Black Lives Matter: Racism In The United States

Many modern-day institutions are to blame for the persistence of racism within the United States, however, many common protests such as those for the Black Lives Matter movement fail to make an impact on such major institutions. Historically, significant institutions such as the Federal government of the United States own a vast amount of power related to constructing “racist” policies, nevertheless, many antiracism protests to end these policies are not aimed at higher institutions. For example, movements such as Black Lives Matter are comprised mostly of young people who attempt to press against racial discrimination in all forms, rather than against those who have the power to undermine discrimination. Likewise, by attempting to impact
those who have the power to make immediate changes related to ending structural racism, protesters are able to persuade those in power that ending structural racism could benefit them in some type of way. For example, President Abraham Lincoln decided to end slavery because he felt that it would save the Union, proving that powerful individuals will compromise in order to undermine segregation if it benefits them. Even more, successful protests attempt to provoke some type of self-interest in powerful institutions rather than simply gather up a group of antiracist protesters that may inevitably create a large conflict. Eventually, those who hold positions of higher power will likely understand that making an antiracist change is a much better alternative than the having the protesters possibly create political harm. More importantly, it is critical for all “racial categories” outside of African Americans to understand that by ending segregation within African Americans will inevitably help to end racism in all other races. Likewise, middle and upper-income African Americans should seek to challenge racism within poor Black communities, since it would result in a socioeconomic rise for all Blacks regardless of their economic status. In modern day America, the terms “racism” and “antiracism” are often scrutinized for having various skewed meanings.
For example, many would believe that an individual could not be considered racist if they have friends outside of their own “race.” This ideology is false since many individuals in modern society still have “racist” tendencies (such as using slang), even if they don’t realize it. On the other hand, many may wonder about the possibility of labeling oneself as neither racist nor antiracist. Those who engage in protests such as Black Lives Matter should not label African Americans or Caucasians “racist” simply because they don’t support the movement. Subsequently, if an individual claims that they don’t support Black Lives Matter simply for their detestation of African Americans, it would probably be safe to label that individual as
“racist.” However, popular culture further complicates the idea of labeling individuals as racist or antiracist because many celebrities and popular figures in the media use terms of slang and other convoluted impressions, which broadly impacts the idea of racism for many average citizens.
For example, African American rappers often use the N-word in their songs, although they rarely receive criticism for it due to the commonality of the issue. As a result, these popular songs are listened to by various racial groups, resulting in a broad variety of individuals representing a word that they may not be properly educated about. Even more, it is ironic that African Americans are most likely to feel discriminated against whenever they hear the N-word, however, African Americans are the specific racial group that are globalizing the word and irrationally prolonging its use into the 21st century. In conclusion, individuals should seek to appreciate all racial categories and promote racial tolerance, since many other aspects such as defining the words “racist” and “antiracist” are becoming more unclear in modern
society.