Research Paper on Racism (Essay Sample)

Research Paper on Racism
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Abstract
It can be understand that racism can be seen as a broad topic, however in light of the recent events that have taken place in the United States it seems that this may be the best time to construct a research paper on Racism. Racism is the underlying foundation of what multiculturalism is meant for and to work against. In light of the recent historical issues that United States of America is facing with the many slain youth of color I feel this topic is needed to research just how this affects our country, our history and multiculturalism today. This paper will discuss how racism has affected our past and present, and how it remains alive in our schools, government, legal system, and everyday existence. This paper will address relevant statistics of race and racism.
Application of Racism in Multicultural Counseling
Introduction
Racial identity development and structures are essential aspects for any effective framework of multicultural counseling practice. Multicultural dynamics is composed of individuals from different races and composed with identity cultures. Different aspects of a certain race like age, sex, marital status, religion place of birth among others has diverging values attached to them depending on cultures of each race. The way one race views the responsibility of one sex might differ from the responsibilities of the same sex from another race, and thus, these diverging parameters are crucial in handling a multicultural society (Eddins, 1998). Therefore, the individuals who handle multicultural counseling ought to have studied the racial compositions and cultural attachment of any demographic set up of a multicultural society in order to carry effectively out counseling.
The importance of the knowledge of the effects of race on multicultural society cannot be underestimated. This is because each race has right to racial identity and has respect for their races that they need be addressed without favoring or demeaning some of the cultural aspects linked to a certain race. In a multicultural society, the knowledge of racial and values attached to cultural practices is very important, and it forms an integral part of any competent counseling practice. This is because it enhances and promotes balance among the races represented by a multicultural society actively (Boyer and Webb, 2002). Thus, the topic of racism and its applicability in multicultural counseling cannot be separated. This essay discusses how racism and racial affiliations are applied in competent multicultural practices to make them competent and maintain balance in such multicultural society. Effects of Racism in a Multicultural Society
Racism is just part of life. Racism will always be there since the societal challenges require that people mingle and travel to other places where they interact with other people. In the modern global village, it is impossible to contain racism as people can be able to communicate and traverse different parts of the globe with a matter of a fraction of a day. Thus, racism will always exist, and for those people who are in practice, have to develop tolerance, understanding and accept racism with stoicism. Racism has admirable impacts to multicultural dynamics when handled competently because people learn from other cultures and civilizations (Melé& Sánchez, 2013). Nevertheless, the adverse effects of racism are grave if it is mishandled and may prevent the coexistence, and the benefits of co-existence cannot be achieved if racism is approached from the adverse side.
Prejudice and Discrimination
The effects of racism in a multicultural society are divergent. Some of the effects of racism are discussed below. Racism results to prejudice and discrimination that bars fair treatment and equal treatment. For example, the Arab community feels isolated in the society and suffering from terror stereotyping. Tis prejudice alienates them from the society and is discriminated against in the judgment. This harms the freedom of an individual to participate as a member of a multicultural society to community activities. Thus, the multicultural counseling must look into factors that have the potential to expose one race to prejudice and discrimination. There are some utterances that might fuel further prejudice and discrimination that a counselor needs to be aware of and be able to avoid to promote inter-racial tolerance (Fleischacker, 1999). Therefore, the counselor ought to have had abundant knowledge of the racial dynamics of a certain community for him to be competent enough to handle his responsibility.
Canada is a multicultural society where they have achieved a lot in terms of promoting racial tolerance and understandings. Nevertheless, some races still complain of discrimination in all sectors of life thus alienating themselves from the rest of the society. Canada ideally falls short of racial democracy and understanding. In a study that was conducted in 2002, it was found that about 20% of Canadians 15 years and above belonging to visible minority racial groupings felt that they had suffered discrimination and unfair treatment sometimes of from 1997 because of their ethnicity, culture, race, pigment, language accent or religion. It was also observed that ethnic-racial minorities go through great economic hardships than other native Canadians and are not proportionately represented in the jobs with better terms and conditions of working. Ethnicity, culture, race, pigment, language accent or religions are the fundamental components of a certain race and thus their knowledge is of crucial importance to the counselors (Fleming, 1987).
In career promotions with ethnic-cultural society, discrimination and racism have to be taken into account. The racism creates barriers that discriminate against people of a certain race in all aspects of life like healthcare, employment, justice, education, governance, and housing among others. These leads to poor standards of living for this race subjecting people to abject poverty, pain, anguish, and low self-esteem thus completely damaging their lives. Good multicultural counseling should advocate for equal power for careers opportunities to all members of the society regardless of ethnicity, culture, race, skin color, language accent or religion of the person (Nelson et al, 2012).. Different races should have equal access to political, economic and social resources that are available. Competent multicultural counseling should break down the barriers that are experienced by ethno cultural or racial communities in all aspects of life.
Impairing social cohesion
The togetherness, a feeling of appreciation, the mutual respect, and recognition are among other factors that promote social cohesion in a multicultural and a racial society. In a racist society, there is one race than feels superior and exercises superiority complex over the other races composing the society. The minority races, more often than not, suffers from inferiority complex, and this limits their freedom to cut across other major races. This feeling erodes the social integration and cohesion since people cannot mix freely. The result is that the society is divided into two groups; the superior race and the inferior race. The superior race occupies the influential positions in the society and makes the inferior society their subjects. This brings about the strife in the society where the minority races agitate for respect or their rights and freedoms and this culminate in civil wars and other intolerant activities like strained social relationships (Nelson et al, 2012). All these impair social cohesion in a multicultural society.
In the early segregation rule society of South Africa, Desmond Tutu, a human rights activists once stated that the society was different with differences not intended to separate or to alienate, the differences were precisely to make them the need for one another. He quoted that the racial diversity in Australia was the greatest strength and asset that they had. This out rightly was the mind of a competent multicultural counselor who has accommodations for multicultural differences and tolerance. The work of a multicultural counselor is to promote the need for social co-existence by educating people on how to shun the racial animosity and foster unity among themselves (Rose, 1996). Thus, the need for applying the racial knowledge in a multicultural society can go a long way to eliminating social intolerance and promoting social cohesion.
It declines physical health and life expectancy
Physical health and life expectancy are tied to the social identity and wellbeing. When people are satisfied that their interests are taken care of, their health condition is not compromised, and they live happily. Researches show that there is growing evidence that suggest that discrimination and racism have a link to adverse health conditions among the victims. Such adverse health conditions include smoking, substance, distress and poor self-assessed health status. Another reason that exposes the discriminated against races to poor health conditions is the economic alienation by the superior races. Discrimination along ethnicity and race also contribute to poor mental health and wellbeing (Rose, 1996).
Multicultural counseling thus should form this effect as a basis of their practice. The counselors ought to advocate racism abolition in order to improve the health and increase the life expectancy of these people. Application of this racism effect facet in counseling enables the victims to accept the status quo and live positively in order to annul the effects racism has on their effects. This involves advising the victims to be diagnosed for health issues that are distress related and also on a diet.
Racism and economic
Racism alienates members of a certain community from...