After reading the article on the Huffington Post titled Institutional Racism I see that this type of Racism is still running rampant in our American society. The article notes that “The old definition of institutional racism is simply put as racism that is done by habit, rather than one that is done by intent.” (Slayton, 2009, para. 3) This form of Institutional Racism is found within our political system, watched daily by the way that the right-wing conservatives speak to and about our current president. Their mode and logic is Racist, but since nothing is blatantly said that is racially taboo, the issue slides right under the rug; nothing is done about it. I wonder sometimes if the shoe were on the other foot and circumstances were totally reversed, would the black party be disciplined?
While reading this article I found another form of Institutional Racism, this is discussed and illustrated as an example by where a potential candidate for a new position was being considered. The group felt that he was and extraordinary candidate, he was intelligent, came from the East Coast, was a liberalist, and shared many of the groups political views. Those were the reasons that the group felt he would be a successful and potential candidate, not to mention that this person was exactly like the group. Even though this person did not accept the offered position, the Institutional Racism is felt and very visible. This is due to the fact that the only reason this person was considered was because he matched a particular mold. If the candidate would have had different views or of a different race, he would not have been considered.
Another form of Institutional Racism that is discussed in the article touches on how African American job hunters are having to change their African names to something simpler and less black sounding. With the shrinking job economy, and the amount of fewer jobs available, blacks are having to ensure that they need to do whatever possible to receive as many call backs as possible. Unfortunately, this type of racism targets darker skinned applicants. The sad part that I was stunned about was that this type of racial profiling was being not only done by Caucasians, but by Hispanics and Asians as well.
In conclusion, Institutional Racism is still alive and well within America. Unfortunately this kind of discrimination is mostly not done intentionally. It is a form of Racism that occurs everyday, it is so subtle that it doesn’t fit any stereotypes. The biased results just slide by as they have in the past, why no bridges have been burnt, no harm has been done. It looks as if the time has come for all Minorities to stand up for themselves, and to not allow this travesty to just slide by any longer.
References
Slayton, R. (2009, December 09). Institutional Racism. Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-slayton/institutional-racism_b_384359.html
Slayton, R. (December 9, 2009, December 9, 2009). Institutional Racism. Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-slayton/institutional-racism_b_384359.html
References: Slayton, R. (2009, December 09). Institutional Racism. Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-slayton/institutional-racism_b_384359.html Slayton, R. (December 9, 2009, December 9, 2009). Institutional Racism. Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-slayton/institutional-racism_b_384359.html
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