Racism Today

Essay by Lance GreenA+, January 1996

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RACISM TODAY

'...Everybody jumped on him, beat the hell out of him... Everybody was

hitting him or kicking him. One guy was kicking at his spine. Another guy

hitting on the side of the face... He was unconscious. He was bleeding.

Everybody had blood on their forearms. We ran back up the hill laughing...

He should have died... He lost so much blood he turned white. He got

what he deserved' (Ridgeway 167.)

The skinheads who performed this random act of racial violence in 1990,

had no reason to brutally beat their victim other than the fact that he was

Mexican (Ridgeway 167). Racism is objectively defined as any practice of

ethnic discrimination or segregation. Fortunately, racial violence is

steadily declining as the turn of the century approaches. Now a new form

of racism, covert racism, has recently sprung from the pressures of

political correctness. This new form of racism, although slowly declining,

still shows signs of strong support (Piazza 86).

Covert racism assumes a

form of civil disobedience against politically correct thought and speech.

Essentially, covert racism is a 'hidden' racism, or a racism not easily

detected (Piazza 78). 'Racism is still strongly prevalent in today's

society' (Gudorf 3).

The three different basic forms of racism, open racism, violent racism,

and covert racism all express forms of hatred towards distinct ethnic

groups (Bender 47). These basic forms of racism, although different in

form, all have the same main purpose, to promote racism.

Open racism expresses freedom of racial thought and speech. Open racists

promote their views through strictly persuasionary tactics. This form of

racism is allowed in our society because of the First Amendment. Open

racism is currently almost nonexistent and steadily declining, because it

is considered politically incorrect and socially unacceptable.

Violent racism promotes racism through violence, fear,