The history
of immigrants in the United States is one that many Americans know little
about. This seems rather surprising, considering almost every single person in
the United States, with a few exceptions is the product of immigrants coming
across the respective oceans. Along with the initiation of the immigration of
the different groups from Asia making their way to the United States also came
a whole new set of values, morals, religions, and ways of thinking. As a
society that had been dominated by white culture for its entire existence, this
new wave of peoples brought enormous amounts of change. Now, change is not a
bad thing in most cases. In fact, change is often the instigating factor in
learning, and change is what can help to motivate all kinds of things to
happen. However, for many of the white Americans during the early days of Asian
immigration seemed to believe that change was a horrible thing, and it was this
change that seemed to bring racism into the spotlight in California and
throughout the West Coast.
In class we
have discussed how racism is ordinary; everyone is a little bit racist and
racism is something that will be tough to completely do away with. So, in
thinking of this, I thought of a question. If Americans had been exposed to a
mix of cultures earlier on in the founding of the nation, would racism still be
an issue? It seems that as groups become exposed to new things, they become
more excepting of them as time passes. An understanding develops within the
group and the “new” ideas no longer seem new, but part of life. It seems that
this same idea would be prevalent in the world regarding racism. America has
become today one of the most accepting nations in the world, with people
hailing from all parts of life, who practice all different kinds of religions,
and who expose other Americans to all types of fresh ideas. Yet, racism seems
to remain. It permeates culture through subtle ways, like stereotyping in television,
advertising, and music, and as we have learned, remains an everyday part of
life. Because of this, I have begun to wonder, does racism really need to be a
part of everyday life, or does it live on because of human nature? Until a
decrease in racism throughout our society is noticed, it seems the answer to
this question will remain unknown.
Zach, I have been thinking about this as well. I honestly think racism will not be going away anytime soon. In all of human history, not just the US’s, racism has happened. It is almost like we need an enemy to satisfy a part of ourselves. Maybe you are right that it is a part of human nature. Or maybe it is something else.
ReplyDeleteI believe government is one of those groups that has no interest in eradicating racism. Economies have been driven up during wartimes- heck this is how Hitler came into power by causing a war state and bringing the Germans out of a depression. When we have an enemy the government also has power. I believe that is the reason why we really started the War on Terror and began to racialize Middle Eastern Americans. In our readings in Takaki, much of the racism started out of fear- fear the Chinese will take our jobs; fear the Filipinos will take out women; fear that the Japanese are plotting against us. All of this gave the government power to treat people inhumanely.
Even with the way America is transforming into a society which is no longer dominated by Whites, racism is likely to live on. We will find new groups to target whether as an action to control people or because it is programmed into our beings. We are the result of our cultures- reflecting back what others give out.
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ReplyDeleteI’ve also been thinking about this as well. I don’t think racism will go away – I think it is part of our human nature. Last semester I took Education Psychology and we learned about Lawrence Kohlberg’s theory of moral development. Though it is made to measure how individuals develop, I think Kohlberg’s theory could possibly how society might tend to develop a moral consciousness as well. Here’s the theory:
ReplyDelete1. Pre-Conventional
The first stage of moral reasoning is used mostly by children, meaning this is the way we are naturally wired and geared this way. Children’s actions are influenced heavily by two things: avoiding punishment and personal interest. If there is a punishment they will act in a way to avoid it, regardless of whether it is right or wrong. Children will also ask question like: “what’s in it for me” and act in their own best interests, again disregarding whether the action is considered right or wrong.
2. Conventional
The second stage is mostly attributed to adolescents. Here people’s actions are affected largely by social norms and laws in society. In the early part of this stage there is the “good boy/nice girl” attitude – if people are nice it means they are good. Furthermore laws, regulations and social norms become ultimate because they are important in maintaining society. “The Law is the Law”! (“Paper Angels” 37)
3. Post-Conventional
This is the most dynamic and mature stage of moral reasoning. Not everyone gets here. In this stage, people realize that laws are not the ultimate end-all-be-all, but individual rights and justice matters. If a law defies universal ethical principles, like our Constitution’s unalienable rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” then the law can and should be broken.
I think these stages could be adapted the way society functions as it grows and matures. I think that, as Spencer said, that many immigrants have increased the diversity in America and have caused change in our society. Of course, this change has brought conflict, and I think this conflict is a result of our country being forced to wrestle with these new changes, new ideas, new cultures and as a result mature because of the multitude of races it encounters.
But have we arrived at our nation’s full development of moral consciousness? I don’t think so. Not fully, since there are still issues to be addressed and much room for growth. But we certainly have made significant progress since the late 1800’s when the first large waves of Asian American immigrants began arriving in America. I think that, although it might be impossible to completely eradicate racism, it is still well worth the effort to continue to develop a moral consciousness about race issues. Although perfection cannot be arrived at, must we be scorned for attempting to strive toward a better life?