what do you fear?
Racism
Racism is defined as: The belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others. (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/racism)
In other words, racism is simply hatred and violence directed towards humans of a different race. Modern racism is predominantly caused by ignorance and xenophobia, or the fear of different peoples. Xenophobia has all the other symptoms of a phobia, or an irrational fear. People suffering from it are plagued with anxiety, feelings of panic and dread, and increased heart rate. These symptoms are onset by foreign or strange things, a main one being people of different races.
Racism is evident throughout history. Many infamous examples include the Holocaust, the slave trade, and the colonization of Africa. The Holocaust may be one of the most extreme examples of racism. Hitler drove Germany to believe that the aryan people are superior. In time, this led to the creation of concentration and death camps and the deaths of millions. The fight for ending slavery in America split the United States into two during the 1880's. Ultimately, the North won and slavery was abolished, but before then it was the norm to own a slave. People were taken from their homelands and sent to distant lands, being forced to work. During the late 19th century, the colonizing of Africa led to racism and the belief that Europeans were superior to the native Africans. These lands were being exploited for the natural resources, and for the abundant labor that was available. Kipling's poem "White Man's Burden" shows a pro European viewpoint. Within the seven stanzas he writes that western civilization is superior and must exert its influence upon developing countries. During this time period, it helped justify the imperialistic policy utilized by many governments. Europeans had to take it upon themselves to help civilize the rest of the world, starting with Africa.
One example of modern racism is the immigration laws regarding Mexico. The American government is attempting to limit the amount of Mexicans that can legally cross into the United States. Many still cross illegally, however. There are currently around 3 million undocumented Mexican immigrants within the states. They are mainly located in the Southwest, a good portion of them in California. Anti-Mexican sentiment is bound to form from American citizens in these states for they are illegally living in their country. With the economy the way it is, there simply aren't enough jobs to go around. With this amount of non-Americans fighting for the limited amount of openings, there is a lot of competition. Illegal immigrants can also be exploited by their bosses who can create terrible working conditions and offer low pay. They also remain off the books so no taxation is required. This pushes certain employers to favor the immigrant workers over American citizens, causing anger and hatred. Although currently lacking support, in its prime the Ku Klux Klan was a terrible organization focused on terrorizing African Americans in America. Racism may be ending within this group in modern times. According to an article, the imperial wizard of the Ku Klux Klan in Kentucky supported Barrack Obama in his campaign for presidency. This is the first time in history that any Klan member has supported a candidate of African descent, and this seems like a small start for the racism to end within the Klan. The Klan was formed shortly after the Confederacy's defeat in the American Civil War when a group of disgruntled veterans formed a social group. This group started off quite innocent, but its motives changed as the fear of a slave insurrection arose. To many, the name KKK instilled fear and the white sheets were a sign of their terror. A main goal of Klan members was to terrorize any African Americans, which was evident in their nightly raids. The Klan lost support and government laws were enforced to destroy the racist group. One effect the Klan did have was to restore white rule to North Carolina and Tennessee. Members virtually disappeared until 1915, when the group was revived. After WW I, the Ku Klux Klan became hostile to many other groups, specifically Jews and Socialists. During the 1920's membership soared to over 4,000,000 strong in the South. The imprisonment of the imperial wizard due to second degree murder led to a huge decrease in membership. The Klan was disbanded again in 1944.
Ku Klux Klan article: http://www.dailysquib.co.uk/most-popular/1227-ku-klux-klan-endorses-obama.htmlhttp://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAkkk.htmhttp://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/kkk.htm
http://www.stophate.us/racism/racismcause.html
http://www.bookrags.com/wiki/The_White_Man's_Burden
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/x/xenophobia/symptoms.htm
In other words, racism is simply hatred and violence directed towards humans of a different race. Modern racism is predominantly caused by ignorance and xenophobia, or the fear of different peoples. Xenophobia has all the other symptoms of a phobia, or an irrational fear. People suffering from it are plagued with anxiety, feelings of panic and dread, and increased heart rate. These symptoms are onset by foreign or strange things, a main one being people of different races.
Racism is evident throughout history. Many infamous examples include the Holocaust, the slave trade, and the colonization of Africa. The Holocaust may be one of the most extreme examples of racism. Hitler drove Germany to believe that the aryan people are superior. In time, this led to the creation of concentration and death camps and the deaths of millions. The fight for ending slavery in America split the United States into two during the 1880's. Ultimately, the North won and slavery was abolished, but before then it was the norm to own a slave. People were taken from their homelands and sent to distant lands, being forced to work. During the late 19th century, the colonizing of Africa led to racism and the belief that Europeans were superior to the native Africans. These lands were being exploited for the natural resources, and for the abundant labor that was available. Kipling's poem "White Man's Burden" shows a pro European viewpoint. Within the seven stanzas he writes that western civilization is superior and must exert its influence upon developing countries. During this time period, it helped justify the imperialistic policy utilized by many governments. Europeans had to take it upon themselves to help civilize the rest of the world, starting with Africa.
One example of modern racism is the immigration laws regarding Mexico. The American government is attempting to limit the amount of Mexicans that can legally cross into the United States. Many still cross illegally, however. There are currently around 3 million undocumented Mexican immigrants within the states. They are mainly located in the Southwest, a good portion of them in California. Anti-Mexican sentiment is bound to form from American citizens in these states for they are illegally living in their country. With the economy the way it is, there simply aren't enough jobs to go around. With this amount of non-Americans fighting for the limited amount of openings, there is a lot of competition. Illegal immigrants can also be exploited by their bosses who can create terrible working conditions and offer low pay. They also remain off the books so no taxation is required. This pushes certain employers to favor the immigrant workers over American citizens, causing anger and hatred. Although currently lacking support, in its prime the Ku Klux Klan was a terrible organization focused on terrorizing African Americans in America. Racism may be ending within this group in modern times. According to an article, the imperial wizard of the Ku Klux Klan in Kentucky supported Barrack Obama in his campaign for presidency. This is the first time in history that any Klan member has supported a candidate of African descent, and this seems like a small start for the racism to end within the Klan. The Klan was formed shortly after the Confederacy's defeat in the American Civil War when a group of disgruntled veterans formed a social group. This group started off quite innocent, but its motives changed as the fear of a slave insurrection arose. To many, the name KKK instilled fear and the white sheets were a sign of their terror. A main goal of Klan members was to terrorize any African Americans, which was evident in their nightly raids. The Klan lost support and government laws were enforced to destroy the racist group. One effect the Klan did have was to restore white rule to North Carolina and Tennessee. Members virtually disappeared until 1915, when the group was revived. After WW I, the Ku Klux Klan became hostile to many other groups, specifically Jews and Socialists. During the 1920's membership soared to over 4,000,000 strong in the South. The imprisonment of the imperial wizard due to second degree murder led to a huge decrease in membership. The Klan was disbanded again in 1944.
Ku Klux Klan article: http://www.dailysquib.co.uk/most-popular/1227-ku-klux-klan-endorses-obama.htmlhttp://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAkkk.htmhttp://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/kkk.htm
http://www.stophate.us/racism/racismcause.html
http://www.bookrags.com/wiki/The_White_Man's_Burden
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/x/xenophobia/symptoms.htm
