Reflective Essay Example: Racial Discrimination

The Oxford dictionary defines racism as “Discrimination against or hostility towards other races”, But there’s so much more to Racism than a textbook definition. At some point in our life, we all must have heard of what the term means but that would just be a general idea. Years of history and Present-day protests, that are still ongoing, and much more that is unheard of when it comes to Racism. I had sent out Google forms links to people around the world and after getting 10 responses, I have gathered their views and presented it in this report.

Racism is prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism by an individual, community, or institution against a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized. It includes all forms of Violence and Non-Violence that is in opposition to a certain community. When I asked people about how they would define racism most said it is discrimination against different races and skin colour and some mentioned how physical appearance plays a big role in it too.

If seen generally then treating a particular race differently seems going too far but when we find out it’s a normal thing in most countries that’s when we realise that things are serious. Such behaviour usually rises from hate and disgust for the community, sometimes due to trauma from the past or just lack of moral values. Sometimes it’s because that’s what people might be taught as kids by their parents. As their only source of learning the ways of society, children learn the way their parents behave towards other communities and act upon it in the future. This demeanour has been passed on from generations to generations but where did it all begin. 

Racism has spread, changed forms, and was personified in our world in multiple forms. In the past,  Racism included explicit harm - slavery, segregation, and more - as well as implicit harm - stereotypes, representation, and more. As time goes on people did realise their mistreatment and fought for it which are now known as “movements”.  When people of different ages were asked if whether racism is more prevalent in the past or the present 6 out of the 10 said past. A few argued saying that Racism had an abnormal growth in the present due to COVID – 19 against Asians. 

“BLACK LIVES MATTER” Movement and “STOP ASIAN HATE” were two of the recent movements that although mainly started in USA, spread to the world, and brought awareness about racism against the Black and Asian communities respectively. The protests mainly began in in 2020-2021 and some of which are still ongoing in some streets of America. Clips, videos, and news of violent acts towards these communities started going viral on social media and soon to broadcasting media where it became a serious topic of discussion. These protests were talked about all around the world and till this date people are praying for the lives lost. 

I asked my interviewees if they were aware about these protests and what they think about it and most although unaware about the details, felt a deep sense of sympathy for the community. One of the interviewees was an active member on social media during the peak of the BLM movement and she mentioned how upset she was seeing how the black community was treated. Most agreed that these movements were necessary to bring Racism against different communities to the forefront of global discussion. 

I asked the interviewees about if they had ever experienced racism. Some said that although they particularly hadn’t been discriminated they had seen people say negative things about their communities and culture. While some had been specifically targeted for being from a different nation. Many mentioned that they hadn’t been discriminated because they lived in a country where their own kind was majority.

As time goes on people around the world are more connected through the internet. People who have been racially discriminated speak up about their side of the situation and show why it is so morally wrong to be outing someone just because they look different. Through the interview It was found that 9/10 people agreed that the future generation will be more educated and accepting to all communities. 

Racism is not a disorder or something that can be cured. It going to keep either spreading or decreasing. My interviewees were asked can racism ever end and although they all agreed that it can be decreased it would never end. I further asked them how they think Racism can be controlled and some said there are ways such as going to protests and starting awareness campaigns to teach people to be more accepting. 

Racism as a whole has come to the light as a serious issue in the recent times. People are mistreated just because they look different or have a different skin colour even when they aren’t even at fault. People for their own unknown reasons allow such acts and it keeps becoming a normal way to behave. The past holds various instances of racial discrimination, and the Present is no different where people are still fighting for equal rights. The future has hopes of changing, being a better place perhaps. But would hope be enough? Racism is something that may not find an end but if all goes well maybe we could live in a society where we are all treated equally like Humans and not by what we look like.