthisisthecase.Asacountryweliketobelievethatwearecivilized,andthatwenolongerletpettyconcernssuchasraceinfluenceourviews.10OfallthetopicssurroundingracisminAmericatoday,racialprofilingisbyfarthemosthotlydebated.SimplybeinganAfrican-Americangreatlyincreasesyourchancesofbeingpulledoverbypolice.OnestudyinMarylandfoundthat76percentofmotoristsstoppedonastretchofhighwaywereAfrican-Americans,whileAfrican-Americansonlyheld20percentofalldriverslicensesinthestate.11RacismalsofacesAfrican-Americanswhoarelookingforajob.Whilethenationalunemploymentratehoversaround10percent,theunemploymentrateforAfrican-Americansisover17percent.Thisisn’tmerelyaproblemwhichishurtingurbanorpoorAfrican-Americans,either.Middle-classAfrican-Americansincitiesacrossthecountryalsofindthemselvessufferingthesameplight.ColumnistBobHerbertrecentlywroteabouttheproblemsfacingAfrican-AmericansinMemphis,wherehefoundthatthe“medianincomeofblackhomeownersinMemphishasdroppedtoalevelbelowthatof1990.”African-Americanfamiliesacrossthenationaremorelikelytobeleftunemployednomattertheirincome.Theonlythingmoreshockingthanthisistherelativelackofcoverageinthepress–whilepaperswillhappilyreportthestatistics,fewmediaoutletsarewillingtoinvestigatethepossibilitythatthisdifferenceiscausedbyracism.