Racism

Maybe it Is not painted In such vivid and bright colors, but It Is still here. There are many Instances that have occurred throughout history that we can pick and choose from to show how prejudiced we really are. Novels have also been written discussing the Issue of racial discrimination one In particular highlighting how appalling and immoral It really Is, â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird† by Harper Lee.Our Australian history is not one to be proud of but one of the things that it does well is display to us how deeply ingrained racism s in our beloved country. The indigenous people who formerly had this land to themselves were classified as fauna. This law was only overturned as late as 1967. In the article ‘Lifting the Veil on Our Ingrained Racism' by Sandy Gifford we are provided with multiple examples proving that racism is a part of our national character.As a child she was told that â€Å"Only colored children wear white shoes†, still to this day she has never ow ned a pair of white shoes. This clearly illustrates to us that even though racism may not be something always so evident, It Is something we take In as hillier and never forget, making It a fundamental part of our society. Social cohesion Is something that will help the multi-cultural population of Australia achieve a community that works together and Is accepting of all people.The endeavourer towards social cohesion in Australia will not be smooth or simple. There will be many steps that have to be taken and bridges crossed. Simon Overland in his article†luminous Is the Key to Harmony† presents us with a viewpoint distinctly in favor of social cohesion. He says that â€Å"Social Isolationism and disengagement teeming, from among other things, racism and negative stereotyping, is the real problem†, referring to our incapability to exercise restraint in our assumptions, â€Å"that all Somalis and Muslims have strong links with terrorism†.Embracing the multic ulturalism that we have been provided with In this country is something that will only lead to a more desirable and valuable way of living. In Harper Lee's novel â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird† one of the main themes explored throughout the story Is racism. In the town of Macomb where this novel Is set, racism appears to be as natural as reheating to the people who live there. Harper Lee brings light to the inherent evils of racism basing the novel around an African-American's conviction.Tom Robinson is convicted purely because he is a black man and his accuser is white. The evidence is so powerfully in his favor, that race is clearly the single defining factor in the Jury's decision. â€Å"Tom's death was typical. Typical of a Niger to cut and run. Typical of a insigne's mentality to have no plan, no thought for the future, just run blind first chance he saw', even after the harsh death of Tom Robinson no sympathy is shown awards him and we really see how deeply rooted racism Is in the culture that Harper Lee describes. To Kill a Mockingbird† Is set In the segregated South during the asses. Black people were highly subjugated members of society and continually classed as ‘lesser'. There Is quite a social hierarchy displayed to the reader In this novel with some of the families who have no money or almost anything else, at the very bottom. But even below these families was all of the black community. All blacks were treated poorly. The level of racism demonstrated in the scenes of this novel is sustained simply by the close-mindedness of the people in the town of Macomb.When writing the novel Harper Lee didn't only include characters who were prejudiced and racist. She also included characters such as Attic's who believed that all humans are equal and he passed on this philosophy to his children, Gem and Scout. This in itself is a way to amend the issue of racial discrimination, offering hope for a better world. Parents teaching their children a way of living which includes considering things from other people's perspectives. Oh never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them†, some of the characters in Lee's novel really did have inner strength and moral courage. For humans to live in peace and finally achieve that level respect and understanding we all want so dearly all we need to do is accept everyone including ourselves for who we are. See each and every human being as equal disregarding any other factors and giving them the level of appreciation you yourself would want. Only then will we all be able to live in harmony. Racism Racism has predominately focused itself around the African American population, however, has not been associated with â€Å"white† individuals. There has always been a racial divide between the two groups and this Is evident In bell hooks' article, which illustrates how â€Å"whites† have made their Identity as fear, power and terrorism. This chapter also goes on to discuss how the â€Å"blacks† have experienced different aspects of terrorism by the dominant white society. Due to both white supremacy and white privilege, African Americans were treated extremely poorly as slaves instead of unmans.There was the belief that â€Å"whites† were misusing the power they had, and the misuse of power would lead to negative impacts on the black community. Although the black community adapted to the values and the habits of the â€Å"whites,† they were hoping for the â€Å"whites† to finally get over the need to terrorize their people. In the article, H ooks discusses that even though times have changed, the black population still feels as if they are being terrorized and are rarely close to the â€Å"whites. Through the misuse of power due to the â€Å"whites,† which led to the rejection f the black community by society, it has made the â€Å"blacks† feel the need to give up their Identity and try to fit In with the white society. Hooks goes on to describe a situation that she had encountered when she went to a cultural studies conference. She felt that there was white dominance In the way everything was organized. Wealth her article, Hooks tries to educate people more about the whiteness, so that individuals can move away from the typical race that exists and recognize the confrontation that still exists in order to identify the other skin color.The way whiteness is designed; it brings up different types of stereotypes in the mind of other people in society and gives it a lot of different meanings. She argues that stereotyping is a way of talking negatively about other races and not being racist at the same time. The differences between the â€Å"whites† and â€Å"blacks† is not something that black Individuals have always created but things such as domination, imperialism, colonialism and racist are the many reasons why black Individuals have felt contrary about their own race. Whiteness† to the black community appears to be better than their own color and race.At the beginning of the article, hooks talks about some of the discussions that students were having in the classroom. When these discussions took place, it amazed the â€Å"whites† as they were listening to how the â€Å"blacks† noticed whiteness. The shock after listening to these comments that black individuals were saying goes to show that white students at the time were uneducated about the other races that existed around them. There was also the mint that hooks made stating that whiteness is pre sent without the awareness of blackness.She uses Baldwin notion to support this argument in which he stated that wherever white men go, they take control. The experiences that Hooks encountered herself are outlined within her article The article, Representing Whiteness In the Black Imagination, gives a better understanding of what people thought about the whiteness issue that â€Å"blacks† were facing during the 19th century. Bell hooks has also demonstrated that an Image of white people has been created In he black community because of the things that have happened in the past.This domestic servants, working in white homes, acting as informants, brought knowledge back to segregated communities – details, facts, observations, and psychoanalytic readings of the white other. † The imagination of â€Å"whiteness† has also affected Hooks as an African American. This article targets many of the arguments that have been discussed within the course. Hooks describ es how black females had been differentiated in comparison to white females, from the point of view of a young black male who grew up in a community where black people had been the victim of racism.Even though this article was predominantly about the black community, it also narrows the focus on how females are viewed and essentially victimized. As presented in Frankness's article, there is the understanding that while females had also been victimized due to white racism. Her article mainly focuses on how black and white females are observed in society and how racism shapes white females. Both of the articles have given a distinct and clear understanding of what occurred in the 19th century. Kooks portrays how white people dominated the black community in America. The stereotypes against the â€Å"blacks† can still be seen in our society and Hooks use of personal experiences gives the reader enhanced knowledge about the prejudice they had to go through. Brandenburg being a wh ite feminist also shares her experiences of racism that has helped shape the life of a white woman. Therefore, the power that the white society had certainly made a negative impact on the lives of several â€Å"blacks† and has made it harder for them to accept themselves for whom they are.