Racism is a phenomenon which has been present in human societies since the dawn of civilization. It can manifest itself in various forms and activities in which humans have participated throughout history such as colonization. Although nowadays developed nations recognize the inappropriateness of racism in society, it still exists and entails numerous unfavorable outcomes for racial and ethnic minorities. Moreover, racism can be identified in practically every element of modern life, which makes it a significant factor in dividing people. As a result, it is vital to conduct a cause-and-effect analysis to determine the key immediate and hidden causes of racism to be able to address them in a proper manner. The credibility of the argument presented in the current paper stems from a thorough research of academic sources on the topic of racism. Thus, racism stems from numerous causes including legal and economic ones which are reinforced by additional details such as the fear of loss.
Causes of racism can be generally divided into immediate and hidden ones. The former constitute causes which are openly observed and recognized by society as inappropriate but still present in its culture. The latter type of racism is less evident and may be unnoticeable for the common people, yet it still has considerable implications. Both types of racism are further promoted by additional factors which ultimately strengthen them.
One of the immediate causes of racism in every society is the unfavorable stereotypes about various racial and ethnic minorities such as black and brown people. The media has played a vital role in propagating this by portraying young black guys as angry and violent over time. For example, some stories may exaggerate this, while similar activities by other races, such as the majority, are portrayed as the norm. When students win a college basketball game, they often go around destroying windows and igniting fires. In most circumstances, the media describes this behavior as a celebration, whereas it is regarded as violence if African-American kids carry it out (Starke et al. 34). Similarly, images of African Americans are accompanied by captions that show them as flawed persons, whereas photos of whites in the same setting are seen as fair and respectable. The racist stereotypes related to criminal activities are further reinforced by details such as the high crime rate in certain ethnic communities. As a result, people may get a false perception that the stereotypes are actually backed by evidence which can lead to further stereotyping of minorities.
Another immediate cause of racism is the ingroup orientation of people. The concept of ingroup refers to a group of people who share the same interests or identity. The research demonstrates that any person including both children and adults tends to engage in positive interactions with those people whom they view as being part of their ingroup (Hewstone and Stroebe 585). Simultaneously, people are also likely to treat individuals who do not belong to their own ingroup and come from outside of their social circle in a less favorable manner. Racism is linked to ingroup thinking since people who belong to a certain community tend to espouse negative ideas about those who are different from them. Moreover, racism is particularly notable in smaller communities which are ethnically uniform and whose members have not been extensively exposed to outsiders.
A notable detail which directly affects the two aforementioned causes is the historical segregation practices promoted by the U.S. government. Although currently, segregation no longer exists and all ethnic and racial minorities are free to engage in any kind of activity as equals, the long-term implications of the injustice are still present today. Residential segregation is one of the most detrimental forms which was a product of racist Jim Crow laws. The United States to this day continues to be a highly segregated country. Moreover, segregation is often accompanied by concentrated economic disadvantage which primarily affects the ethnic minorities. For instance, African Americans tend to live in neighborhoods with unfavorable conditions despite having the same level of income as white people (Braveman et al. 174). Additionally, segregation reinforced ingroup identities in the United States by keeping white Americans and minorities apart. Thus, segregation can be viewed as a major immediate cause of racism in the United States and a detail which contributed to other causes such as ingroup orientation.
At the same time, there are also hidden causes of racism and discrimination. For instance, when the government allocates cash based on racial bias, some areas are likely to continue to struggle to improve their social welfare situation. The most alarming aspect of this is that it affects the entire society because when one community is impoverished and fighting to meet its demands with the few resources available to it, it will affect those who have been granted adequate resources. For example, insufficient finance and inefficient resource distribution in educational institutions impede academic ambitions among members of the marginalized population (Devakumar 20). As a result, unemployment and poverty become more widespread, and per capita income impacts the Gross National Product. In this way, the effect spreads to all members of society.
Similarly, health issues such as infant mortality rates are significantly affected. In this situation, the government funds educational institutions depending on their racial classification (Barkan & Michael 45). Some schools, which are expressly designed for the affluent and majority population, receive more assistance than others, while others struggle to meet their demands with the resources available. The lack of proper help in institutions demonstrates how racially motivated policies fail to serve specific societal groups.
There are also hidden economic causes of racism which ultimately contribute to discrimination. For instance, mainstream banking services frequently refuse to operate in the neighborhoods of racial minorities. Moreover, even when such services become available to ethnic minorities, they tend to charge them higher fees (Braveman et al. 173). Another detail which contributes to the banks’ racist attitude towards minorities is the presence of predatory financial services in the minority communities. Such companies prevent minorities from accumulating wealth and worsen their economic status which ultimately contributes to the discriminatory practices of the mainstream banks.
Another detail promoting the aforementioned causes of racism is the divide and rule tactics, which have dominated nations for a long time and have led politicians and lawmakers to engage in appeasement activities that are racist to obtain support from a specific set of people. Since becoming the first black president of the world’s most powerful country, President Barack Obama has broken cultural and political barriers. John McCain demonstrated bigotry when he asked people to vote for him solely because he was white. Clint Eastwood, an American actor, is yet another example of a racist (Devakumar 14). During an interview, he stated that he voted for John McCain in the 2008 US presidential elections because he was a white guy like him.
Fear of loss is also a notable detail contributing to both immediate and hidden causes of discrimination. Humans have an innate instinct to safeguard their kind. These aspects mean they are afraid of losing anything that defines them, such as their status, jobs, territory, personal experience, or identity. People fear being replaced by others who appear more attractive than they are (Devakumar 15). As a result, the fundamental reason for racism is that it causes people to perceive their differences with others as a danger to their rights. When things they value most, such as culture, family, and identity, are threatened, it is natural for people to feel intimidated.
At the same time, there are positions which argue that any racism and discrimination causes are irrelevant because they ultimately do not have any actual manifestations. Specifically, such a view postulates that racial minorities do not experience any considerable racism or discrimination, therefore it is not reasonable to consider causes as major factors. The aforementioned argument can be dispelled with the help of evidence demonstrating systemic racism targeted against racial minorities. For instance, in the United States, the criminal justice system disproportionately targets African Americans despite them constituting only a small share of the population (Braveman et al. 175). Such statistics indicate that racial prejudices have a systemic nature and therefore it is essential to investigate their causes and address them.
Racism has harmed persons and communities of color in general. In terms of economics, it is undeniable that whites have always profited in America’s history when contrasted to people of color. For doing the same job, whites get paid more than individuals of color. Slavery and anti-black dehumanization have left an indelible mark on our society. The income disparity between whites and blacks has been exacerbated by internalized racism. Compared to Whites who committed very acts, physical force was utilized more against Blacks. Whites have many advantages and money, but people of color are regarded as helpless and are subjected to oppression by a society controlled by white supremacy and racial intolerance. To make progress, we must stop racial stereotyping and cruel generalizations. Inequity and discrimination have no place in our society.
Works Cited
Barkan, Steven E., and Michael Rocque. “Socioeconomic Status and Racism as Fundamental Causes of Street Criminality.” Critical Criminology, 2018.
Braveman, Paula, et al. “Systemic and Structural Racism: Definitions, Examples, Health Damages, and Approaches to Dismantling.” Health Affairs, vol. 41, no. 2, 2022, pp. 171–178.
Devakumar, D. “Racism, the Public Health Crisis We Can No Longer Ignore.” The Lancet 395, 2020.
Hewstone, Miles and Stroebe, Wolfgang. An Introduction to Social Psychology. John Wiley & Sons, 2021.
Starke, Anthony M., Nuri Heckler, and Janiece Mackey. “Administrative Racism: Public Administration Education and Race.” Journal of Public Affairs Education, 2018.