Essay 3 Race

James Hamblin

Race, a subject which is hard to discuss without offending, is inexorably tied to all of our lives. Whether we like it or not everyone is categorized by race. Much of our angst comes from not knowing how to define race or how it effects our interactions. A juvenile, dare I say, European version of race separates people by color. Science has proven that the color of a person’s skin has about as much validity as the color of a person’s hair or eyes. All traits are a combination of features that all races share to one degree or another. Taking this into consideration one may wonder why racism, whether intentional or not, is so prevalent in society.

In an article by Sasha Polakow-Suransky, a person with Arab features was treated poorly by a middle aged black person. While being offended, this individual still had the presence of mind to confront the profiler and dispel a possibly volatile situation. Also, as stated by the Zogby International poll, the approval rating for racial profiling of Arab-Americans peaked at sixty percent in September of 2001(Polakow-suransky). At first it may seem that only people of African descent are victims of racism, but the previous examples prove that prejudice can exist in all individuals. Constantly on our minds, the dangers of Muslim radicals seem to have replaced racism against the black minority.

While many would shrug off such an event, the truth is this attitude is consistent in our daily lives. Many people feel it is an extension of class conflict; this person is richer or poorer than me, therefore different. This feeling of isolation, or different, between people may be a fundamental proponent to our basic fight or flight emotions. Or perhaps, America as a nation is not as mature as it thinks it is, especially when compared to a diversified community like Europe.

There is a large market for racial equality in America today. From Organizations that are pro-civil rights to clubs that cater to individual minorities, racial segregation is alive and well in our world today. Unfortunately, this only hinders our progress to become a nation of equals. While a “minority” may make a racial group to celebrate their individuality in American society, a white person is immediately classified as racist for even suggestion such a thing. If equality was really a driving force to our social system the idea of a white only club would be as common as a black only club. This idea could actually help to solidify our relations as individuals by accepting that we are all just people expressing the concept that “like attracts like.”

For Americans the idea that we may lose our individuality to racial diversity is troubling. Not many people are really racist but when looked at from a distance the reality is blurred. The issue of maintaining that individuality while encouraging diversity is simply a matter of trust. So the question of race in America may simply be whether we are mature enough as a society to be mature individuals.

Work Cited

Polakow-Suransky, Sasha. “Racial Profiling Goes Beyond Black and White.” Goshgarian, Gary. What Matters in America. New York: Pearson Educational, Inc., 2007. 200-206