Identify

by Ronnie Dauber

Created on: September 15, 2008

As integrated as people try to appear in their multi-cultural societies, many of them still use racial profiling as identification and discrimination. They may not admit to racism, but if you present incidents or events to them, their answers will prove otherwise.

Profiling is a subconscious categorization that some use for identification in many every day events. When they hear rap music being played, for example, what is the first thing that comes to mind about the singers? They must be African-American. There is little thought given to the fact that they could be a singer or group of singers from any other nationality. There are, in fact, many Caucasian rap artists who also share the credits for great rap music.

When some people think of a pizza parlour, their imagination go to a group of Italian chefs covered in flour who are behind the counter preparing their meal. And yet, many of them are any nationality but Italian. In fact, as far as food restaurants go, probably the only one that holds true to its culture is the Chinese Food restaurant.

They assume that basketball players are African-American because they are tall, or that marathon runners are African-American because they have long legs. Some people think all Chinese people eat only rice because their country exports it, and that nationalities born and raised in specific locations are bound to be poor.

So, it seems that some people tend to identify cultures with specific events or situations. And even though they know people of certain cultures who are extremely successful business and career people, their minds still revert back to what we have been taught.

Many people inevitably fall into the pattern of discrimination giving blame and fault to specific cultures. When they see a group of Caucasian kids walking down the street making noise and laughing, they think nothing of it. But when they see a group of kids from other specific cultures doing the same thing, they assume it's a gang to be feared.

Some cultures are immediately linked to criminal actions such as robberies or vandalism, so if there is a question of guilt, they are the first ones accused. And with these cultures, they often have to prove themselves innocent rather than be given the right to remain innocent until proven guilty.

What discrimination does is take the blame away from specific individuals and places it on groups of people that we allege are guilty simply because of their nationality.

Discrimination has divided schools into cultures and communities into sub-communities. The law says that there is no difference between nationalities, but the actions show differently. The only respect that some people get is the discriminating title they are given.

Discrimination separates the nation from becoming powerful and prosperous because it divides the people into segregated groups where they judge one another. So, if we don't want the issues that come with our discriminating accusations, then we need to stop judging and condemning people for simply not being like us.

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