Introduction: what is racism?
According to the Oxford Dictionary, Racism can be understood as any form of discrimination, prejudice or antagonism directed towards anyone from a different racial background, and is based on the notion of a racial superiority over the one being discriminated/prejudiced/antagonized. It also implies that members of each race possess qualities that are unique to the race, which makes the race inferior or superior to others (en.oxforddictionaries.com, 2018). This also supports the idea of racial separatism, which is the belief that different racial groups should remain separated and segregated from each other (adl.org, 2018). According to the human Rights Commission, racism can take place in different forms and in different places, and is based on differences in the skin color, ethnicity, and national origin. Racism can also be related to acts of harassment and abuse, however does not necessarily include violent or intimidating behavior. It can however still cause individuals to be excluded from social groups (itstopswithme.humanrights.gov.au, 2018). Racism has been a significant tool that encouraged and instilled fear and haltered towards others from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, especially during times of unrest and war or economic downtime. This process have fostered an environment of inequality and discrimination and influenced how we related to other people (Globalissues.org, 2018). In North America, the problems of racism were prevalent in Canada and US. The racist government policies in Canada for instance have the Innu community of eastern Canada and in US, racial profiling is still a major source of stress for ethnic groups in the US (Globalissues.org, 2018).
Racism has been a part of human history since a very long time, stemming out of our tendency to make stereotypes based on color, race, religion and nationality. It is often practiced unconsciously, and is a part of the nurturing and upbringing process of individuals. This is often due to our social history of discrimination against people, which has been ingrained as a part of the upbringing. The feudal systems, the slavery system have formed some of the darkest histories of our civilization, where violent ethnic cleansing and genocides have been done in the name of racist ideologies, which were even seen in the more recent times of our history (Mukherjee, 2018).
Several factors are related to propagation and persistence of discriminatory and racist behaviors in us. The main factors that have fostered racism includes: Selfishness towards the welfare of themselves and their own races; Unfamiliarity and a lack of understanding of people of other races; Stereotyping towards others; Peer Pressure and Upbringing (Perey 1999). Similarly, aspects such as fear; wrong assumptions based on previous experience, hearsay and media coverage; historical context, social hierarchy; economic divide in the society or economic inequalities; problems associating with outsiders or unfamiliar people; an inferiority complex; statistical data; family beliefs and a lack of respect towards humanity as a whole (Nazroo, 2003; Van Dijk, 2015).
Causes of racism
Mukherjee (2014) also supported similar views on factors that fosters racism, and outlined 9 factors, namely: 1) Human Nature: An inherent sense of inferiority in people predisposes us to establish a sense of supremacy over others, which further leads us to think of others in a poor context (Muris et al., 2017). Racism provides an ideal opportunity to claim supremacy or inferiority of different racial groups 2) Fear of Economic and Social Problems: Many people are afraid and hostile towards foreigners from other countries due to a perceived fear of the Economic and Social Impact it can have (Banks & Hicks, 2016). This irrational fear is also called Xenophobia, and is one of the factors that fuel racism (Muscat et al., 2017). 3) “Us and Them” mentality: People from different racial backgrounds are often considered outsiders of the community, creating a mental segregation (Van Dijk, 2015). 4) National Demarcation of Countries as first world and third world countries also serves to foster a sense of Racism, considering the third world countries as inferior to the first World countries, a concept that persisted from the post colonial era. 5) Political Factors: Politics have always a source of divide between people. A politics of appeasement helps to support differences among certain group’s people, perpetuating inequalities among them. 6) Stigmatizing colors: The color black has been associated with mourning, death and evil in most European cultures, which propagated into the practice of considering people with dark skin as inherently bad and thus fostered inequalities against them. 7) A fragmented and Stratified Society: A society that is highly fragmented and stratified will have several social divisions, with each group considering others as the outsiders as a form of defense mechanism against them, and fosters a sense of animosity towards the other ethnic and racial groups. 8) Popular Culture and Mass Media: The popular culture as well as mass media has also covertly and overtly fuelled racism, through stereotyping of skin colors, which have become ingrained as a part of our social belief system. 9) Lack of Awareness towards other racial groups and the history how racism have crippled and oppressed minority communities (Mukherjee, 2014; Lee & Zalkalne, 2018).
Racism and discrimination have been related to have many adverse effects on the overall wellbeing of individuals as well as entire communities and societies. Many studies have supported that Racism can have adverse effects on the mental health of individuals. Kwate and Goodman (2015) showed that residents in the Black Neighborhoods in New York City who experience racial discrimination are more prone to poor mental health conditions, compared to their white counterparts. Other studies have also supported that racism can cause mental health problems among individuals experiencing racist and discrimination (Willie, 2016). Clement et al. (2015) also suggested that stigmatization in the form of racism also results in avoidance and delay in seeking professional help for mental health issues. The authors performed a systematic review of case studies on the effect of stigmatization in Europe and USA, to find that stigmatization can prevent individuals from seeking help for mental health problems, thereby increasing health risks for those individuals. Wallace et al. (2016) studied the effect of racial discrimination of ethnic minority groups in the UK, on their mental health conditions, and found that an incremental, negative, long term effects on individuals of the community, are being related to the discrimination they experienced. Studies by Mouzon and McLean (2017) on the African American, Black Caribbeans in US have shown that racism was associated with symptoms of depression and psychosocial stress disorders among all these groups.
Effects of racism on ethnic minorities
Racism and socioeconomic status are also related to inequalities in the health. Furthermore, Racism is also one of the significant contributors to the differential socioeconomic statuses of different ethnic groups. These inequalities are caused through inequalities in power, prestige, freedom, neighborhood context and healthcare, which are affected through racist and discriminatory behaviors (Phelan & Link, 2015). Such relation between racism and health inequalities has also been supported by the studies of Bailey et al. (2017). Feagin and Bennefield (2014) pointed out that the centuries old history of slavery in Americas have institutionalized white socioeconomic resources, discrimination and a radicalized framing of the healthcare system, which have trickled down to the present times in the form of systematic racism.
Association of racism with economic and social deprivation was also studied by many authors. Sadler and Lafreniere (2017) pointed out that racism creates an economic disadvantage for people, and cause decline of a neighborhood, while Stacciarini et al. (2015) highlighted that social isolation can be caused due to racism. Moreover, racism can severely restrict access of people to healthcare, housing, safety education and employment (Tolliver et al. 2016).
These aspects clearly shows that racism can have many significant adverse effects at the personal level of individuals, such as effect on mental health, adverse help seeking behavior for mental health conditions, reduced access to healthcare, education, employment, housing, security. Such aspects further increase the health and socioeconomic inequalities, and deteriorate the overall wellbeing of the people.
At the level of the society, the effects of racism and discrimination have similar adverse effects as it does at an individual level. Racism can create stratification in the society, breaking it into smaller groups based on the racial and ethnic backgrounds, and reduce social cohesion. This can further lead to social tension, and even inter group violence and subjugation. The racist ideologies (of the ascribed supremacy of the Aryan race) of the Nazi’s in Germany, has been widely understood as the cause of mass genocide and ethnic cleansing of millions of Jews all over Europe in the most inhumane, barbaric and cruel manner (Rickman, 2017). Similarly, belief of racial supremacy of white skinned people over the black skinned natives in South Africa led to their relentless persecution. Even in the US, discrimination of the African Americans led to several illegal arrests and prosecution of the people, based just by their skin colors (Fredrickson, 2015). Some of the most significant effects of racial discrimination and racism on the society include:
Effects of racism on society
Discrimination- as it racism leads to the sense of superiority of one group over others and thus thrives on a sense of discrimination towards others. Injustice in the criminal system- since it can lead to unlawful prosecution based on racial biases and inclinations. Unjust hiring for jobs prevents individuals from racially and socially deprived groups from equal access to employment. Increasing poverty, since through the socioeconomic inequalities and lack of employment, a systematic deterioration of the economic condition of the group, making them prone to suffer poverty and economic crisis. Social Hierarchy being set up based on the perceived difference between the different groups, resulting in one or few groups being at the top of the hierarchy and subjecting other groups to subjugation. Undermining social cohesion through the systematic exploitation of the weaker groups, and creating mistrust between the groups. Undermining the importance of diversity in the community, instead fostering homogeneity of the group based on racial and cultural profiles. And differential privileges based on the racial profiles of people or groups (Loseke, 2017).
Overall, racism can be understood to have adverse effects on individuals and societies on 6 different aspects or levels: Birth (through the effects on the access to health services, food, nutrition, money and proper housing); Early Childhood (by limiting access to health service, food & nutrition, money, housing and different patterns of childhood development); Schooling (as the school reflect the social values and can foster discrimination based on language, values, skin color, appearance and racial backgrounds); School Dropouts (due to barriers towards tertiary study); Employment (due to discrimination by employers and exclusion from several areas of employment). These aspects have further have been related to be the key factors that causes discord in the community, increasing the risks of violence, by creating an environment of inequality and neglect (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2017).
Considering how racism and racial discrimination can belittle human dignity, and cause suffering among people, it is important that such evil be rooted out from our society, once and for all. Strategies can be implemented and used at various levels such as at an individual level, community level and national level, which can prevent racist and discriminatory behavior and foster equality among people (Bass, 2014; Higginbotham, 2015).
At the individual level, it is important to listen to, validate and partner with people who are subjected to personal and systematic racism. This will allow the stories of people of color to be heard, and their experiences be understood, and prevent ignorance of the plight faced by them. Developing an objective and unbiased opinion, instead of being swayed by racial biases and the ingrained racial mindsets of the society is also vital to break out of the stereotyping mindsets shown by racist individuals. Showing empathy towards others, and appreciating the similarities and commonalities between the various ethnic groups, instead of fixating on the differences, and recognizing that any form of injustice in the society can lead to many other forms of injustice is important to create a sense of equality among the different groups (Bass, 2014; Higginbotham, 2015).
At the community level, it is important that individuals are able to speak up if they see something wrong happening. This implies that every individual should advocate against racism and inequality, upholding human equality and dignity, and challenge the racist assumptions of others. Crossing the racial divide through good gestures towards people of other racial groups, which can set examples for others to follow, and also foster a sense of harmony. Also, studying about the history of racism in the community, participating in anti-racist campaigns can help to bridge the inequalities created by racism and discrimination (Bass, 2014; Higginbotham, 2015).
At the national level, racism can be fought through political channels at the national levels. For example, a)writing to members of the congress or senators demanding an end to racial prejudice in the various government bodies like justice system, law enforcement, healthcare, education and media. b) supporting national legislations that criminalizes racist behavior and racist policies and measures to monitor the behavior of the police (such as the Mike Brown law) c) Joining the ‘movements of reparations’ for the descendants of the African slaves and other communities oppressed in the US due to land theft, labor, and denial of national resources to them which forms the very foundation of the inequalities seen in the contemporary society. Advocating for an affirmative action plan in employment and education, to ensure equal access to these services by everyone, regardless of their racial, cultural and ethnic backgrounds can help to reduce the inequalities and deprivation. Voting for candidates who are active advocates against all forms of racism, and considers ending racism as a priority and also be a significant aspect (Bass, 2014; Higginbotham, 2015).
Conclusion
Racism is an old problem that has plagued our society from ancient times. The problem arises due to the notion of supremacy of one race over the other, thereby fostering hostility, subjugation, discrimination and hostility towards others. The differences are based on the natural human diversity in skin coloration, religion, ethnicities and cultures. Many different factors are related to racist and discriminatory behavior such as selfishness, ignorance, stereotyping, peer pressure, upbringing, fear, incorrect assumptions as well as other components such as public opinion, popular media, and political opinions. These factors have resulted in inequalities in healthcare, education employability of individuals as well as groups, thereby affecting their overall well being. Racism is also the root cause of social tensions, criminal injustice and even violence in the community. Due to such aspects, it is vital that racism in any form should be eliminated from our society, and ensures equality among all. Changes can be implemented at personal, community and national level. At the personal level, it is important to understand how racism is an absolute evil, and recognize the need for changing such mindsets by advocating against it, and challenging racist mindsets of others. At the community level, integrating diversity in the community, showing respect to the diversity and breaking the cultural divide by good gestures towards others can reduce the sense of discrimination. At national levels, it is important to ask for policies that will criminalize racist behavior by individuals or institutes and further ensure that such mindsets are no longer propagated in our societies.
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