Racism

Race is a social construct. There is no physical thing as race, people of different colors have nothing that makes them physically different besides the color of their skin, yet racism has run rampant throughout the history of society. In the old days we kept black people as slaves, and although the days where this is allowed are long gone, racism is not.

Society at whole tends to view racism as a non-issue these days. It has long stopped being socially acceptable to be racist, so most people view that as the end of the problem and move on. However, just because people can't use racial slurs and descriminate legally, that does not mean that racism is a thing of the past.

While racism may no longer be explicit, implicit racism still runs rampant. Beauty for example is still seen as something to be almost exclusively white. Models, idols, people society deems as attractive almost always are white, or at least have light skin. This implicitly sends a message to minority children that they are not as good as their white counterparts solely because of the color of their skin.

Everyone is a little bit racist, even you and me. Its a product of the society we are born into. My favorite example is something I frequently chide my parents for, but something that I, and probably many other people do, nonetheless. When in a unfamiliar city, you always want to find out if you are in a safe neighborhood to be in or not. And how do most people go about doing this? They look at the other people in the area and judge the ratio of white people to minorities. If there's more minorities, most people would leave. Is this racist? Absolutely. But it is a product of the society we are built into. People are tought from a young age that white people are safe and minorities are dangerous. Thus you can hardly blame them for being racist when that is what they are tought. In order to eliminate racism, we must stop teaching children these implicit values of racism.

The Class

In American society, it appears that people are grouped by their race, their religion, their gender, and their sexual identity. Countless times a year do we all fill out the first three on standardized test forms! After all these are the most discussed descriptors, and have the most influential reform and equality movements. However, there is one descriptor that isn't discussed as often on a scholarly and informed level, and one for which there is no lobbying movement. That is Class.

People are grouped by their class more than by anything else. Upper class people stick together, as do lower class people. You'd never see someone from The Hamptons hanging with someone from Harlem! However, what this does is creates a sense of inclusion and exclusion. As a member of a certain social class, each person is expected to act a certain way and perform a certain role. This limits the aspirations of young people, as they are told what they "have" to do, instead of being able to live their own lives. Conversely, the exclusion from other social classes causes people to be unfamiliar with those different to them. The result is a rising level of resentment that the rich have for the poor and visa versa.

The saddest part is, theres no forseeable way to fix this. In my other blogs I've tried to end with a suggestion; and idea for reform if you will. However, here I see no solution. Social Class is inherent in life. People are born into it and live their entire lives surrounded by it. Barring some complete social overhaul that would be highly unlikely to occur, this will never change. Its a sad prospect to leave you with, but its the truth.