Racial Discrimination In America

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Affirmative action has become one of the most heated areas of debate in both social and political circles all across the country, as we discuss in our racial discrimination in America research papers. While supporters of the movement argue that affirmative action is needed to prevent racial discrimination in the workplace and beyond, opponents argue that affirmative action induces a state of reverse discrimination that invariably becomes a detriment to everyone. At the heart of this debate is the issue of racial discrimination: Does it truly exist in modern America? Personal opinion aside, one only needs to consider statistical data to determine if racial discrimination is truly alive and well in American society.

Invariably racial discrimination stretches far beyond a black versus white issue. One author notes that when it comes to discrimination, many Whites also feel threatened by Chinese. In a telephone poll conducted by the Chinese-Language Daily, researchers found that 95 percent of respondents claimed that "some Caucasians have racial prejudice against Chinese". The phone poll further revealed that 60 percent of all respondents had actually been discriminated against while 57 percent admitted that they too had discriminated against other races.

Further considering the disparities among races in America, one author examines the overall trends in employment and wage earnings, to effectively demonstrate the racial inequalities. This author found the following:

1. The black unemployment rate continues to hover at twice that among whites;
2. The median annual income for black males working full time is 30 percent less than for white males and;
3. The overall poverty rate for whites is one third of that for blacks: 11.6 versus 33.3 percent.

Although many may argue that racial discrimination is not a problem in American society, the reality is that statistics do not lie. According to the information presented in this research paper, there is probably more racial discrimination in America than politicians and average citizens can currently handle.

Racial discrimination has been at the forefront of discrimination battles in American law and society for decades, if not longer. The conflict is not confined to discrimination against minorities such as African Americans or Hispanics, but also involves Caucasian charges of reverse discrimination in heated topics such as Affirmative Action. Lately, persons of Arabic decent have become victims of discrimination as a result of the on-going terrorist wars. What perpetuates the issue, to a degree, is that there are two sides involved with each pointing fingers of accusation at the other. Laws are passed addressing many of the ills of American racial discrimination but the cure is not to be found in courts alone. With each new generation of American youth, the old generation imparts some of their prejudiced views. Schools need to work harder at exposing children of all races to the other races in America. To an extent, the entertainment industry must take on a more responsible role in not stereotyping whites, blacks, and other groups. When the fear of the other race departs, anger and hate leave with it and understanding sets in. At the same time, laws need to enforce a zero tolerance code for all forms of racial discrimination.

Discrimination based upon one's gender is also an ongoing problem in America. On one side of the issue stands the hard-line feminist; on the other side stands what the feminist perceives as the yet dominant male population. The arenas for these charges range from job discrimination in the Armed Forces to America's churches. The cure for this problem is simple; if the person can satisfactorily perform all aspects of a given job, that person should be equally considered for employment as any other applicant - regardless of gender. Laws should be passed to enforce this code of impartiality. At the same time, privately funded organizations should retain the right to run their affairs as they see fit. Both chauvinist and militant feminist alike should be exposed to sensitivity training at the work place or school.

Finally, America has reached a unique place in time where a majority of its citizens are gray or graying. Age discrimination often gets swept under the rug in the face of the perceived larger issues of race and gender discrimination. For example, should a high school hire a twenty-two year old female over a sixty year old man with the same qualifications for the same teaching position? Though the sixty-year-old undoubtedly carries a wealth of experience and maturity, the odds are that in the majority of cases, the twenty-two year old would be hired. To solve this on-going problem, courts such as the Supreme Court, should take on more cases of age discrimination and make an example of them in order to send a message violators and perpetrators should expect heavy legal consequences. These are only three types of social discrimination. In each there are factors of two opposing sides and government intervention. However, the cure for each resides in changing the way all individuals perceive Americans of differing races, gender, or age. The ultimate answer to discrimination rests in the individual, parents, the mass media, and schools.