Personal Discrimination

Page |1

Instances of Personal Discrimination

Therease Taylor
Wayne State University
SW 3110: Practice Methods I
Professor Sharonlyn Harrison Ph.D.

Personal Discrimination

Page |2
Introduction:

Racism has existed for thousands of years. My research has shown racism in many different

forms. The definition of Racism is the belief that the genetic factors which constitute race are a

the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an

the inherent superiority of a particular race. Racism's effects are called "racial discrimination." In
the

case of institutional racism, certain racial groups may be denied rights or benefits, or receive

preferential treatment. Racial discrimination typically points out taxonomic differences between

different groups of people, although anyone may be discriminated against on an ethnic or

cultural basis, independently of their somatic differences.

According to the United Nations conventions, there is no distinction between the term
racial discrimination and ethnicity discrimination. There is some evidence that the meaning of
the term has changed over time, and that earlier definitions of racism involved the simple belief
that human populations are divided into separate races. Many biologists, anthropologists, and
sociologists reject this taxonomy in favor of more specific and/or empirically verifiable criteria,
such as geography, ethnicity, or a history of endogamy.

Personal Discrimination

Page |3
Personal Discrimination

In 1999, I was on vacation in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the idea was for me to get a new
tattoo. I went to the nearest tattoo location on Las Vegas Boulevard. I asked the tattoo artist, how
long was the wait? He asked me, For what? I responded I want a tattoo on my arm of my sons
name. He responded, We dont put our work on black people and you need to go Then I was
told to go up the street to a different tattoo shop where you people go. Then I became angry and
speechless. I had never experienced such discrimination and racist remarks. I was encouraged by
my girlfriend to leave. Before leaving, I yelled back," Thank you for being honest because I
would have had to live with the work of a racist on my body forever. That day I lost the desire to
pursue getting a tattoo. This experience allowed me to see that racism and discrimination can
happen anywhere.

Summary

As an ideology, racism existed during the 19th century as "scientific racism", which

attempted to provide a racial classification of humanity. Although such racist ideologies have

been widely discredited after World War II and the Holocaust, racism and of racial

discrimination has remained widespread all over the world. Some examples of this in present

Personal Discrimination

Page |4

the day is statistics including, but not limited to, the ratio of black men in prison to free black
men

vs. other races, physical abilities and mental ability statistics, and other data gathered by

scientific groups. While these statistics are accurate, and can show trends, it's inappropriate in

most countries to assume that because a particular race has a high crime or low literacy rate, that

the entire race of people automatically are criminals or unintelligent.

Many forms of violence come along with racism. The use of violence can be used as a
method of control and domination of those who are deemed to be inferior and powerless is
practiced in many cultures, societies and countries of the world. At the domestic level, it is used
against women, children and other vulnerable members of the family. At the national and
international level, poor people, asylum seekers, refugees, Black and minority ethnic, migrant
and Indigenous Peoples are occasionally subjected to, or threatened with, violence by the state
and the institutions that uphold and perpetuate violence in the name of peace, order and national
security.

Any form of violence is harmful to the victim and has wider implications for society as a

whole. Racial violence differs from other forms of violence in that the root causes are to do with

assumption of superiority and dislike of other people who are deemed to be inferior because of

Personal Discrimination

Page |5

their identity, ethnic origin, nationality, national origins or descent; and because of their

appearance and physical characteristics such as color, language, and dress. These are natural and

normal attributes and any attack on them is an attack of the very core of one's essence as a

human being and as a member of the human race. Racial violence manifests itself in many ways.

In its mildest form, it can be pushing, spitting, name-calling, teasing, or practical jokes. In more

serious cases it involves physical assault, arson, stabbing, rape, murder, attempted murder,

massacres and genocide.

There are many different effects from racial violence. While physical violence is easier to
recognize. other forms of violence are equally damaging. There is a growing body of evidence
that persistent low-level harassment affects the health and wellbeing of people subjected to it. It
leaves physical and psychological scars which are passed on from person to person in the
community and remembered by generations to come. Living in fear because one belongs to a
race or a group of people who are subjected to violence and the constant harassment is a major
cause
of mental health and low self-esteem. Those who are racially harassed often adopt an identity
with the negative images and labels they are given. Resistance sometimes leads to further more
dangerous harassment and discrimination. The notion of being "created in the image of God" is

Personal Discrimination

Page |6

meaningless when the image one sees reflected in the "mirror called society" is that of an
inferior, rejected and abused a woman, man or child.
Many think that there is only one kind of racism and that is to be racist. However, that is not
true racism has other levels such as Internalized Racism. Internalized racism has been the
primary means by which we have been forced to perpetuate and "agree" to our own oppression.
It has been a major factor preventing us, as black people, from realizing and putting into action
the tremendous intelligence and power which in reality we possess. On a personal level it has
been a major ingredient in the distressful and unworkable relationships which we so often have
with each other. It has proved to be the fatal stumbling block of every promising and potentially
the powerful black liberation effort that has failed in the past. Patterns of internalized oppression
severely limit the effectiveness of every existing black group.

African Americans are not the only minority that is affected by internalized racism
Latinos are affected as well. To be like White America, many say that is why many minority
individuals are not happy with themselves. Happy with who they are, where they are from or
their culture, or ancestors. This has been a problem that no one has been able to solve and over
which many have despaired. Some patterns of internalized racism have become so familiar that
we, ourselves, accept them as part of our "black culture." We attribute them to "the way we are."

Personal Discrimination

Page |7

Racism can have its effect on people that can affect their health. Racism is not just an added

stress to individuals of minority ethnic groups (identified as racial groups) but is a pathogen

which generates depression. In analyzing this within a social model of depression indicating a
few ways in which racism subtly - and not so subtly affects self-esteem, causes losses in a

psychological sense, and promotes a sense of helplessness. Racism can result in major

complications in women it has been known to cause depression in women mostly in black

women. It has been proven that black women will not talk about their discriminating situations

they will stand and were the strong black woman shield. Racism can breed disease. The sting

of racism could lead to depression and behavior problems for African-American children, reports

a study today in the journal Child Development. The study followed more than 700 black

children for five years, starting at about 10 to 12 years old, interviewing both them and their

families about racism and other life experiences and events. The researchers found those who

reported more discrimination name-calling, insults, etc. were more likely to experience

depression as they became teens. Those children who had been discriminated against also had

more sleep problems and trouble at school

Personal Discrimination

Page |8

Other forms of racism are Explicit and Implicit. When one thinks about racism, in
general, one normally thinks about explicit racism such as the KKK, but it can come in many
forms other than just blatantly. The only place I have seen explicit racism is in movies. This is
probably due to the fact that I live in a mostly sheltered community. I have, however,
experienced implicit racism. After 9/11 there was much hype about Arabic people in the United
States. My best friend was Arab and looking back on it, her family were the only Arabs I had
trusted. Maybe media had played a role in developing these certain views about people. All I
had seen in the news was horrible events almost all in which Arabs were to blame. Guaranteed, I
watched the news frequently.
However, seeing the negative views of people being flashed before my eyes were

enough to scare me into holding implicit racism within myself. Both forms of racism can prove

to be dangerous, but which one seems to prove to be more detrimental to society as well as

individual. A variety of measures of implicit prejudice has been used. Some are indirect or

covert behavioral indices of prejudice, such as linguistic biases, eye contact, or nonverbal

behaviors, which could be subject to intentional control but typically would not be. Others are

truly implicit measures of automatic cognitive or physiological responses that cannot readily be

intentionally controlled.

Personal Discrimination

Page |9

Two theories of prejudice have been used to explain why there might be considerable

discrepancies between individuals in their explicit and implicit prejudice against a

particular group. Both suggest this discrepancy might arise from individuals acquiring

values that motivate them to attempt to control prejudiced attitudes or stereotypes that

were acquired earlier in socialization and that are therefore automatically activated by

target persons. The theory of aversive racism suggests that many whites have

underlying, covert racist attitudes but adopt and express egalitarian attitudes at an overt

the level in order to maintain a self-image of themselves as nonprejudiced and egalitarian.

Because of their covert racism, they will act in discriminatory ways in situations in

which they can rationalize or excuse it and will do so without guilt. Patricia Devine's

theory suggests that whites acquire negative stereotypes of blacks during socialization.

Later some whites come to internalize explicitly anti-racist values, which are genuine and

deeply held. As a result, their underlying and automatically activated prejudiced

reactions engender guilt and are therefore inhibited whenever they are under conscious

control.

During my research, I came across Gender Racism this is when women or men are

Personal Discrimination

P a g e | 10

discriminated against because of their sex. It has been shown that women are discriminated

more than men are which started back in time. Women were denied rights to do many things

such as work, vote even speaks out in public. This is a description of gender racism

Without taking race into account, the statistics on the status of the world's women show that

women have a long way to go before achieving equality with men. According to a recent report

by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), women fall short in many of

the main indicators that measure progress towards gender equality and women's empowerment.

Privileged Oppression was researched to which is identified as White privilege is the belief

that only one's own standards and opinions are accurate (to the exclusion of all other standards

and opinions) and that these standards and opinions are defined and supported by Whites in a

way to continually reinforce the social distance between groups, thereby allowing Whites to

dominate, control access to, and escape challenges from racial and ethnic minorities

Because Whites generally view their beliefs and actions as normative and neutral they fail to

identify Whiteness as a racial identity.

Minorities are more generous when it comes to accepting one who is another race. We

Personal Discrimination

P a g e | 11

are not done yet it does not stop their terrorism is another form of racism. Yes, terrorism,
Community leaders in Northern Ireland have warned that racism is threatening to replace
terrorism in a rising tide of attacks and incidents on immigrant families. Three hundred incidents
of racially motivated intimidation have been reported this year and the authorities fear that
aggressive racism has become a permanent feature of post-Troubles society in the province. A
former Belfast councilor said: "We're beginning to think racism is the new terrorism." Race and
ethnicity have always been dominant themes of American history. In our intricate web of
exchange and controversy, no aspects of society have received more attention. Concepts and
circumstances like slavery, immigration, the Civil Rights Movement, and the patchwork nature
of our civilization have always dictated our conversations and interactions.

Do you know what racism means? (8; 36%)

What is your ethnic background? Results below

African-American

(5; 36%)

Native American

(1; 5%)

Hispanic

(0; 0%)

Caucasian

(4; 18%)

Personal Discrimination

P a g e | 12

Asian

Not Checked

(1; 5%)
0

Are you mixed with any other ethnic background? 4; 18%)

Do you believe racism exist? (8; 36%)

Do you believe racism is a learned behavior? (6; 27%)

How old are you?

Age?

17 and younger

(1; 5%)

18-24

(4; 41%)

25-32

(1; 5%)

33-40

(0; 0%)

41 and older

(1; 5%)

Have you ever experienced racism? (9; 41%)

Do you feel you were ever discriminated against because of race, ethnicity, gender, or size?

(7; 32%)

Personal Discrimination

P a g e | 13

Do you believe a person can overcome racism? (7; 32%)

Are you against interracial couples? (1; 5%)

Do you believe in fighting against racism? (9; 41%)

Do you believe minorities are inferior? (9; 41%)

In conclusion after the surveys were completed and all were tallied the results was racism

does exist. A minorities feel as if they are inferior to others who display racist attitudes. The

the younger generation feels as if they have experienced just as much racism as the older
generation.

While racism is still prevalent in America, injustices and slurs against minorities usually
receive widespread acknowledgment. my research has shown that racism exist in many
different forms and is not limited. This research project had a very informative impact on me. It
allowed me to see just how far racism can go just when I thought it meant color. Racism has no
advantages it is not meant for one to stand bias and be only accepting of one person, race,
gender, or color. The world is like a rainbow it flashes with many colors very bright. We all
stand one nation under God.

Method
The method that was used in this survey was gathering individuals from various cultures, and

Personal Discrimination

P a g e | 14

age groups. To define statically if racism truly exists. Individuals were interviewed in private to
select those that would be honest on the survey. After one fifty people were interviewed forty
was selected to complete the survey. The survey was selected with random questions on a piece
of paper. The survey was passed out to each individual. They participants was asked to be
truthful on each question asked. They were asked not to share answers and to remain silent
during the interview. The time given for the survey was half an hour to ensure that the
participant did not take too much time on questions. After each participant was done completing
the survey he or she was interviewed again to ask how they felt about the questions they were
asked. They were asked did they feel singled out or targeted in any way. After all participants
were done with surveys and being interviewed each survey was tallied. This was a social survey
used to gather concrete answers on a very serious and emotional topic. All participants felt as if
the questions were realistic and stated that they were answered truthfully. The method was
researched and found to be the most dependable far as collecting honest data from those who
participated.

Personal Discrimination

P a g e | 15

References
Bobo, L. (2013, February 25). Race, Racism, and Discrimination: Bridging Problems, Methods,
and Theory in Social Psychological Research. Retrieved June 28, 2015, from
http://scholar.harvard.edu/files/bobo/files/2003_race_racism_and_discrimination_with_c
ybelle_fox_social_psycholgy_quarterly.pdf

Racism. (n.d.). Retrieved June 17, 2013, from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/racism

What is Racism? (2001). Retrieved July 28, 2013, from http://archive.adl.org/hatepatrol/racism.html#.VZBJUvlViko