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How racism affects Americans

4/16/2012 Racism Lives in All of Us
I think racism started as far back as Columbus, when he came to the new world. They seen the Indians and they were different from them that scared them and they fought them. They soon realized that they were not all that different from themselves it’s just their skin was a different color and they spoke a different language than they did. I think it’s been that way forever in America people see others and they are different so they don’t accept them or their different cultures. Rafael Ezekiel was asked about his field work, he was stuck, so he decided to interview himself. (e.g. Pg. 255 Social problems A Down to Earth Approach) He found out that if he told them the truth then they would talk to him, they didn’t like the fact that he was a Jew and in their camp but they still talked to him. I think racist really don’t hate they do the things they do out of fear, fear that they them selves will be destroyed so they want to strike first.
Long ago racism was easy to spot, people burning crosses and killing people just because they thought a black man had raped white women, there was no jury or trial they just lynched the poor soul back then. They were signs around towns that read no coloreds need apply, if blacks were allowed in some places they were never seen they were hide away in balconies or in kitchens no one knew they were there. Racism will always be a part of our society as long as we see different people, that don’t look like you, or don’t look like you think they should look then you you’re self are a racist. Maybe it’s only in you’re mind, maybe you never let anyone see it but it’s there still the same. Maybe you have some neighbors that are black or Mexican and you don’t talk to them you don’t wave when they do that is sending them a negative message about you. In turn it makes them wonder if they are treating you wrong have they said something to offend you. They are wondering why you don’t like them and you are not going to tell them it’s just because they don’t look like you do. We should extend ourselves and try to befriend the people we don’t know, if we do we just might find out that they are just like us they are scared and want to make new friends just like us, but we are so scared because they are different we won’t even try. Racism is not just blacks and Indians anymore, there are so many more cultures in America today, we have Jews, Mexicans, Latinos, African Americans, White people, and yes I said White people because if we are thinking that of them then you know they are probably saying the same things about us. We need to stop racism in its tracks and to do that we need to start at home when our children are small, teach them the right things to say and do. Don’t leave it up to our school system to raise your children for you, it’s not their job their job is to fill their minds with good creative education so they can go on in this world and become decent responsible human beings. Teach them about the use of that all dreaded “N” word because it’s a bad word too. If you don’t stop and think before you spout out some racial remarks at someone then why should your children? They will think it is okay to use such words to hurt people and they will. Questions about racial issues start early. Adults often talk about children being color blind, but children sometimes as young as three can tell when they are different from another child. I have myself seen children feeling another child’s hair, of course it was a white child and a colored one but still they know. They can tell even if they don’t know I have seen a child take a wash cloth and try and wash the mud off another child’s face, it wasn’t mud it was just the color of their skin. Talk to your children they will understand more than you know and the questions aren’t going to just go away unless you answer them. If you are scared to talk