The Role Of Racism And Anti-Semitism In America Today
Running Head: RACISM AND ANTI-SEMITISM
Hatred a Look at Racism and anti-Semitism in America Today
PHI 103
June 30, 2013
Hatred a Look at Racism and anti-Semitism in America Today Even though there have been many educational and social strides towards equality, there is still racism and anti-Semitism in America today. Racism and anti-Semitism can be found all around us. Many people see and feel discrimination in their everyday lives. The media shows us that hatred and racism exits even within the Hollywood and celebrity communities. Some of the most convincing and disturbing data comes from the US government. The FBI holds records that illustrate the known severity of the problem. This paper will explore how racism and …show more content…
anti-Semitism is still alive and rampant in today’s society. There is still racism and anti-Semitism in America today because wealth is unequally distributed among the races in America, current events prove there is still racism and anti-Semitism in America today, and FBI hate crime data proves that there is still racism and anti-Semitism in America today.
Has America finally eliminated racial inequality and anti-Semitism?
Even though there have been many educational and social strides towards equality, there is still racism and anti-Semitism in America today that can be evidenced by the unequal distribution of wealth among the races in America. According to Conley, D. (1999), “the median white family held assets worth more than seven times those of median nonwhite family”. The majority of America’s wealth resides within a single race although the country has great racial diversity. America continues to show opportunity in having the nation’s wealth more equally represented by the various races within the United States. It is important to look at the controlling wealth of the United States to understand how minorities could be negatively impacted. Minorities may not have the availability to the means that create opportunities for them to prosper as much as …show more content…
Caucasians.
Moreover, there is evidence of racism and anti-Semitism in current events that are seen in the media. ““Rainbow/PUSH said it has "found evidence of systemic racial discrimination and harassment" by Deen and that "a family member consistently referred to a black cook as 'my little monkey.”” Famed celebrity chef Paula Deen has been sued by former African-American employees alleging their former employer paid her white employees more than her nonwhite workers. This is a modern day example of a current celebrity who is beloved by many actively embracing and practicing racist behaviors. This proves that racism reaches many different classes of people and is still prevalent today. Back during the summer of 2006, CNN reported “Actor Mel Gibson on Tuesday admitted making anti-Semitic remarks during his drunken driving arrest and appealed to the Jewish community to help him recover from his alcohol addiction”. Mel Gibson faced a strong backlash when he went on several race-laden rants that were captured either on tape or by eye witnesses. According to the Indian Express, “Mel Gibson 's outburst demonstrates once again that we are far from a society that is beyond race and racism”.
Finally, there is further evidence of racism and ant-Semitism is seen via the FBI hate crimes reports.
Analysis of the 6,216 single-bias incidents reported in 2011 revealed the following: 46.9 percent were racially motivated; 20.8 percent resulted from sexual-orientation bias; 19.8 percent were motivated by religious bias and 11.6 percent stemmed from ethnicity/national origin bias. The FBI hate crime reports clearly show that there are still an alarming numbers of crimes that are committed against individuals based on their race. This is one of the strongest pieces of evidence that shows that racism and anti-Semitism is alive and fervent in America
today.
There is still racism and anti-Semitism in America today because wealth is unequally distributed among the races in America, current events prove there is still racism and anti-Semitism in America today, and FBI hate crime data proves that there is still racism and anti-Semitism in America today. Racism is “the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics, abilities, or qualities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races” according to the Oxford Dictionary. Unfortunately there are examples of such behaviors that can be seen in everyday living as well as in our celebrity community. If there is no racism then one must ask why there is such a great disparity in how America’s wealth is distributed. According to CNN Money, “The median household net worth for whites was $110,729 in 2010, versus $4,995 for blacks, according to recently released Census Bureau figures”. Parents who have less money have a more challenging path in order for their children to gain higher education. Education is a key determining factor in to what kind of lifestyle a person may lead. Even educated and famous people may make a racist remark. Are Paula Deen and Mel Gibson racist? They can be judged by their actions and words. If they are not racist or anti-Semitic then they should look at their behaviors introspectively to determine the motivations for such hateful words and deeds. Hate is more than just words it is also accounted by ones actions and intent. “The woman who filed a harassment lawsuit against Paula Deen said Monday her suit "has never been about the N-word “says CNN. The FBI looks at racism in terms of hate crimes and the staggering statistics that come with them. “According to statistics released today by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 6,222 criminal incidents involving 7,254 offenses were reported in 2011 as a result of bias toward a particular race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity/national origin, or physical or mental disability”, per FBI website. Indeed, while there have been many educational and social strides towards equality, there is still racism and anti-Semitism in America today.
References
Conley, D. (1999). Being Black, Living in the Red: Race, Wealth, Social Policy. Univ of California Press. http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Movies/07/31/gibson.dui/index.html?iref=allsearch http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/01/showbiz/paula-deen-accuser/index.html?iid=article_sidebar http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/hate-crime/2011/narratives/jurisdiction http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/23/paula-deen-scandal-continues-employees-tell-rainbow-push-alleged-discrimination_n_3484607.html http://www.indianexpress.com/news/mel-gibson-sees-backlash-over-race-remarks/641440/ http://money.cnn.com/2012/06/21/news/economy/wealth-gap-race/index.htm
http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/racism
Hatred a Look at Racism and anti-Semitism in America Today
PHI 103
June 30, 2013
Hatred a Look at Racism and anti-Semitism in America Today Even though there have been many educational and social strides towards equality, there is still racism and anti-Semitism in America today. Racism and anti-Semitism can be found all around us. Many people see and feel discrimination in their everyday lives. The media shows us that hatred and racism exits even within the Hollywood and celebrity communities. Some of the most convincing and disturbing data comes from the US government. The FBI holds records that illustrate the known severity of the problem. This paper will explore how racism and …show more content…
anti-Semitism is still alive and rampant in today’s society. There is still racism and anti-Semitism in America today because wealth is unequally distributed among the races in America, current events prove there is still racism and anti-Semitism in America today, and FBI hate crime data proves that there is still racism and anti-Semitism in America today.
Has America finally eliminated racial inequality and anti-Semitism?
Even though there have been many educational and social strides towards equality, there is still racism and anti-Semitism in America today that can be evidenced by the unequal distribution of wealth among the races in America. According to Conley, D. (1999), “the median white family held assets worth more than seven times those of median nonwhite family”. The majority of America’s wealth resides within a single race although the country has great racial diversity. America continues to show opportunity in having the nation’s wealth more equally represented by the various races within the United States. It is important to look at the controlling wealth of the United States to understand how minorities could be negatively impacted. Minorities may not have the availability to the means that create opportunities for them to prosper as much as …show more content…
Caucasians.
Moreover, there is evidence of racism and anti-Semitism in current events that are seen in the media. ““Rainbow/PUSH said it has "found evidence of systemic racial discrimination and harassment" by Deen and that "a family member consistently referred to a black cook as 'my little monkey.”” Famed celebrity chef Paula Deen has been sued by former African-American employees alleging their former employer paid her white employees more than her nonwhite workers. This is a modern day example of a current celebrity who is beloved by many actively embracing and practicing racist behaviors. This proves that racism reaches many different classes of people and is still prevalent today. Back during the summer of 2006, CNN reported “Actor Mel Gibson on Tuesday admitted making anti-Semitic remarks during his drunken driving arrest and appealed to the Jewish community to help him recover from his alcohol addiction”. Mel Gibson faced a strong backlash when he went on several race-laden rants that were captured either on tape or by eye witnesses. According to the Indian Express, “Mel Gibson 's outburst demonstrates once again that we are far from a society that is beyond race and racism”.
Finally, there is further evidence of racism and ant-Semitism is seen via the FBI hate crimes reports.
Analysis of the 6,216 single-bias incidents reported in 2011 revealed the following: 46.9 percent were racially motivated; 20.8 percent resulted from sexual-orientation bias; 19.8 percent were motivated by religious bias and 11.6 percent stemmed from ethnicity/national origin bias. The FBI hate crime reports clearly show that there are still an alarming numbers of crimes that are committed against individuals based on their race. This is one of the strongest pieces of evidence that shows that racism and anti-Semitism is alive and fervent in America
today.
There is still racism and anti-Semitism in America today because wealth is unequally distributed among the races in America, current events prove there is still racism and anti-Semitism in America today, and FBI hate crime data proves that there is still racism and anti-Semitism in America today. Racism is “the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics, abilities, or qualities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races” according to the Oxford Dictionary. Unfortunately there are examples of such behaviors that can be seen in everyday living as well as in our celebrity community. If there is no racism then one must ask why there is such a great disparity in how America’s wealth is distributed. According to CNN Money, “The median household net worth for whites was $110,729 in 2010, versus $4,995 for blacks, according to recently released Census Bureau figures”. Parents who have less money have a more challenging path in order for their children to gain higher education. Education is a key determining factor in to what kind of lifestyle a person may lead. Even educated and famous people may make a racist remark. Are Paula Deen and Mel Gibson racist? They can be judged by their actions and words. If they are not racist or anti-Semitic then they should look at their behaviors introspectively to determine the motivations for such hateful words and deeds. Hate is more than just words it is also accounted by ones actions and intent. “The woman who filed a harassment lawsuit against Paula Deen said Monday her suit "has never been about the N-word “says CNN. The FBI looks at racism in terms of hate crimes and the staggering statistics that come with them. “According to statistics released today by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 6,222 criminal incidents involving 7,254 offenses were reported in 2011 as a result of bias toward a particular race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity/national origin, or physical or mental disability”, per FBI website. Indeed, while there have been many educational and social strides towards equality, there is still racism and anti-Semitism in America today.
References
Conley, D. (1999). Being Black, Living in the Red: Race, Wealth, Social Policy. Univ of California Press. http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Movies/07/31/gibson.dui/index.html?iref=allsearch http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/01/showbiz/paula-deen-accuser/index.html?iid=article_sidebar http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/hate-crime/2011/narratives/jurisdiction http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/23/paula-deen-scandal-continues-employees-tell-rainbow-push-alleged-discrimination_n_3484607.html http://www.indianexpress.com/news/mel-gibson-sees-backlash-over-race-remarks/641440/ http://money.cnn.com/2012/06/21/news/economy/wealth-gap-race/index.htm
http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/racism