Racism can be defined as " the prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race or ethnic group based on the belief one is superior." At its core racism is about hatred. Although there is in the modern world an emphasis on human rights awareness, this hate continues in both democratic and authoritarian governments around the world. It has produced wars and inequality in various societies. Racism has various forms that are projected in xenophobia, stereotyping, and colorism. The basis of these beliefs is that certain ethnic groups either have assigned characteristics or abilities based on their skin color. Racism functions on a hierarchy in which the oppressors rank what they consider inferior or superior races. A process of dehumanization is required to justify either abusive treatment or in many cases violence. There has been a long struggle of ethnic conflict globally, but in the modern age white supremacy has become the most visible and recognizable. Starting with the age of exploration European states began sailing the seas and colonizing the globe. Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas were subject to either British, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Belgian, and Portuguese conquest. These areas of the developing world were only able to break free in the 20th century and continually have to prevent their national sovereignty from being undermined. Instead of the justification of trying to "civilize" people or arguments of racial inferiority these excuses have been replaced by democracy promotion and human rights advocacy. It is a new method to advance a modern day agenda of imperial expansion. This creates a world of unequal power positions putting European powers and more so the United States at the top and the nations of Africa, Asia, and Latin America in a subordinate role. Racism and be both blatant and covert in its nature. Such hatred has a lethal conclusion in the form of genocide.
The rise of the nation state caused a new brand of xenophobia. Ethnic nationalism functioned on the idea that when a state formed the majority of the population should be one racial group. Other groups represented a threat or damaged the state's integrity. Xenophobia is nothing new. Fear of foreigners can be seen in ancient history, particularly in Greek civilization. Spartans and Athenians had negative views of one another because they did not come from the same city-state. Feeling of fear and hate are present in countries whenever an immigrant population increases. The United States prides itself on being a nation of immigrants, but has a long tradition of anti-immigrant racism. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the Immigration Act of 1924 demonstrated both nativist and white supremacist sentiments. The Chinese were scapegoated for economic decline in the 1870s and were specifically targeted for being banned from the country. The Immigration Act of 1924 favored only Northern European Immigration and imposed a quota system in regards to peoples from Asia, Africa, and Latin America. When the Ottoman Empire collapsed, the Turks went about creating in their vision an ethnically pure state. Greeks, Armenians, Jews, and foreigners were not welcome in the new Turkey. Xenophobia relies on the belief that an ethnic group is either coming to destroy a way of life or take over. This paranoia comes from the ruling groups fear they will lose their power and privileges. Various groups become scapegoats for political and social problems. Even though they have not connection to such issues, it becomes a distraction to the public protecting an inadequate leadership. Europe now faces a refugee crisis due both to its colonial past and support of nation building. Populations from Africa and Asia are now coming to Europe, which resulted in a mass wave of xenophobic sentiment. Groups that are not considered a race have been racialized. Muslims and Jews which are religious groups have been subject to discrimination and violence in Europe being designated as foreign or not a part of the state . Xenophobia during a certain process goes from trepidation to hate.
Stereotyping represents how various groups perceive one another. Although some may be based on fact others are either fabrications. They mainly exist to disparage particular races. There are what can be referred to as positive stereotypes, but these are also used to justify a narrow view of a racial group. They could range from African Americans being superhuman athletes, East Asians being superior at mathematics, or Jews being excellent with finance. These so called positive stereotypes are not uplifting, but seek to place a certain group in a one dimensional context. Their efforts and talents are not judged by their diligence, but by their racial or ethnic group. The limited vision that stereotypes produce only allow people to see each other as groups, rather than individuals. They are either lumped together and behavior is considered collective. Stereotypes go beyond racial or ethnic groups to include culture. This represents the concept of the other. Western culture seen as a normal standard, while other cultures of the East are either viewed as "backward" or "less advanced." The reason why stereotypes become prevalent is through mass media and entertainment. Viewers absorb negative images about racial groups, which influences how they should feel about them. This has more of an impact on a younger mind, which is more susceptible to the influence of peers, family, and environment. If a child is bombarded with negative images of a racial group that will become their belief system. Prejudice can be reinforced by what media a person consumes early in their life. Stereotypes change overtime, yet remain a presence in societal consciousness.
Colorism is a phenomenon of white supremacy. Light skin has been made to be a symbol beauty in racist societies. This form of racism ranks people according to how dark or light their skin is. Although their is no anthropological, biological, or anatomical evidence of race, white skin color has been made to be a default standard of being human. The bizarre element of this is that it gets non-white groups to engage in self hate or harmful actions against their own group. Skin lightening creams, eye lid surgery, or straightening one's hair are just examples of how white supremacy changes an oppressed group's behavior. Dark skin becomes an anathema in the context of a racist beauty standard. The lighter skinned or individuals who appear closer to the white aesthetic are either treated better by the society that promotes colorism. This system of colorism is not only present in the West, but it can be seen in other areas of the globe. India has a troubling problem with its treatment of the Dravidian population. Racism relies on sometimes on phenotypic descriptions of people. Skin color, hair texture, and other attributes are used to make claims that there are different species of human beings. The African American community in the United States still continues to struggle with issue surrounding colorism and the larger problem of white supremacy. The obsession with whiteness and Western values did not just emerge randomly. It was born out of Europe's conflict with other continents.
The Age of Exploration brought an end to many civilizations in the Americas and other continents. The Aztecs, Incas , and Amerindian peoples of the Americas found themselves conquered by Spanish and Portuguese invaders. Hernand Cortes, Pizarro, and Christopher Columbus brought destruction to native populations of the Americas. As time passed, many were wiped out by disease and warfare. The result of this lead to desire to replace the population for their labor needs. The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade saw the enslavement of millions of African peoples. Race was used as a justification for inhumane treatment and forced labor. These diaspora populations even after emancipation would face discrimination and racism in the Americas.European avarice did not stop with the production of cash crops, it continued to the acquisition of more territories. The British Empire would become the most powerful and oppressive due to its naval force. France would come second in terms of power and influence. This gave rise to modern imperialism. This type of imperialism was different from that of the ancient world. It was more racial in character having white colonizers at the top, while non-white subjects were subordinates. It was only a matter of time before there would be little left in the world for the European continent to conquer. The rise of a unified Germany and Italy radically shifted the balance of power in Europe in the 19th century. Aggressive nationalism and racial hatred would eventually cause mass global conflict. Africa was divided up between Italy, Germany, France, the British Empire, Portugal, and Spain in the Berlin Conference. The year 1885 marked a temporary peace. China was subject to an open door policy and Japan was able to avoid being colonized by an ambitious program of modernization. When World War I broke out it was at its core a final battle to see which European power would have global domination and control of the global south. The resulting devastation demonstrated the dangers of imperialism and racial hatred. World War II was the extreme of the first war, with leaders seeing to exterminate groups it deemed inferior.
Racism has a vicious conclusion. Genocide will be the product of a society that becomes so hateful and fanatic in its daily conduct. The murder of a racial, cultural, ethnic, or religious group has been common in history. The Armenian genocide, the Holocaust, the Rwandan conflict, the extermination of the Amerindian population of the Americas, and the collapse of Yugoslavia are just a few cases of mass murder. There are many instances that people who do not approve of such violence, choose to do nothing. While bystander effect could be to blame, there is a point in which the public condone such violence because they perceive the group as a threat. Social darwinism, and eugenics were at one time the basis for such violence and murder. Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy used pseudosciemce as a method to legitimize their crimes. The extension of this was that weaker nations deserved to be conquered, due to the fact international politics is based on the survival of the fittest. The pseudoscientific biological racism that was promoted by the fascist states did not end with World War II. Hate groups in the West and academics in the fields of psychology continued to promote theories of racial inferiority. It is important to understand that genocides are more effective with an efficient propaganda machine. Presenting falsehoods as facts and instigating anger in the public will produce violent actions. Warfare and its prevalence has much to do with racial hatred. Conflict or excuses for it can be a cover to either harm or annihilate marginalized racial groups. Only when humanity sees itself as one can the world find stability. Racism continues to be a persistent threat to society and civilization.
The rise of the nation state caused a new brand of xenophobia. Ethnic nationalism functioned on the idea that when a state formed the majority of the population should be one racial group. Other groups represented a threat or damaged the state's integrity. Xenophobia is nothing new. Fear of foreigners can be seen in ancient history, particularly in Greek civilization. Spartans and Athenians had negative views of one another because they did not come from the same city-state. Feeling of fear and hate are present in countries whenever an immigrant population increases. The United States prides itself on being a nation of immigrants, but has a long tradition of anti-immigrant racism. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the Immigration Act of 1924 demonstrated both nativist and white supremacist sentiments. The Chinese were scapegoated for economic decline in the 1870s and were specifically targeted for being banned from the country. The Immigration Act of 1924 favored only Northern European Immigration and imposed a quota system in regards to peoples from Asia, Africa, and Latin America. When the Ottoman Empire collapsed, the Turks went about creating in their vision an ethnically pure state. Greeks, Armenians, Jews, and foreigners were not welcome in the new Turkey. Xenophobia relies on the belief that an ethnic group is either coming to destroy a way of life or take over. This paranoia comes from the ruling groups fear they will lose their power and privileges. Various groups become scapegoats for political and social problems. Even though they have not connection to such issues, it becomes a distraction to the public protecting an inadequate leadership. Europe now faces a refugee crisis due both to its colonial past and support of nation building. Populations from Africa and Asia are now coming to Europe, which resulted in a mass wave of xenophobic sentiment. Groups that are not considered a race have been racialized. Muslims and Jews which are religious groups have been subject to discrimination and violence in Europe being designated as foreign or not a part of the state . Xenophobia during a certain process goes from trepidation to hate.
Stereotyping represents how various groups perceive one another. Although some may be based on fact others are either fabrications. They mainly exist to disparage particular races. There are what can be referred to as positive stereotypes, but these are also used to justify a narrow view of a racial group. They could range from African Americans being superhuman athletes, East Asians being superior at mathematics, or Jews being excellent with finance. These so called positive stereotypes are not uplifting, but seek to place a certain group in a one dimensional context. Their efforts and talents are not judged by their diligence, but by their racial or ethnic group. The limited vision that stereotypes produce only allow people to see each other as groups, rather than individuals. They are either lumped together and behavior is considered collective. Stereotypes go beyond racial or ethnic groups to include culture. This represents the concept of the other. Western culture seen as a normal standard, while other cultures of the East are either viewed as "backward" or "less advanced." The reason why stereotypes become prevalent is through mass media and entertainment. Viewers absorb negative images about racial groups, which influences how they should feel about them. This has more of an impact on a younger mind, which is more susceptible to the influence of peers, family, and environment. If a child is bombarded with negative images of a racial group that will become their belief system. Prejudice can be reinforced by what media a person consumes early in their life. Stereotypes change overtime, yet remain a presence in societal consciousness.
Colorism is a phenomenon of white supremacy. Light skin has been made to be a symbol beauty in racist societies. This form of racism ranks people according to how dark or light their skin is. Although their is no anthropological, biological, or anatomical evidence of race, white skin color has been made to be a default standard of being human. The bizarre element of this is that it gets non-white groups to engage in self hate or harmful actions against their own group. Skin lightening creams, eye lid surgery, or straightening one's hair are just examples of how white supremacy changes an oppressed group's behavior. Dark skin becomes an anathema in the context of a racist beauty standard. The lighter skinned or individuals who appear closer to the white aesthetic are either treated better by the society that promotes colorism. This system of colorism is not only present in the West, but it can be seen in other areas of the globe. India has a troubling problem with its treatment of the Dravidian population. Racism relies on sometimes on phenotypic descriptions of people. Skin color, hair texture, and other attributes are used to make claims that there are different species of human beings. The African American community in the United States still continues to struggle with issue surrounding colorism and the larger problem of white supremacy. The obsession with whiteness and Western values did not just emerge randomly. It was born out of Europe's conflict with other continents.
The Age of Exploration brought an end to many civilizations in the Americas and other continents. The Aztecs, Incas , and Amerindian peoples of the Americas found themselves conquered by Spanish and Portuguese invaders. Hernand Cortes, Pizarro, and Christopher Columbus brought destruction to native populations of the Americas. As time passed, many were wiped out by disease and warfare. The result of this lead to desire to replace the population for their labor needs. The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade saw the enslavement of millions of African peoples. Race was used as a justification for inhumane treatment and forced labor. These diaspora populations even after emancipation would face discrimination and racism in the Americas.European avarice did not stop with the production of cash crops, it continued to the acquisition of more territories. The British Empire would become the most powerful and oppressive due to its naval force. France would come second in terms of power and influence. This gave rise to modern imperialism. This type of imperialism was different from that of the ancient world. It was more racial in character having white colonizers at the top, while non-white subjects were subordinates. It was only a matter of time before there would be little left in the world for the European continent to conquer. The rise of a unified Germany and Italy radically shifted the balance of power in Europe in the 19th century. Aggressive nationalism and racial hatred would eventually cause mass global conflict. Africa was divided up between Italy, Germany, France, the British Empire, Portugal, and Spain in the Berlin Conference. The year 1885 marked a temporary peace. China was subject to an open door policy and Japan was able to avoid being colonized by an ambitious program of modernization. When World War I broke out it was at its core a final battle to see which European power would have global domination and control of the global south. The resulting devastation demonstrated the dangers of imperialism and racial hatred. World War II was the extreme of the first war, with leaders seeing to exterminate groups it deemed inferior.
Racism has a vicious conclusion. Genocide will be the product of a society that becomes so hateful and fanatic in its daily conduct. The murder of a racial, cultural, ethnic, or religious group has been common in history. The Armenian genocide, the Holocaust, the Rwandan conflict, the extermination of the Amerindian population of the Americas, and the collapse of Yugoslavia are just a few cases of mass murder. There are many instances that people who do not approve of such violence, choose to do nothing. While bystander effect could be to blame, there is a point in which the public condone such violence because they perceive the group as a threat. Social darwinism, and eugenics were at one time the basis for such violence and murder. Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy used pseudosciemce as a method to legitimize their crimes. The extension of this was that weaker nations deserved to be conquered, due to the fact international politics is based on the survival of the fittest. The pseudoscientific biological racism that was promoted by the fascist states did not end with World War II. Hate groups in the West and academics in the fields of psychology continued to promote theories of racial inferiority. It is important to understand that genocides are more effective with an efficient propaganda machine. Presenting falsehoods as facts and instigating anger in the public will produce violent actions. Warfare and its prevalence has much to do with racial hatred. Conflict or excuses for it can be a cover to either harm or annihilate marginalized racial groups. Only when humanity sees itself as one can the world find stability. Racism continues to be a persistent threat to society and civilization.
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