Definitions of racism
Racism
When racism, a belief, is applied in practice, it takes forms such as prejudice, discrimination, segregation or subordination. Racism can more narrowly refer to a system of oppression, such as institutional racism.
Historian Barbara Field argued in "Slavery, Race and Ideology in the United States of America" that racism is a "historical phenomenon" which does not explain racial ideology.[4] She suggests that investigators should consider the term to be an American rhetorical device, with a historical explanation. She suggests that using race as a word with real meaning is a common error akin to superstition. Other scholars, however, say that races do exist, and the concept has significant meaning.
Organizations and institutions that put racism into action discriminate against, and marginalize, a class of people who share a common racial designation. The term racism is usually applied to the dominant group in a society, because it is that group that has the means to oppress others. The term can also apply to any individual or group, regardless of social status or dominance.
Racism can be both overt and covert. Individual racism sometimes consists of overt acts by individuals, which can result in violence or the destruction of property. Institutional racism is often more covert and subtle. It often appears within the operation of established and respected forces in the society, and frequently receives less public condemnation than the overt type.
An African-American man drinks out of the "colored only" water cooler at a racially segregated streetcar terminal in the United States in 1939.
An African-American man drinks out of the "colored only" water cooler at a racially segregated streetcar terminal in the United States in 1939.
W.E.B. DuBois argued that racialism is the belief that differences between the races exist, be they biological, social, psychological, or in the realm of the soul. He argued that racism is using this belief to promote the belief that one's particular race is superior to the others.[4]
According to Jared Diamond in his work Guns, Germs and Steel, race is essentially a social and historical construction. It has no real basis in science, nor can it be used to explain why Europe gained the upper hand in world conquests. Molefi Asante an African American scholar explains racism as "the Wall of ignorance" that hides the long history of racial injustice from public consciousness. He continues that most Whites view racism as a thing of the past, a problem solved by civil rights, African Americans continue to experience racism in many areas of social life.[5]
On occasion, individualism has been denounced as a form of racism; for instance, in 2006, Seattle Public Schools issued a definition of racism on its Web site which stated that favoring individualism over collectivism, and having a "future time orientation", were examples of racism because they favored "white culture" over viewpoints indigenous to other groups. After much criticism, they removed these statements from their site.[6] On the other hand, a 1963 essay by Ayn Rand denounced racism as a crude form of collectivism.[6] She also said "It is the notion of ascribing moral, social or political significance to a man's genetic lineage -- the notion that a man's intellectual and characterological traits are produced and transmitted by his internal body chemistry.Which means, in practice, that a man is to be judged, not by his own character and actions, but by the characters and actions of a collective of ancestors. "
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