Racism and how it is displayed Nelson Mandela, a wise public rights speaker once said, “Racism is a blight on the human conscience. The idea that any people can be inferior to another, to the point where those who consider themselves superior define and treat the rest as subhuman.” Racism is also the act of judging individuals based on their race. Certain races are thought to be superior or inferior to others. It is described as hate of one individual or group towards another due to their skin color, language, dialect and ect. In Nic Stone’s Dear Martin, it becomes clear that racism was portrayed. Justyce faces racism. He faces racism by the police system, his everyday life and by the court system.
In the first chapter, Justyce faces racism
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‘How are we assholes?’
Manny leans over the center console to shout out Jus’s window: ‘What’d you say, sir? I couldn’t hear you over the music!’
This guy looks like he’s about to ignite. ‘I SAID TURN THAT SHIT DOWN!’
‘You weren’t lying about him being red!’ Manny laughs (Stone, 118). after circulating words, the white man yells: ‘YOU WORTHLESS NIGGER SONS OF BITCHES!’ (Stone, 118).
This white man called them worthless and assumed they were rogues just because of loud music. He did not even ask Justyce and Manny politely, instead he started off with dirty looks. This demonstrates his belief that people of color do not deserve the same respect as everyone else. He also refers to them as "niggers"(Stone, 118). He displays his lack of intelligence and maturity by choosing such a sensitive word. The misuse of this word demonstrates racism and a lack of respect for black people. Things worsen just when you believe they can't get much worse:
‘I know that muthafucka didn’t just say what I think he did,’ Manny says.
Jus’s heart jumps up between his ears.
What would Martin do what would Martin do what would Martin—?
‘Forget that guy, Manny. Let’s just calm—’
‘Naw, man. Screw that.’ Manny leans over
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They were just listening to music, yet this white man could not take it. This demonstrates to the reader that racial injustices continue to victimize black people despite their best efforts. Justyce and Manny made an effort to behave well, but this white man did not see them as genuine beings. In conclusion, this shows us how Justyce deals with prejudice on a regular basis. He was going about his day not thinking anything of it but ended up getting traumatized. For black people, racism is not only exposed at workplaces, schools, and other public spaces. It is exposed everywhere. They are surrounded by both good and evil and they never know which type they encounter that day. This gets portrayed with Justyce's experience that
Racism is portrayed as a pervasive and deeply rooted problem in the movie. Specific examples of racism include the police officer's assumption that Khalil was dangerous solely based on his race, the media's biased portrayal of the incident, and the systemic racism within the criminal justice system. These instances highlight the unequal treatment and stereotypes faced by people of color. For teaching and learning, the film provides a platform for discussions on racial bias, prejudice, and the need for societal change.
Racism is one of the main subthemes that is evident throughout the book. The treatment of the African American race showed how the White race felt about the African Americans. The Whites were afraid their “blackness” would rub off on them. An example of this behavior in the book was when Hilly says, “ It’s just plain dangerous. Everybody knows they carry different kinds of diseases than we do” (Stockett,10).
In the story, one will read about his conflict with his employer Major de Spain. When the father showed up to the man’s house wanting to talk to him, a nicely dressed black man who also worked for Major de Spain opened the door. He told the father, “Wipe yo foots, white ma, fo you come in here” (Faulkner 484). In reply, the father pushes past him, says “Get out of my way, nigger,” and wipes his feet on the very expensive carpet (Faulkner 484).The father might have done this because he did not like that a black man got to wear nicer clothes than him and got to work on the big house instead of the fields like him. The father would not take an order from a black man.
“The final performer, a faculty member, proceeded to regale the audience with a piece about growing up in the South, replete with references to his father dressing up in blackface and “Negros” all around, especially his beloved Mammy (White 162).” Artress White explains how the performance was in front of multiple students and teachers who came forward to apologize for their colleagues' behavior. This example is damaging to not only Dr. White, but to the students viewing these behaviors as well. Witnessing blunt racism by individuals who are supposed to be their educators is disgusting and creates a toxic environment for all involved. She goes on to say, “In fact I fear for students of color in the classes of these unsympathetic faculty because of their inability to exercise empathy beyond the terrain of their own racial subject positions.
“ Some people were terrific, but a lot of them, I didn’t know, seemed to have meanness in them. They were friendly and all that, but…” “They weren’t very nice African Americans.” (Crowe 228) When hiram gets home he realizes what has changed but, he doesn’t think very much about it he just wants to reflect on the good and positive things that
He had told his mother about what had happened that day and in response, she had beaten Wright to the point of a fever, telling him to never fight white people again and that the white people were “right” for harming him and he should express gratitude that they
Systemic racism through racial prejudice makes life dangerous for Black people through police brutality, living in dangerous neighbourhoods, and the lack of justice for black people in the legal system. First off, the story depicts how police brutality, caused by racial prejudice makes the lives of black people perilous when Officer Moore killed Jerome. Jerome’s demise was a result of racial prejudice because the police officer who killed him did it because he felt threatened by Jerome, who he prejudged as big and scary. When Officer Moore was asked in his preliminary hearing to describe Jerome, he said, “He was big, hulking. Scary.”
He wrote this piece to express his important opinion about the effect of racism and how he’s viewed as a man of color. He talks about his first encounter of racism when he was young man in college and was assumed to be a mugger or killer just because of skin. “It was in echo of that terrified woman’s footfalls that I first began to know the unwieldy inheritance I’d come into the ability to alter public space in ugly ways.” I feel that the author is trying to connect to his vast audience of people who don’t understand what it is like to a black man in society. Later he contemplated that he rejected or shunned by the white race collectively as a dangerous man.
While Justyce seems to be more educated and aware, Manny seemed to be more oblivious to his friend's racism, that is until the end of part 1. He seems to realize what he's been putting up with, snapping in the process, “I’m serious, Jus. Them fools don't wanna hear when they’re being offensive. They couldn't care less what it's like to live in our skin. Those assholes aren't my damn friends” (Stone 83).
They were just cruising. But then in the rear-view mirror, we saw them make a U-turn, and we knew they were going to flash us to stop. They had spotted us in passing, as negroes and they knew that negroes had no business in the area at that hour. It was a close situation. There was a lot of robbery going on; we weren’t the only gang working, we knew, not by any means.
Brent Staples “ Just Walk on By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space” and Richard Rodriguez comparing the similarities and differences of Staples and Rodriguez 's article. Racism is a very difficult and confusing problem to deal at a very young age that can affect one 's mentality and perceptions of oneself then and later on. ,both Staples and Rodriguez had experienced racism for a very long time having firsthand experience of racism at young ages, such young ages in fact that it left a mark on each of them as they begin to realize at vulnerable times of their life what life is like being black or having dark skin. For example, Staples discovered this at the age of twelve as a white women saw fearing for her life. Rodriguez’s first experience of racism was at the age of 7 told by his mother to put a towel over his shoulder to cover some of his dark skin.
Throughout his essay, Staples is able to make the audience understand what he has to deal with as a black man. Staples does this by using words and phrases such as, “...her flight made me feel like an accomplice in tyranny” and “... I was indistinguishable from the muggers who occasionally seeped into the area…” (542). By writing and describing how he (Staples) feels, the audience is able to get an inside look into how black men are treated and better understand why society’s teachings, play a vital role in how we see each other. Staples’ powerful writing also allows the reader to take a step back and see how as a society, people make judgements on others based on appearance alone.
He also speaks in a way that he does not value, who it is that he kills, as long as it is a white person, then he is making a change in the black
“I had a series of petty jobs for short periods, quitting some to work elsewhere, being driven off others because of my attitude, my speech, the look in my eyes” (Wright 182). Richard is at first confused why he is being fired, but as it happens more and more he learns the smallest actions can infuriate white people. Richard struggles to accept these features that are deemed unacceptable and adjusts his behavior in the presence of whites. “What I had heard
The story represents the culmination of Wright’s passionate desire to observe and reflect upon the racist world around him. Racism is so insidious that it prevents Richard from interacting normally, even with the whites who do treat him with a semblance of respect or with fellow blacks. For Richard, the true problem of racism is not simply that it exists, but that its roots in American culture are so deep it is doubtful whether these roots can be destroyed without destroying the culture itself. “It might have been that my tardiness in learning to sense white people as "white" people came from the fact that many of my relatives were "white"-looking people. My grandmother, who was white as any "white" person, had never looked "white" to me” (Wright 23).