What is racism and how it affects our society

Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to physical appearance and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another

Explanation:

An African-American man with his arm around his daughter sitting on a hospital bed

In the U.S., the health of African Americans lags behind most other racial minority groups. Compared with whites, black men and women face higher risks of chronic illness, infection, and injuries. Taken together, the average lifespan for African Americans is 6 years less compared with whites. If we can begin to acknowledge that health outcomes are often dependent on factors outside of the control of individual patients, their physicians, or their health coverage, then we can begin to understand why reforming the healthcare system is proving to be an indomitable task.

The strongest predictor of health is socioeconomic status. While financial instability is considered the fundamental cause of health disparities, this association between socioeconomic status and health is dependent upon race.

For instance, the mortality rate for babies born to black mothers with a master's or doctorate degree is far worse than the mortality rate for babies born to white mothers with less than an eighth-grade education. And black women are far less likely to have  cancer, yet are 40% more likely to die from it.

These differences in mortality rate are unrelated to S E S. Actually, health disparities are paradoxically greater between middle- to upper-class African Americans when compared with middle- to upper-class whites.  

This has been a topic of much scientific debate. One possibility is that different genetics lead to different outcomes; however, the degree of health disparity with regard to race does not hold true for most other countries of the world. A more likely factor is that financial stability does not guarantee fewer encounters with discrimination. And, in fact, racial minorities report unfair treatment more frequently in higher S E S than lower S E S groups.

Structural racism is the biased societal approach to housing, education, employment, healthcare, and criminal justice. As scientists study racism health disparities in depth, a picture begins to emerge that there are bigger, stronger, and more  forces at play than economics alone. The psychological stress generated by unfair treatment may trigger a biological series of events that lead to worsen health outcomes in the long term.

Racism is not a new phenomenon, however in today's modern world which claims to be enlightened in so many ways, it can come as a surprise that it still exists and even thrives within some communities. While many people are happy to embrace diversity and appreciate the differences between those of different religions and colours, there are many others who see those of other races as a threat and the effect of this intolerance on our society can have far reaching consequences. While racism on a personal level can cause disruption through offensive comments, poor attitudes and occasionally violent outbursts, when it happens on a governmental scale there can be major consequences. When racial discrimination occurs at a national level, we see atrocities such as ethnic cleansing, persecution, discrimination through the judicial system and detrimental segregation laws. There is no denying that racism can be devastating to the culture and well-being of a country, causing economic and moral upheaval. If hatred is allowed to thrive within a society, its negative effects stretch through every part of everyday life.

THE SIGNS OF RACISM IN COMMUNITIES

While we like to think of ourselves as an advanced and forward thinking society, in fact there are still many areas where racism is rife. Within these communities, we see the telltale signs of modern racism. Families of a certain colour or racial group living in poverty and poor conditions, unable to rise out of their disadvantaged state through the prejudice of employers which keeps them in low-paid positions. We see large numbers of certain ethnic groups being unfairly pursued by the justice system and given harsher sentences for their crimes, or even convictions for crimes that have not been committed. We even see discrimination in the education system, with those from certain backgrounds being unable to gain access to the best schools and therefore unable to gain the right qualifications that they need to advance and progress into high level jobs.

WHAT HAPPENS IF RACISM THRIVES?

A country with a racist mentality does not allow all of its citizens to contribute collectively to the nation, thus limiting its success and development. If an entire class of people cannot enjoy the same privileges as the rest of society, they lack the educational and employment opportunities that would enable them to contribute to the overall economic well-being of their country, through essential sectors such as medicine, economics or technology. Also, by limiting one race's ability to participate fully in the culture of the country, the people as a whole are unable to appreciate and understand similarities and differences between them, leading to social stagnation and ongoing persistence of racism through future generations. On a more serious level, if racism is allowed to thrive within society as a whole, eventually this will lead to aggression and even violence, either on a local or even national scale. If bad feeling is allowed to build up between community groups, over time this is sure to result first in low level negativity, from name calling and isolated incidents, and potentially on into full scale conflict. Fighting, rioting and even warfare can be the result of racial prejudice and intolerance.

THE EFFECT OF RACISM ON THE INDIVIDUAL

Individuals who experience racism in their everyday life find that they become very limited. Fear can become an everyday occurrence with low self-esteem being a common side-effect. When someone faces harassment and persecution regularly throughout their life, they naturally come to view themselves as less worthy than they truly are and this can only perpetuate the cycle of oppression. Those who place little value on themselves will never strive to attain more, and it is this problem that results in whole generations of families becoming trapped in disadvantaged situations. It is also common for individuals who consistently deal with racism to become aggressive and resentful, turning to criminal behaviour in an attempt to fight back against the injustice. This too only serves to perpetuate the cycle of disadvantage.

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