Hidden Racism

Although the USA is a democratic and liberal society, non-white people still experience some discrimination and inequality. In the majority of cases, people of diverse races cause this discrimination themselves. For instance, they tend to group together, communicate with people of the same race and even speak differently. White individuals try to treat non-whites as equals; however, minorities prefer staying closer to each other. Moreover, people often have a different attitude toward Asians, African Americans or people of another ethnicity because of social prejudices. Employers hire white people more willingly. Sometimes, the blacks are taken for thieves or drug-users. Also, most of the national merits belong to the whites. Although the whites do not tell it openly, they feel subconsciously that the non-white (especially black) people are different because they are in minority. In spite of that, white people deny their negative attitude toward blacks. The privilege of whites is their majority, which makes them dominate and allows them to enjoy the many advantages of the situation. Dr. Peggy McIntosh tells that racism cannot just vanish because of some individual acts, but white people should not deny “that systems of dominance exist” (35). Therefore, hidden racism will exist until the majorities stop denying their privileges.

The image below reveals the connotations of the hidden or color-blind racism. It illustrates a person who refuses to see the color of other people’s skin, telling that he/she is not a racist. However, denying white privilege means doing nothing to stop racism.

In conclusion, although many individuals disclaim their negative attitude toward minorities, the problem is still present since people of different races and ethnicities continue to face inequality and discrimination today. All these inequalities are caused by prejudices. Instead of looking for some racial peculiarities, human beings tend to see defects in others and affirm that race has nothing to do with it. To stop racism means to understand and accept the differences, but not to avoid talking about them.

Works Cited

Decolonizechris.files.wordpress.com. “I Don’t See Race.” N.p., 2015. Web. 25 Aug. 2015.

McIntosh, Peggy. “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.” Files.eric.ed.gov. N.p., pp. 30-36. 1988. Web. 25 Aug. 2015.