Why Does Racism Still Exist

Racism is the belief that a race is superior to all other races and has the right to manage all other races. This term emphasizes the superiority in terms of the biological differences, such as color and gender. In the history, although racism was used to organize daily life in clans, with Greeks it gained its negative meaning. With the Renaissance and the Reform, Europeans discovered new nations and places. However, according to Europeans’ understanding, these new people can only be slaves. Therefore, racism has actually begun. The first modern fascist leader of European, Mussolini had a strong belief about being racist. He did not give right to live to any thought but his thought. He killed many people. In addition, Hitler was another fascist
leader who murdered millions of people because of their races. Thus racism has become known. Basically, as both Connelly (2004, p.72) and Shah (2010, para.1) say that people have tendency to be superior to others. Shah adds that racism has been used as weapons. As it was in the past, racism still exists all over the world.
Proponents of the idea that racism still exist claim that due to laws, racism cannot exist. They also mention that according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, all humans are equal. They may have a point but laws cannot prevent racism and racists. Laws are valid only racists are caught. In the United States for example, although punishment is serious, racism exists in the aspect of black and white. Blacks have separate neighborhood from whites, they do not like whites’ thoughts or they do not have a white person in their environment. The reason for this is that in the past, whites saw and used blacks as slaves. In today, there is not a comprehension about being slave but whites still humiliates blacks. This causes white racism. Moreover, racists do not have to show how they believe or they do not have to discriminate. They can only have thoughts of being racist and laws cannot catch or prevent this kind of thoughts.
The reason why racism still exists is the human nature regarding inferior and superior.
First, in the aspect of superior, they are naturally arrogant people. This class thinks that they are superior to everyone in everything. Therefore, they humiliate other races. Due to physical characteristic of other races, they make a stereotype for specific races and they become prejudice. Europeans prejudice about Arabians can be given as an example. They think that Arabians are dirty and they smell bad. This situation causes racism today. Moreover, superior race thinks that they have the right to determine other races’ rights, such as how they think, where they can live or whether they can live or not. Hitler for example, had a great power to take lives of Jewish people. Today, similarly to Hitler’s reason, there is a problem called smuggling of people. Generally, people who are smuggled are from either Africa or Middle East, they were never European. Smuggling still exists because superior races think that they can employ them illegally. Second, in aspect of inferior people, there is a fear of superior ones. Being a criminal race produces that kind of fear. As Russell (1998, p.124) mentions Wilson’s thesis about black crime causes white fear, white racism caused by Black and Latino men. If they did not have this high rate of crime, there would not be white fear. Furthermore, another kind of fear from superior happens as action and reaction. If Europeans are racists to Arabians, then why are Arabians not? They make a stereotype about Europeans, too, but still they stay away from Europeans because they feel
inferior.
Another reason why racism still exists is what happened in history. They may have not happened because of racism but they trigger racism today. First, events about economy have really changed the world. After the Reform and the Renaissance, colonialism came into the world. India was one of the countries colonized by England. As Marvin states, “At any rate, no serious effort has ever been made to colonize the country, and the English who go to India think only of acquiring the largest amount of money in the shortest possible time, and returning home to enjoy it in their beloved fatherland” (2006, p.33). Thus, today racism still exists between India and England. Second, political history caused racism today as well. In the history, states struggled for independence. In Ottoman Empire, for example, there were many nations who live peacefully. However, when the Ottoman Empire started to fall down, Armenians rebelled. They wanted to have their own country in the soil that they live in but it belonged to the Ottoman Empire. Because of this situation, Ottomans and Armenians had disagreement. Then that disagreement cause today the so-called Armenian genocide. Now, Turkey and Armenian are prejudiced to each other because of what happened in history. Bad treatment to Armenian or reverse produces racism in both countries.
All in all, racism still exists in our world. People should remember that as world and politic changes, terms meanings will either be change or be broaden. While the term racism was used for people who support his race, then it is used for humiliation. In our world, it almost lost its meaning because today anything can be racism, such as prejudice or difference of thoughts among nations. Racism is not biological differences anymore. As disagreements continue between countries and different races racism will not end. REFERENCES
• Connelly, V. (Ed). (2004). How we see the world. Tennessee: Lightning Source, Inc.
• Marvin, C. (2006). The Russians at Merv and Heart, and their power of invading India. London: W.H. Allen and Co.
• Russell, K. K. (1996). The color of crime: racial hoaxes, white fear, black protectionism, police harassment, and other macroaggressions. New York: New York University.
• Shah, A. (2010, August 8). Racism. Retrieved April 15, 2011, from http://www.globalissues.org/print/article/165