Pros And Cons Of Living In A Post-Racial Society
Introduction
I agree with the statement that we live in a post- racial society in which there has been a retreat from racial and gender equality to a certain extent. There are many examples from numerous contemporary liberal democratic societies that huge steps have been made towards becoming completely post-racial in which the citizens of a society are free from racial preference, discrimination, and prejudice. However I don’t totally agree with this statement as there is evidence from different supposedly post racial societies of discrimination towards minorities of a multicultural society due to a person’s gender, religion, and or ethnicity etc. I believe there is no society present day that is a post-racial society one hundred percent due to a number of factors which I will hope to discuss in the following essay.
A liberal democracy is a political idea in which a number of distinct political parties’ campaign for the right to form a government which is decided by the citizens of the country through means of a fair, free election. The citizens …show more content…
of a liberal democracy have the right to vote for anyone they want usually the party with the manifesto which they feel will meet their needs the best. The government is put in place to protect the rights of the citizens and treat them equal regardless of their background. In the following essay I hope to illuminate such incidents in which suggest certain societies such as America are moving towards a post-racial society and other reasons why I think racial and gender equality are still prominent in liberal democratic societies.
Post-racial America
In 2008 the election of the first ever black president of America is believed by a huge amount of people to be a huge indicator that the American society is post racial, however it is very debateable. ‘Arguments on both sides of the political spectrum have been heard over recent times in support of the idea that society is ‘post-race’ (Gallagher 2008) I think that the election of Obama indicates that the American society is moving closer to a post racial society but is not fully there as of yet. I believe that Obama has opened a new door for African-American politicians as what he achieved in 2008 reaching the pinnacle of American politics may have seemed extremely unrealistic even thirty years prior to the event however I think people of the same ethnic background as Obama but are on the opposite side of the spectrum as him are still encountering racial and gender issues on a day to day bases. In the past it was quite evident that white people had an unfair advantage over people belonging to minority groups in such fields as politics, education and work until the tides started to change with the birth of the civil rights movement in the 1950s which was started by an African-American woman named Rosa Parks. At the time black people were considered to be second class citizens due to the colour of their skin and had very little opportunities in politics, education and the work place. “If the disproportionate levels of success in the White community are not rooted in hard work and merit, then what could possibly account for the discrepancy? The answer, of course, is systemic imbalance and a fundamental lack of justice, which, naturally, is difficult for Whites to embrace, since it calls into question their privilege”. (This week in race, 2009) as this quote clearly suggests the imbalance of the systems put in place in America usually decided by white people are fixed to oppress the minority within the society and as a result leads to an unfair advantage for the majority. The quote also puts into perspective that people of white ethnicity are not academically superior or more competent than any other race but shows signs of racism and corruption with the intent of keeping their privileges and the upper hand in society.
As I have said previously the election of Obama has divided opinions on whether America is a post-racial society. “Eighty-three percent of white America thinks we live in a post-racial moment now, while eighty-three percent of African-Americans believe the exact opposite”. (Acronym TV, 2014) this statistic is an eye opener as it shows the opinions of two ethnic groups which have opposite opinions on the topic of post-racial America. The reason for this statistic may be the fact that the white Americans who took part in this poll may not have experienced racial inequality directly or have been the instigator of a racial matter; therefore I believe the majority of white Americans may be oblivious to fact that racial inequality still happens on a regular basis. I also think that the white Americans in this poll may have their opinions suede by the election of Obama as president and that racism is not an issue anymore however I think the average white American may be ignorant to the fact that the average African-American may still face racial and gender inequality.
The Lily Ledbetter fair play act of 2009 was the first bill signed into law by Obama. The new act required companies with 100 or more employees to show clearly to the American government how much they were paying each of their employees. It was also made clear the employee’s gender, race and ethnicity. This act was put into place in an attempt to cut out discrimination towards certain employees due to their gender, race or ethnic background. The wage gap between the two genders has been a matter debated since women entered the workplace, not only is the wage gap a problem in America but across the globe in every democratic society. “For the economy as a whole, in 2014, women's gross hourly earnings were on average 16.1 % below those of men in the European Union (EU-28) and 16.5% in the euro area (EA-18). Across Member States, the gender pay gap varied by 25.4 percentage points, ranging from 2.9 % in Slovenia to 28.3 % in Estonia” (Europa.eu, 2016) as these statistics show the inequality of wages between the genders is rampant throughout the member states of the EU present day. This seems to me to be very unfair as I think it is only right that people who carry out the same responsibilities should yield the same amount of wages regardless of their gender or background. I think that the passing of acts like the Lily Ledbetter fair play act will minimise the discrimination between the genders but I don’t think it will abolish inequality completely. Further action is needed for complete equality.
Incidents of police brutality against African-Americans have been well documented across the globe by means of social media and news. The role of a police force is to enforce the law of the society which in this case is a democratic society. A pillar of a democratic society is that all citizens are treated with an equal amount of respect regardless of their gender or race however statistics have shown in recent years that young black African-American men have been targeted by the US police. Young black men were nine times more likely than other Americans to be killed by police officers in 2015, according to the findings of a Guardian study. (Swaine, 2015) as young black men in America are a small minority of the American population it is quite clear to me that members of the police force may be prejudices towards their fellow citizens due to the colour of their skin. I believe with report like this America cannot be a coined as a post-racial society.
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is a concept which can be seen in every democratic society.
The term refers to the existence and acceptance of multiple cultural traditions within the society. “One justification for multiculturalism arises out of the communitarian critique of liberalism. Liberals are ethical individualists; they insist that individuals should be free to choose and pursue their own conceptions of the good life. They give primacy to individual rights and liberties over community life and collective goods.” (Song, 2010) this quote leads me to believe that people who are a part of a minority ethnicity within a society are entitled to practice aspects of their culture as they please without running the risk of experiencing inequality within certain spheres of the society such as education, politics and work. As this may the case in some democratic societies, incidents of racial and gender inequality can be unrooted in
others.
The country of France is a good example of a liberal democracy which has a diverse culture due to the mass migration of people from countries in North Africa to France in the 1980’s. Immigrants move to France from countries such as Algeria and Tunisia to meet the demands of labor for the French government. As the majority of immigrants were followers of the Islamic religion the French government implemented the approach of assimilation into French culture inevitably destroying the immigrant’s traditional culture. “The French law considers all the citizens as equals despite their ethnic origin and race deriving from the country of origin and their family culture. The French nation is legally considered as an entity based on the right of soil, not of blood” (Fuga, 2008) this quote shows that the French government treat all citizens regardless of their background. It is clear from French society that the immigrants were inserted into dwellings of their own in which their traditions and norms were maintained strongly which as result diversified the French society. Children of immigrants considered themselves French but had a strong attachment to their parent’s culture. As I have stated previously the French government considered all citizens equal there has been controversy over the traditional head scarf worn by women of the Islamic faith. As a citizen of a liberal democracy an individual has human rights which include free-choice. “In the 2011 petition filed at the European Court of Human Rights against France by a French national who wears the niqab, the woman’s case was set up around the fact and circumstance of her wearing it freely, as a personal choice, not coerced by anyone else” (Amiraux, 2013) as religious symbols are not permitted in the public schools of France it is hard to deny someone the right to wear an item of clothing if they say it is their right to as all citizens are equal. It is hard to say whether this is a law which imposes a sense of racial and gender inequality into the French society.
Equality legislation in Ireland
In recent years a number of acts have been passed by the Irish government in order to protect its citizens from experiencing discrimination in a number of spheres of the society. The employment equality act of 98 ensures people in a work of place have the right to equal pay, fair working conditions and protects them against unfair dismissals among other things. Since then other acts have been implemented to amend the earlier ones such as the equality status act and the equality act 2004. I think the amendment of acts push the society of Ireland towards a post-racial society however I still believe it is an on-going struggle as the culture is diversifying.
As Ireland is a member state of the European Union this has an effect on Ireland’s society present day. Due to the war in Syria the EU have set up schemes to relocate refugees within its member states, Ireland being one of them. The family’s arrival is part of an EU scheme aimed at relocating some 160,000 asylum seekers fleeing Syria and Iraq among places — 2,600 of them will be accepted in Ireland (Irish examiner, 2016) with the relocation of the refugees this may have an effect on the diversity of the Irish society. It is unclear to me whether the effect will be positive or negative. In situations like this there is always two sides of an argument. Some Irish people will be against the refugees relocating to Ireland as with economic downturn of 2008 government resources have been constrained however others will look at this scheme as essential because the EU is crucial to the success of Ireland’s stability. In my opinion Ireland is the society that is closest to being post-racial compared to the other ones I have discussed.
Conclusion
I do believe that as we move into the future liberal democratic societies will retreat from racial and gender equality. However I think it is unlikely that we will see a post-racial society anytime soon. It is clear that progress is being made on national levels such as in politics, acceptance of religion etc. But there is also incidents happening that make me believe some societies are moving further away from a post-racial society. With tensions running high in France after the bombing in Paris and the Charlie Hebdo shootings it is hard to imagine that two different cultures can coincide after such extreme events. Although these incidents were carried out by only a small number of Islamic extremists I believe that this will have an effect on how other ethnic groups depict French Muslims.
Another factor which hinders a post-racial society is the democratic system and the freedom of speech. I believe that there will always be extreme left wing parties who will oppose change to the traditions of the indigenous people. For example the le Front National party in France led by Jean Marie La Pen outlines its manifesto with zero tolerance towards immigrants and their culture. It is hard to see whether a country like France ever being post-racial due to the events which have already occurred. I also believe the same for America, racism is deeply rooted into the history of America I find it hard to see racism being non-existent in the country. I also believe with its capitalistic way of life the people who control the majority of the wealth in America will do anything possible to keep the power. For a capitalistic economy to work a group of people must succeed whereas another group must be oppressed. In my opinion I believe Ireland is the society the most likely to become a post-racial society.
I agree with the statement that we live in a post- racial society in which there has been a retreat from racial and gender equality to a certain extent. There are many examples from numerous contemporary liberal democratic societies that huge steps have been made towards becoming completely post-racial in which the citizens of a society are free from racial preference, discrimination, and prejudice. However I don’t totally agree with this statement as there is evidence from different supposedly post racial societies of discrimination towards minorities of a multicultural society due to a person’s gender, religion, and or ethnicity etc. I believe there is no society present day that is a post-racial society one hundred percent due to a number of factors which I will hope to discuss in the following essay.
A liberal democracy is a political idea in which a number of distinct political parties’ campaign for the right to form a government which is decided by the citizens of the country through means of a fair, free election. The citizens …show more content…
of a liberal democracy have the right to vote for anyone they want usually the party with the manifesto which they feel will meet their needs the best. The government is put in place to protect the rights of the citizens and treat them equal regardless of their background. In the following essay I hope to illuminate such incidents in which suggest certain societies such as America are moving towards a post-racial society and other reasons why I think racial and gender equality are still prominent in liberal democratic societies.
Post-racial America
In 2008 the election of the first ever black president of America is believed by a huge amount of people to be a huge indicator that the American society is post racial, however it is very debateable. ‘Arguments on both sides of the political spectrum have been heard over recent times in support of the idea that society is ‘post-race’ (Gallagher 2008) I think that the election of Obama indicates that the American society is moving closer to a post racial society but is not fully there as of yet. I believe that Obama has opened a new door for African-American politicians as what he achieved in 2008 reaching the pinnacle of American politics may have seemed extremely unrealistic even thirty years prior to the event however I think people of the same ethnic background as Obama but are on the opposite side of the spectrum as him are still encountering racial and gender issues on a day to day bases. In the past it was quite evident that white people had an unfair advantage over people belonging to minority groups in such fields as politics, education and work until the tides started to change with the birth of the civil rights movement in the 1950s which was started by an African-American woman named Rosa Parks. At the time black people were considered to be second class citizens due to the colour of their skin and had very little opportunities in politics, education and the work place. “If the disproportionate levels of success in the White community are not rooted in hard work and merit, then what could possibly account for the discrepancy? The answer, of course, is systemic imbalance and a fundamental lack of justice, which, naturally, is difficult for Whites to embrace, since it calls into question their privilege”. (This week in race, 2009) as this quote clearly suggests the imbalance of the systems put in place in America usually decided by white people are fixed to oppress the minority within the society and as a result leads to an unfair advantage for the majority. The quote also puts into perspective that people of white ethnicity are not academically superior or more competent than any other race but shows signs of racism and corruption with the intent of keeping their privileges and the upper hand in society.
As I have said previously the election of Obama has divided opinions on whether America is a post-racial society. “Eighty-three percent of white America thinks we live in a post-racial moment now, while eighty-three percent of African-Americans believe the exact opposite”. (Acronym TV, 2014) this statistic is an eye opener as it shows the opinions of two ethnic groups which have opposite opinions on the topic of post-racial America. The reason for this statistic may be the fact that the white Americans who took part in this poll may not have experienced racial inequality directly or have been the instigator of a racial matter; therefore I believe the majority of white Americans may be oblivious to fact that racial inequality still happens on a regular basis. I also think that the white Americans in this poll may have their opinions suede by the election of Obama as president and that racism is not an issue anymore however I think the average white American may be ignorant to the fact that the average African-American may still face racial and gender inequality.
The Lily Ledbetter fair play act of 2009 was the first bill signed into law by Obama. The new act required companies with 100 or more employees to show clearly to the American government how much they were paying each of their employees. It was also made clear the employee’s gender, race and ethnicity. This act was put into place in an attempt to cut out discrimination towards certain employees due to their gender, race or ethnic background. The wage gap between the two genders has been a matter debated since women entered the workplace, not only is the wage gap a problem in America but across the globe in every democratic society. “For the economy as a whole, in 2014, women's gross hourly earnings were on average 16.1 % below those of men in the European Union (EU-28) and 16.5% in the euro area (EA-18). Across Member States, the gender pay gap varied by 25.4 percentage points, ranging from 2.9 % in Slovenia to 28.3 % in Estonia” (Europa.eu, 2016) as these statistics show the inequality of wages between the genders is rampant throughout the member states of the EU present day. This seems to me to be very unfair as I think it is only right that people who carry out the same responsibilities should yield the same amount of wages regardless of their gender or background. I think that the passing of acts like the Lily Ledbetter fair play act will minimise the discrimination between the genders but I don’t think it will abolish inequality completely. Further action is needed for complete equality.
Incidents of police brutality against African-Americans have been well documented across the globe by means of social media and news. The role of a police force is to enforce the law of the society which in this case is a democratic society. A pillar of a democratic society is that all citizens are treated with an equal amount of respect regardless of their gender or race however statistics have shown in recent years that young black African-American men have been targeted by the US police. Young black men were nine times more likely than other Americans to be killed by police officers in 2015, according to the findings of a Guardian study. (Swaine, 2015) as young black men in America are a small minority of the American population it is quite clear to me that members of the police force may be prejudices towards their fellow citizens due to the colour of their skin. I believe with report like this America cannot be a coined as a post-racial society.
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is a concept which can be seen in every democratic society.
The term refers to the existence and acceptance of multiple cultural traditions within the society. “One justification for multiculturalism arises out of the communitarian critique of liberalism. Liberals are ethical individualists; they insist that individuals should be free to choose and pursue their own conceptions of the good life. They give primacy to individual rights and liberties over community life and collective goods.” (Song, 2010) this quote leads me to believe that people who are a part of a minority ethnicity within a society are entitled to practice aspects of their culture as they please without running the risk of experiencing inequality within certain spheres of the society such as education, politics and work. As this may the case in some democratic societies, incidents of racial and gender inequality can be unrooted in
others.
The country of France is a good example of a liberal democracy which has a diverse culture due to the mass migration of people from countries in North Africa to France in the 1980’s. Immigrants move to France from countries such as Algeria and Tunisia to meet the demands of labor for the French government. As the majority of immigrants were followers of the Islamic religion the French government implemented the approach of assimilation into French culture inevitably destroying the immigrant’s traditional culture. “The French law considers all the citizens as equals despite their ethnic origin and race deriving from the country of origin and their family culture. The French nation is legally considered as an entity based on the right of soil, not of blood” (Fuga, 2008) this quote shows that the French government treat all citizens regardless of their background. It is clear from French society that the immigrants were inserted into dwellings of their own in which their traditions and norms were maintained strongly which as result diversified the French society. Children of immigrants considered themselves French but had a strong attachment to their parent’s culture. As I have stated previously the French government considered all citizens equal there has been controversy over the traditional head scarf worn by women of the Islamic faith. As a citizen of a liberal democracy an individual has human rights which include free-choice. “In the 2011 petition filed at the European Court of Human Rights against France by a French national who wears the niqab, the woman’s case was set up around the fact and circumstance of her wearing it freely, as a personal choice, not coerced by anyone else” (Amiraux, 2013) as religious symbols are not permitted in the public schools of France it is hard to deny someone the right to wear an item of clothing if they say it is their right to as all citizens are equal. It is hard to say whether this is a law which imposes a sense of racial and gender inequality into the French society.
Equality legislation in Ireland
In recent years a number of acts have been passed by the Irish government in order to protect its citizens from experiencing discrimination in a number of spheres of the society. The employment equality act of 98 ensures people in a work of place have the right to equal pay, fair working conditions and protects them against unfair dismissals among other things. Since then other acts have been implemented to amend the earlier ones such as the equality status act and the equality act 2004. I think the amendment of acts push the society of Ireland towards a post-racial society however I still believe it is an on-going struggle as the culture is diversifying.
As Ireland is a member state of the European Union this has an effect on Ireland’s society present day. Due to the war in Syria the EU have set up schemes to relocate refugees within its member states, Ireland being one of them. The family’s arrival is part of an EU scheme aimed at relocating some 160,000 asylum seekers fleeing Syria and Iraq among places — 2,600 of them will be accepted in Ireland (Irish examiner, 2016) with the relocation of the refugees this may have an effect on the diversity of the Irish society. It is unclear to me whether the effect will be positive or negative. In situations like this there is always two sides of an argument. Some Irish people will be against the refugees relocating to Ireland as with economic downturn of 2008 government resources have been constrained however others will look at this scheme as essential because the EU is crucial to the success of Ireland’s stability. In my opinion Ireland is the society that is closest to being post-racial compared to the other ones I have discussed.
Conclusion
I do believe that as we move into the future liberal democratic societies will retreat from racial and gender equality. However I think it is unlikely that we will see a post-racial society anytime soon. It is clear that progress is being made on national levels such as in politics, acceptance of religion etc. But there is also incidents happening that make me believe some societies are moving further away from a post-racial society. With tensions running high in France after the bombing in Paris and the Charlie Hebdo shootings it is hard to imagine that two different cultures can coincide after such extreme events. Although these incidents were carried out by only a small number of Islamic extremists I believe that this will have an effect on how other ethnic groups depict French Muslims.
Another factor which hinders a post-racial society is the democratic system and the freedom of speech. I believe that there will always be extreme left wing parties who will oppose change to the traditions of the indigenous people. For example the le Front National party in France led by Jean Marie La Pen outlines its manifesto with zero tolerance towards immigrants and their culture. It is hard to see whether a country like France ever being post-racial due to the events which have already occurred. I also believe the same for America, racism is deeply rooted into the history of America I find it hard to see racism being non-existent in the country. I also believe with its capitalistic way of life the people who control the majority of the wealth in America will do anything possible to keep the power. For a capitalistic economy to work a group of people must succeed whereas another group must be oppressed. In my opinion I believe Ireland is the society the most likely to become a post-racial society.