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Racism in Modern America: Still thriving or a dead issue?

Victoria M. Burgess

University of Texas in El Paso

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Abstract

The focus of this research paper is bringing to light a major issue in the United

States today; racism. Many people would like to close their doors and minds, believing

the civil rights act did its job. Racism and prejudice are issues that without being

addressed the nation cannot move forward. This paper covered the first and essential

question of whether racism still exists today and if its definition can be agreed upon. It

explored the psychology behind prejudice and lastly focused on the ever-looming

controversy of police brutality in conjunction with race.

Keywords: race; racism, prejudice, police, brutality, psychology, America, United

States, data, statistics

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Racism in Modern America is a hot topic found not just in our government, but in

households all across the country. There is a heated debate as to whether or not racism

continues to be an issue and what can be done to combat it. In this literature review the

following questions were explored without bias, in order to come to the conclusion of

whether or not racism is as prevalent as its being made out to be.

Can people agree on the definition of racism?

Are there underlying psychological reasons why someone might be

prejudiced against other races?

Does race play a role or encourage the use of excessive force in law

enforcement?

The methods of research included several forms of primary research varying

from interview to observational. Visual aids were included as well to back the findings. A

topic such as Racism contains multiple facets in it, however the primary focus was

whether or not the media representation of the racial conflict in the country was

accurate. Tension among citizens is easily faked and it is sometimes hard to sort fact

from fiction. Prejudice in the form of racism affects many ethnicities, each one affected

differently. In its true form, it can cause destruction of personal life, property, and even

result in death. Law enforcement has not been excluded from the medias depiction of

racism either, therefore this review covered just how Law Enforcement came to play a

significant role and whether or not the accusations are factual.

When you look at the media today, so many vectors are divided, its almost

impossible to find a happy medium between the radical differences in opinion they

present. Sadly, the misrepresentation of information and bias causes a division among
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the countrys citizens that otherwise might not exist. Especially when it comes to the

topic of racial division. In order to sift through what is popular opinion and what is fact

we must ask ourselves the hard questions; What is the true definition of racism, and

does it truly still exist to the extent we are being told it does?

To begin with, we must look at the melting pot that is American society. So many

radically different cultures, religions, and ways of life make up our country that one

group or another is bound to disagree. The racial division isnt narrowed down to simply

two groups either, although it would be hard to discern that were you to only follow

certain radical media. Some outlets would have you believe the majority of the tension

lies between African Americans and Whites. The term White is a loose one due to its

focus solely on the shade of ones skin and not necessarily on their cultural or even

racial background. According to a journal article written by Evelyn R. Carter and Mary C.

Murphy, Belonging to a group fundamentally shapes the way we interpret and attribute

the behavior of others. Similarly, perceptions of racism can be influenced by group

membership (Carter, 2015). Where you are from, how you were raised, and your

parents perception of the world all shape your understanding of society. To add to it,

media now plays a key role in a persons understanding of society and what societial

shifts are in play. So what is the true definition of racism? Webster defines it as a belief

that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial

differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race (Merriam-Webster,

2017). By this definition one might see racism as outdated, focusing on the civil rights

era and slavery, where white superiority ruled in the southern sector of our country.

Racism, however, comes in many forms. Author Paula S. Rothenberg brings forth the
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perspective that wherever there is a dominate group in society, oppression will occur

due to the dominate group fighting to hold its position. Here, the lesser party is socially

defined as unequalThe superior party presumably has more of some ability or

valuable quality, which she/he is supposed to impart to the lesser person

(Rtohenberg, 2004). Under this definition of racism, it can be argued that it is very much

still prevalent in the United States today.

When one looks at a child, there is a certain sense of innocence that the child

possesses. When asked, child Psychologist Dr. Martin Leundbaum stated clearly

children are not born with a preconception of racism or prejudice. These are acts and

psychological states that must be taught (Leundbaum, 2017) . If children do not come

out of the womb with prejudice, can it be reasonably considered that there are

underlying psychological reasons why someone might be prejudiced against other

races? In an article by Psychology Today, Author Clay Routledge Ph.D., lists self-

esteem, positive distinctiveness and survival as psychological motives that appear to

contribute to racism. He goes on to explain When people's self-esteem is threatened,

prejudicial actions such as racism appear to restore esteem (at least for some). Humans

are social creatures. We like being part of a group and just as we like to see ourselves

in a positive light (self-esteem), we like to perceive our groups as important or

significant (positive distinctiveness). So, if someone is noticeably different in some way,

people sometimes hold negative attitudes about that individual because they belong to

a different group. Lastly, Therefore, one cause of racism may be an innate proclivity

towards group conflict in the service of resource acquisition (Routledge, 2010). This

type of thinking leads back to the pack mentality. As humans for the most part do not
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like to be singled out, if the pack leaders are promoting racism, the majority tends to

follow.

(Beer, 2017)

Before the civil rights movement, racism went unchecked in areas of our country.

Cases of what we today consider police brutality, were simply the way of life for many

races back then. With the outpouring of media coverage we have today, we are more

aware of what goes on. Nothing is hidden. Therefore, cases such as the Michael Brown

case, are easily seen and have sparked outrage. Central in this argument is the
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excessive use of police force towards those of color over those that are white. Does

race really play into police brutality or is the media simply providing this distinction

based of what they show? According the Society Pages author Todd Beer, While whites

make up the greatest number and largest percentage of victims of lethal force by the

police in the US, it remains important to compare the rates to the distribution in the

general population (Beer, 2017). Trends are what make or break good data and while

the media focuses almost solely on the killing of blacks by police, it has made it

increasingly difficult to decipher if this in fact as large of a racial issue as represented.

When politics come into play and the mainstream media a nation mainly watches

focuses on one race or one isolated issue, other facets of the issue become hidden.

Police brutality and the excessive use of force are not as much of a racial issue as they

are an ethics issue. Strictly according to data, whites are often killed in such situations

more than any other race. When you start to consider other data such as were the

victims armed, how they were killed etc. you find the result is not so transparent. In

2014, 12-year old Tamir Rice was shot on site by Cleveland police as he played with a

toy gun. While the person who called 911 told the dispatcher that the gun was probably

fake, she failed to pass that along to the officers. The officers pulled up within feet of

Tamir and killed him within seconds. How many others who were in possession of a

nonlethal firearm (toy, BB gun, etc.) were killed by police in 2015? Thirty-seven. In the

table below we see that blacks were disproportionate victims under these conditions

(Beer, 2017).
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(Beer, 2017)

The data starts to become convoluted and not so transparent when the proportion of the

population is brought into play. While whites may have higher numbers unarmed whites

continue to make up a smaller percentage of victims than their portion of the population,

while unarmed blacks make up about two and a half times the portion of the unarmed

victims compared to their portion of the general population (Beer, 2017). This being the

case, one can rightfully state that statistically, race does play a factor in cases of lethal

police force.

Race will never be a quiet issue in the United States. Politics, religion, violence,

culture; all these come into play when one is discerning whether one group is being

oppressed or not. Strictly according to data, in some sectors, racism and prejudice still

very much stands. Media continues to be biased on most fronts, only showing the side,
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they want to represent and not the whole truth. Change is slow coming for many nations

and the United States is still growing. Only one thing is for sure, freedom cannot be

secured for all peoples until these issues are resolved.

References

Beer, T. (2017, November 13). Sociology Toolbox. Retrieved from The Society Pages:

https://thesocietypages.org/toolbox/police-killing-of-blacks/
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Evelyn R. Carter, M. C. (2015, June). Group-based Differences in Perceptions of Racism: What

Counts, to Whom, and Why? Social & Personality Psychology Compass, 9(6), 269-280.

doi:17519004

Last Name, F. M. (Year). Article Title. Journal Title, Pages From - To.

Last Name, F. M. (Year). Book Title. City Name: Publisher Name.

Leundbaum, M. (2017, November 3). Racism in America Today. (V. Burgess, Interviewer)

Routledge, C. (2010, August 31). Exploring the Psychological Motives of Racism. Retrieved

from Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/more-

mortal/201008/exploring-the-psychological-motives-racism

Rtohenberg, P. S. (2004). Race, Class, and Gender in the United States: An Integrated Study.

New York: Worth Publishers.

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