The success of the white man over the black man is undoubtedly one of the greatest disputes in world history. History witnessed the vast maltreatment and discrimination the white man has cast over the blacks. African-Americans before were considered by the Caucasians as inferior races, thus unable to reach the pillars of greatness and achievement. In Harriet Beecher-Stowe’s famous novel entitled Uncle Tom’s Cabin; there was a clear manifestation of how the blacks resisted the slavery and prejudice that they are experiencing. The lifelong struggle of the blacks to achieve racial justice is an odyssey, which has begun in ages yet still undone as of this day.
Is justice for the black and white race in America possible to achieve? It is difficult to answer this crucial question for both “yes” and “no” can be an answer. What are the measures that the country should take so that this long dreamed of the status of equality should be achieved? What are the circumstances that should we undergo so that the line that distinguishes the blacks from the white should be completely abolished? When will this ultimate struggle for fairness and parity be attained? Nobody knows. Only God knows when but with the actions that the federal government and the open-mindedness of the people, it would be possible to see and follow the path that leads to it. But still, one thing remains to be prominent, that “racism directed against African-Americans and other people of color has been a central and continuing feature of U.S. society” (Bohmer, n. d.).
First of all, let us define racism in the American context. Racism is a methodical subjugation of African-American people and people of other color and race. It mainly encompasses the supremacy of the whites and the inferiority of the blacks. This ideology started out in the 1600s when there was immense trading and selling of millions of African slaves in America due to the rapid spread out of capitalism (Hogan, 1984).
These past few decades, there was a tremendous decline in cases of racial discrimination in America. Unlike before, the blacks are already set free from the immense slavery. Now, blacks are already entitled to many jobs, in public offices. Gradually, they were accepted as legitimate members of society. The quest for equality among the blacks and whites was nearly attained. Sadly, however, there is a potential regression regarding this mission to have a land that is free to all races.
There are several factors to consider that racial discrimination still exists today in a different form. The mortality rates, income inequalities and poverty, unemployment rates, and mass media stereotyping- all manifest that racial discrimination and inequality are still at large (Miles, 1989).
Considering the performances of the blacks and the whites in their respective fields, it is pretty obvious that the blacks are progressing in a smoother manner than that of the whites. Some people take great advantage of this opportunity so as to achieve real equality by letting others feel how they felt when equality was still elusive to them. The case of superiority and inferiority has turned the other cheek. It seems like the efforts exerted by the country to achieve fairness to all have been wasted. Race should not be the basis of superiority, neither should performance be. The country is owned by every existing creature, either black or white, living in it. Instead of racial justice and equality, it seems that the country is more of promoting supremacy for the black people.
To exemplify this situation, the field of music has been almost dominated by blacks. Jazz, pop, rock, and rap- almost every genre of music, the blacks are superior. Because of the derisions that whites suffer from the avid fans of black artists, they get intimidated thus making them back off in pursuing their chosen paths in life. Racial equality would surely be elusive with this kind of thing going on.
In the workplace, the supremacy of the blacks over the whites is also evident. In a case where a white employer fires his black employee, the first and only resort that the fired employee would use is the “racially-motivated act”. Because of this, it is the white employer who becomes convicted of the guilt. Even if the employee really deserves a one-way trip out of the office, it would not be granted to him the moment he takes his “race card” out. This is a pretty big problem. It could be an advantage provided that the firing activity of the employer was really irrational but what if it is otherwise? This opportunity should not be abused by many. If achieving equality is everyone’s goal, then it would be very ideal to forget the color of one’s skin. Through this act of being “color-blinded”, the occurrences of discrimination and prejudice would decrease dramatically in no time.
The controversial “Affirmative Action” for example is a pretty serious problem regarding racial equality. Though it was proposed for great equality, it actually opposes it. The basic point of this law is that the blacks should be more prioritized than the whites to be able to compensate the blacks for their sufferings before. Well if this is the case, then we should now stop this lifelong quest because it makes the situations more complicated than ever. Everyone now has the idea that in order to attain equality, one should experience what one has experienced before. This is becoming unhealthy because it has many negative implications especially on the part of the whites.
The basis of hiring a person for a certain job surely should not depend on the applicant’s color. It should depend on their performance. It should not be stained by the colors racial discrimination. With chronic inculcations of these laws, w should expect that in no time, the industry level would dramatically decline not because of the employment of more blacks over the whites but because the industry would lose potential achievers through screening by color. Everyone should be entitled to a fair chance on everything. The land of the free is now turning into a land stained by extreme and unceasing inequality among races.
Because of the horrible things mentioned earlier, there is again a very thick fog that hampers every American to get sight of their goal. Instead of progressing in this certain aspect of life, there is a great retrograde performance. Justice which was supposed to be blind is now doing otherwise. The continuous support of the courts regarding this law further proves the inability of these persons to be fair. There are so many errors in the measures taken by the government in making the country a place where all men are born equal. Complications arise because of these anti-discrimination measures because instead of making the industry a healthy place for everyone, it becomes a sanctuary of hatred and hypocrisy.
And speaking of justice, who would ever forget the case of O. J. Simpson? This case was so much stained with shades of racial inequality. It was very surprising that amidst the heavy evidence against him, he was still acquitted in trial. With just a single act of using the “race card,” a back man gets all the advantages that anyone could ever have. Surely, this is not the country that the government is looking forward to having. A country full of resentment and a land sprayed with hues of racial discrimination.
These actions of the high court are not that good, at least for America as a whole. It further complicates the norm of social justice and equality. Perhaps these advocates of the law have failed to overlook the complications that could arrive the moment it becomes enacted into law. Based on the dominating situations, it could be easily prophesized that attaining racial justice would still go a long run.
Racial justice will persist over the years and would still outlive its victims. Perhaps no one living today could experience the fruits of the place where real racial justice exists. The color-blind principle is a good kick-off in order to uphold the decline the racial inequality.
Many have risked their lives and shed their bloods in order to attain equality of the blacks and whites, and most of them come from the blacks. The dream that these persons died for is suddenly losing its path. If these persons were still living, their hearts would surely bleed because instead of attaining equality, situations become more and more intricate.
No one should ever feel superior to others because of his race in the same way that no one should make others feel inferior. Achieving racial justice is a challenging task but it will be achieved. Only God knows when. If this ideology between the blacks and the whites continues, the dream of equality would surely be elusive and vague to everyone. There should be no feeling of supremacy and mediocrity. Moreover, the idea of “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”, should be totally eradicated so as to further increase the possibilities of attaining racial justice. But if this idealism goes on, the struggle for equality would still go a long way. It would be an unending loop wherein at a certain point in time, one race is over the other, and the one at the bottom keeps on chasing those who are above. The blacks and the whites are living in one country and it is not impossible for them to instill in their hearts that they are one in virtues, acts, and deeds and that they are all equal in the eyes of God.
Works Cited
Bohmer, Peter. Radical Theories of Racism and Racial Inequality: Marxist and Internal Colonialism. 2007. Web.
Hogan, Lloyd. Principles of Black Political Economy. Boston: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1984.
Miles, Robert. Racism. London: Routledge, 1989.