Melson Heo

English 110

Shamecca Harris

Date: 9/24/18

Modern Racism In Politics

All throughout history, there are social hierarchies to maintain balance within the society. However, analyzing each hierarchies from the past centuries has shown some similar conflicting patterns. The conflict is racism. According to Google definition, racism is “prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior”. Racism has been on its peak in human history but we do not consider it as an issue regardless because we as humans have better “problems” to deal with. An example that racism occurs in politics are Hispanics. They have criticized to be all immigrants so their opinions have become irrelevant in the political stage due to Trump’s personal “vendetta”/opinions. There are 4 sources that there is to go over that explains that racism in politics still remains stagnant. The four sources are an opinion article, a news article, a magazine and a scholarly article.

One of the source comes from an opinion article. This is an opinion article because the author has stated in the beginning of the headline. The opinionated article, “The Heartbeat on Racism is denial” by Ibram X. Kendi, a professor at history and international relations at American University, states the rhetorical situation racism is the reality that American citizens face but citizens often look at it as a topic that everyone can ignore. The author, Ibram X. Kendi, states that the America’s 45th president, Donald Trump, is the follow up of America’s past presidents who have followed or committed racist ideologies/beliefs such as the early presidents who held slaves in their offices and the ideology of social Darwinism of Theodore Roosevelt. This particular opinionated article audience was towards the politicians and the current president, Mr. Trump. The evidence that shows this within the article indicates that, “Mr. Trump, I suspect, will go to his grave with his heart beating in denial of the ill will of racism. Many others will as well. Because we naturally want to look away from our ugliness. We paint over racist reality to make a beautiful delusion of self, of society. We defend this beautiful self and society from our racist reality with the weapons of denial.” The author’s purpose states that how modern day has still shown that we repeat history. Politicians chooses to stay in denial, although presidents have acted on racist ideologies. Donald Trump’s act against the minority such as Hispanics and African Americans have proved to be that denial in America’s politics have remained true in the subject. One particular evidence from Kendi’s article, “Mr. Trump opened his candidacy with racism, calling Mexicans criminals and rapists. Since taking office, he has looked away from the disaster zone in Puerto Rico, he has called some violent white supremacists ‘very fine people,’ and he has described Nigerians as living in ‘huts.’…”The author’s stance on this subject is that politics remains ignorant to a topic that many citizens have deemed controversy. Zhe evidence that states the stance, “These are ugly denials. But it’s the denials from those who stand in strong opposition to this president that are more frustrating to me: denials that their attacks on identity politics are racist. Denials that the paltry number of people of color in elite spaces marks racism.”

The second source is from a magazine written by Briahna Joy Gray called “Racism have may gotten Us into this Mess, but Identity Politics can’t Get Us Out” The subject of this magazine is that identity has become a part of us to the point where it can determine what we can say or not say. The author’s purpose exposes that stereotypes have become a major influence that leads to major conflicts whether if we can really vote or even, if the opinions are stated from a minority even matters. In the magazine, it states that “Coates frames Trump as the apotheosis of America’s racial legacy … This provocative description of Trump feels calculated to inject urgency into an argument which otherwise leans heavily on the banality of political racism.” The stance of the author is that voting has become an issue and the voters need to feel secure whether if they can vote. One evidence from this magazine shows us that identity has become an issue is that, “Although identity can, at times, serve as shorthand for political views, it provides no more certainty than a stereotype. Racial groups are not monolithic — nor are their voting patterns written in stone…”.

However, this has happened before. Racism is something that America is going to stick it on the wall and doesn’t come off because no one bothers to deal with the issue, shown in the third source from a scholarly article that is written from Joe R. Feagin and Ella C. McFadden, a Professor at Texas A&M University, who has done research on racism and sexism issues for 45 years. America is bound to repeat it’s history, shown through politics. The purpose was to inform how we still repeat the same mistakes as before. An evidence that indicates that history has its roots, “When black protest movements in the 1960s forced the white leadership to again consider significant societal changes, this elite made modest changes in the racist system. They passed important civil rights laws and issued major court decisions against formal segregation, but over the next few decades they also saw to it that the enforcement of antidiscrimination laws and regulations would mostly be weak. (Page 29-30).” Many movements have tried to concur with the harsh reality just to earn a “higher status” within the social “hierarchy”. The audience is forward to America’s citizens who feel uptight about unequal rights because of race. The stance is when the author wants to identify the real conflict at hand within politics, how they deal with racism and how it feels weak and insignificant after a right is passed. The author is not in favor of the racism that has been consistent for a long time in history. It is shown in the article that, “Furthermore, in his view blacks are more adventurous than whites because they have a “want of forethought,” are unreflective, and feel life’s pain less than whites. In an extreme animalizing statement, Jefferson further asserted that even black Americans favor white beauty, “as uniformly as is the preference of the Oranootan [Orangutan] for the black women over those of his own species.” This has been shown that the influence of the higher social “hierarchy” has been influencing the lower social aspects of life which has lead to many minorities “worshipping” their upperclassmen.

Not only America have faced racism in politics but around the globe, racism has becoming an issue for themselves. An example lies in Australia, although it has become a new nation not too long ago, racism has become an issue that drives in the roots of politics. A fourth source is from an article from Susie Latham, a PhD candidate at Curtin University, writes “Politics of racism are flourishing in Australia”. A religious group, Muslims, have faced unpleasant treatment when it comes to politics. One evidence from this article indicates that, “Although racist groups have always existed on the fringes of Australian society, the danger posed by a lack of national political leadership on racism and the emergence of the ALA is that it will propel bigotry into the mainstream.” The subject of this article is to point out the racism that lies inside of the politics of the Australians. The audience of the article are the Muslims, who are feeling left out in the political stage in Australia that makes them feel irrelevant. The evidence indicates that, “Many Muslims feel that sentiment towards them has never been more negative, and having candidates stand for election gives anti-Muslim bigots a public platform and confers legitimacy on their views.” Just because of their “racial stereotypes” are all laid out, it does not mean they should not have anything to say in the political stage. The purpose of this article was to reach out to the Muslims to fight against the ALA, since they announced violence against them if they choose to go against. The stance of this article is supporting the Muslims, how they are being treated unequally. The author, Latham, wants the Muslim group to speak up for what they believe in. The evidence that indicates this,“Anti-Muslim sentiments are proving fertile gound for extremist movements. It might be tempting to dismiss as wishful thinking claims by new anti-Muslim political party the Australian Liberty Alliance that it hopes to eventually poll “in the 20 per cent bracket” at election time, but this would be a serious mistake.”Although Muslims have been surrounded by the racism that is against them, they deserve to have the same amount of rights as any other humans.

In conclusion, the 4 sources have exposed the real conflict at hand. America, being the example shown throughout the world, has represented really well how corrupted the political system can be. Racism has been something in the politics hands for many centuries and yet, it still continues today. Racism has created a hierarchy that built into people’s minds to the point where there are no individuality among the citizens.

Bibliography:

Kendi, Ibram X. “The Heartbeat of Racism Is Denial.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 13 Jan. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/01/13/opinion/sunday/heartbeat-of-racism-denial.html.

“Politics of racism are flourishing in Australia.” Age [Melbourne, Australia], 5 Aug. 2015, p. 45. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A424120753/OVIC?u=cuny_ccny&sid=OVIC&xid=1da8fba5. Accessed 24 Sept. 2018.

Images, John Taggart/Bloomberg via Getty. “Racism May Have Gotten Us Into This Mess, But Identity Politics Can’t Get Us Out.” Daily Intelligencer, 13 Nov. 2017, nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/11/identity-politics-cant-get-us-out-of-the-mess-racism-made.html.

Feagin, J. (2010). Racist America. New York: Routledge