![]() ![]() I found new appreciation for the variety of life that surrounded me. It was through these relations that I began to understand that those who differed in appearance from me really weren’t all that different. Through the international schooling system I was fortunate enough to learn about others and their cultures on a personal level. Growing up overseas enabled me to interact with people from different backgrounds my entire life. It is with this type of education that the youth will become more susceptible to understanding and eventually accepting people of difference races. ![]() Children who are fortunate to enjoy “white privilege” need to learn about what it is like on the other side of the spectrum. This includes the integration of the sometimes-sad truth without just relying on cookie-cutter facts. This education relies on a more personal and progressive curriculum. This type of education entails not just educating the youth about multi-racial history, but on society’s paradigms and what it means to be someone of color living in today’s America. What I am proposing is education of the soul. When discussing education, I am not proposing that primary schools stress the importance of historical events such as the Emancipation Proclamation or the 13 th amendment. Goldberg believed that if we educated the public, this ignorant behavior would cease to exist. Irrational behavior can be eradicated through the process of learning through education. He believed, much like what I am proposing, that racism is irrational. David Theo Goldberg strongly advocated this theory. They are believed and acted upon not always with a negative mindset, but mostly because the majority of people don’t know any better. These mostly subconscious preconceived notions are disadvantages many Americans are plagued with today. It thrives on the stereotypical comments and constructs we form in our heads when interacting with someone who differs from us. That being said, education, in my opinion, will create a less ignorant and understanding society in the realm of race. So why shouldn’t education be used to establish a less racially discriminant environment today? I believe that although education might hinder blatant acts of racism, nothing will truly eradicate it from our society wholly. Famous philosophers from Plato to Burke, from Dewey to Kant all believed that a strong foundation of education was the key to creating and sustaining a thriving society. It is widely believed that education will solve all our problems. It is with this definition in mind that I start my argument. In other words, I will argue that racism, in its common implication, is only truly racist when actions are taken due to these differences with malicious intent. However, it has been formulated in my mind that racism is when these variations are recognized and further stereotypes begin to form that this acknowledgement becomes racist. He poses Brazil as an example, stating that racism is a subdued phenomenon due to the “color-blindness” of the population. Park argues this concept in his piece, The Nature of Race Relations. Just based on someone’s appearance whether it is their skin, their accent, or any other physical feature, we are programmed to categorize people and notice these variations of the human race. One may argue that it is simply just the recognition of a distinction between people, which constitutes racism. In a sense, racism will never truly be eradicated from our world because from the day we are born we notice differences. Education, to an extent, will help eradicate some forms of racism and create a more understanding and susceptibly equal society. How do we stop such a timeless phenomenon? My answer is education. These are only a few examples of the extensive list. Author Michelle Alexander, in The New Jim Crow, argues that racism has shifted from overt forms to covert methods (due to racism being stigmatized) and now lurks deep within the justice system. These tensions can be seen everyday in the papers through police force violence against minorities (Chicago), the heated debates on immigration control and the obvious segregation of urban neighborhoods in large cities. Racism runs rampant through urban and suburban streets alike, causing racial tensions to flare and many to question how far we have really come from the days of slavery. Yes, we have come some ways as a society, but still, look around. Interracial marriage is legal we have an African-American president, and don’t forget the American dream-the belief that anyone, no matter what color they are, can be anything they achieve. ![]() We like to believe that racism is a thing of the past, that we are the leading example for the world. ![]() Americans like to believe in the virtue and purity of this country. We as an American society love to play pretend. Today, many believe that racism has been eradicated throughout the corners of our modern world-this is far from the truth. ![]()
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