Man In The Zoo Racism

According to the textbook racism is when the basis of discrimination involves someone’s perception of race. An instance of racism that has stayed in my mind ever since I read the article The Man in the Zoo in the textbook. A 22-year-old pygmy was enslaved in Africa and bought by an American only to be put in the zoo for display and people to enjoy. It’s extremely unfortunate that this man was put in the same exhibit with an orangutan and had to endure crowds of people that howled and poked him everyday. It is pretty clear that labels were put on the African Pygmy people. A Pygmy is a member of an ethnic group that is known for their unusually short height. The man that was displayed in the zoo was labeled as a “freak” or “ugly”. He came from
a vastly different culture and ethnic group compared to many Americans at the time. Americans did not often see another human that was so short or with teeth that were sharpened. The man was different from anything most people had ever seen before. The labels that were put on him as a result influenced how people perceived him and the rest of the Pygmies. Labels have a significant impact on how people perceive others from different ethnicities and walks of life. Once a label is put on a group it is often very difficult to eliminate any prejudice on that group. For example, a big issue in our world today is the White vs. African American prejudice. There are certain labels that have been associated with each ethnicity that greatly influences how we view the different people around us and explain their behaviors.