Introduction
Ethnic minorities and the diversity of cultures in different nations have frequently been used as a scapegoat during times of crisis. Racial discrimination primarily groups people on an ethnic or cultural basis. The classification does not take into consideration people’s somatic differences. Racists believe that differences in human traits make some “communities” more superior than others. This makes people or institutions to be prejudiced, oppressed and denied certain rights or advantages. Global racism is mainly based on skin color, language, “origin” and culture. Racism has always existed since time immemorial among western groups, Asians and Africans. For example, during the slave trade period, Europeans oppressed many Africans. The oppression was based on the belief that Africans were not fully human as compared to Europeans (Gregory and Sanjek, p.1). This paper will discuss the role played by the political elites and the state in relation to racial discrimination.
Roles of political elites and the state in matters related to Racism
Political discourse plays a major role in propagating racism. Many politicians address race-related topics through the media. Critical studies among many parliamentary debates on ethnic issues bring out many humanitarian inequalities that are valued by people. On the other hand, the political elites dictate the nature of rules that govern immigration and minority treatment (Dijik, p. 2).
For instance, in Europe, many political debates in the past on immigrants have changed citizen’s perceptions of refugees. In America, congress in 1990 had a debate that tried to analyze the civil rights of all citizens living in America. This was to help fight discrimination among the whites, Africans and black Americans. This however did not last for long because the American government by then voted against it citing that it supported quotas. Many immigrants and other ethnic-racial minorities are never allowed to work in specific fields. This gives them less authority on the management of resources (Dijk, p.3-5).
As argued by Montgomery, the pattern of inequality manifests itself in many ways. For example, in many countries, dominant tribes engage in major discrimination patterns through the application of racial ideologies. Culture in many modern societies has replaced race as a major discriminatory factor. Politicians give major directions on any conflicting issues among communities. Sometimes during elections, the speeches they give, in most cases direct what the party members should do against specific ethnic minorities. This is particularly evident in African countries. This at times directs the media’s interpretation on such issues hence, widening the gap (pp. 7-15).
Historically, the Europeans politically dominated the Africans and Asians. Racial segregation was based on the economic status of a particular community. Their patterns of segregation emphasized titles such as Negros, whites, Indians and Alpine. Sanjek and Gregory in their book the race, argue that many European countries never accept their political and economic overexploitation on minority racial groups. Instead, they always try to justify why they are the most powerful in all spheres of life (p. 2-4). They further argue that societies, in general, have ethnic-based attitudes towards particular communities. For example in the past, the Greeks perceived themselves as the most civilized community. This made them dominate and rule neighboring communities to the north and south, who they grouped as black or white. In addition, South Asia is well known for its rigid grouping of the Varna and Jati in the past. The regime ranked its citizens into groups that were based on levels of job classes and living standards. (Sanjek and Gregory, p.4).
At the end of the nineteenth century, in France, the change of power from republican nationalism to ethnic nationalism created a great difference on the definition of ethnicity. Different political ideologies came up due to the crisis that faced the nation. This led to the segregation of people as Protestants, freemasons, Jews or immigrants. In addition, during the Valladolid argument in the sixteenth century in Asia, the Chinese and the Japanese constructed colonies in East Asia on the belief that they were more powerful than any other Asian state (Sanjek and Gregory, p.6-15).
Views on Winant’s statement
According to Winant’s argument, political segregation exists in all nations. The political elites in most societies dictate what specific communities receive and have in terms of resource endowment. Sometimes, politicians aim at pleasing people from their ethnic background at the expense of the larger population. By doing this, they ensure that their communities are favored and are never overpowered by specific communities that they consider minor. Different countries have different political ideologies. Hence, depending on the nature of policies held by the ruling party, resources are distributed depending on the amount of support they receive from these regions. This greatly contributes to political segregation based on either tribal or racial lines
Conclusion
In conclusion, politics has a direct influence on racism. This is because the distribution of resources and perception of other communities highly depends on the political ideologies of a certain community. To ensure the peaceful existence of all citizens, the political class must ensure respect for all human rights, regardless of their ethnic background or tribe. Governments must ensure that they protect all their citizens and treat them fairly.
Works Cited
Dijk, A. T. political discourse and racism: describing others in western parliaments. (n.d). 2009. Web.
Montgomery, D. Racism, immigrants and political reform. Political reforms 87 (2001): p.3-19
Sanjek, R., and Gregory, S. Race. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press.1994 0813521092.