Racism in Modern Society

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Name: Lucy Nginya Institution: Instructor: Date: 16th November 2010 Racism in Modern Society Racism is an individual’s prejudicial attitude and discriminatory behavior towards a certain race. It can also mean institutional practices which are motivated by prejudice that subordinate a certain race of people (Derek, 2007). Subtle prejudice is a behavior of rejecting minorities and exaggerating ethnic differences for supposed racial reasons and feeling less affection and admiration for minorities. Therefore, modern racism can be defined as a subtle form of prejudice. The rationale for this definition is that though some overt racism forms are on the decline, other forms of racism are emerging and are more conscious through self exploration and education (Derek, 2007). There is an evolution of the modern racism where it has moved from traditional aggressive prejudicial behavior to a more subtle form. This behavior is not apparent unless in more severe situations. Even if companies promise equal opportunities for all races, there is no doubt that racism still occurs. A modern and subtle form of racism is believed to be creating an image that is politically correct. This is what makes discrimination to be perceived as a “polite” form of racism. Previously, it was easier to define and institutionalize racism (Sherman, 2000). A school of thoughts holds that modern racism maintains prejudiced attitudes even though is acts without apparent prejudice. This is because prejudice has become more subtle. Unlike in traditional systems, in modern society, people conceal their prejudice to avoid the term “racist”. However, when there is a favorable environment, the concealed prejudice is expressed (Neil, 2008). For instance, most American parents are not for the idea of School desegregation, but on the contrary they oppose the idea of busing their
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