Racism Is Socially Learned Essay

The historical origins of racism are often debated today. There are two main bases upon which its origins are debated. While some debate that racism has a biological basis, others argue that it has a social basis. In other words, there is an argument of whether it is a trait that is characterized from our genes or is it something that is socially learned. Firstly, I must say the idea of racism having a biological basis is absolutely ludicrous as throughout history, there has been little evidence supporting this claim. Hence, my stance in this argument is clear-cut. From my observances and readings, I take a strong stance supporting the notion that racism is something that is socially learned and nothing more. In supporting this notion, I will first address the term “racism,”

The simple answer to this is that its ideologies are passed down from one generation to the next, hence it being a social construct. The abstract by Leith Mullings supports this theory by saying “racism is maintained and perpetuated by both coercion and consent.” An example where we see how coercion is used to perpetuate racism is in the Chilean film “Machuca.” In the film, we see how racial inequalities such as in wealth and class have become very prevalent in Latin America. One of the protagonists, Gonzalo Infante, is a privileged Chilean boy attending a private school. He is forced to bully one of the new students Pedro Machuca, who is one of the darker kids from the lower class, but refuses to do so. It is worth noting that Infante’s mother supports the notion of racial segregation while his father supports the policies of racial equality. In saying this, this leaves us to question the notions of racism being constructed on biological