Racism is one of the common problems of the modern world which might not allow several individuals to feel a valuable part of society due to their skin color, gender, or social status. According to Salter et al. (2017), racism is a synonym for prejudice, stereotype, and discrimination as these concepts are basic in social-psychological processes. By being belonged to a specific ethnic group people start judging others who are not similar to them. Consequently, social groups which stay in minority become affected by racism.
The problem of discrimination negatively affects both mental and physical health. Williams et al. (2019) stated that stress caused by racism can increase blood pressure and negatively influences the immune system. Moreover, individuals start smoking, drinking alcohol, using drugs, and eating unhealthy food to cope with the discrimination related to their appearance or personality. A common example of racism can be exhibited in African Americans who were always judged for their skin color causing the development of chronic issues like heart diseases (Williams et a., 2019). Psychological problems like depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder can appear due to the increasing number of discriminations as well. Consequently, the issues caused by racism ought not to be underestimated and specialists should pay heed to the associated health conditions.
To fight against racism people have introduced many movements like Black Lives Matter and started spreading information about strong discrimination which ought to be decreased. Blain (2020), showed that people should be educated and children at schools must study specific subjects to stay ethical to the surrounding people. BLM allowed many people around the world to build communities that can control the increasing racism rates and influence other social groups to change their attitudes toward those who are of different skin color or gender.
References
Blain, K. N. (2020). The fight against racism has always been global. Foreign Affairs. 176-181.
Salter, P. S., Adams, G., & Perez, M. J. (2017). Racism in the structure of everyday worlds: A cultural-psychological perspective.Current Directions in Psychological Science, 27(3), 150-155.
Williams, D. R., Lawrence, J. A., & Davis, B. A. (2019). Racism and health: Evidence and needed research. Annual Review of Public Health, 40, 105-125.