The question is, “Is Racism permanent?” To respond to this question I will address the comments Derek Bell made in his article, “Faces at the Bottom of the Well,” and concurrently discuss the comments Peggy Macintosh made in her article, “White Privilege.” The two authors offered, prodigiously, out-of-the-box comments. Yet, neither authors’ arguments were remarkable or came as no surprise to any Americans, either black or white. Regarding Bell’s comments, regretfully, every black person knows, there is always a “Bell” in their midst, to be dealt with. Accordingly, Bell stated his stance as: Racism for Black Americans is permanent, and everyone knows that. Anyone who says otherwise is fooling themself. Macintosh, on a similar hand, stance
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I agree with Bell in that, Racism is permanent. I disagree with him in the effect of racism, which is discrimination, which is “not” permanent. Moreover, Bell’s argument did not differentiation between the two. Racism is hatred. Discrimination is the act of racism. Bell spoke as if one and the other are the same. They are not. For that reason, White racists will always hate black people and they will always dwell in the United States. Therefore racism is permanent, but the longevity of discrimination has its limit. Though, oftentimes the resolutions to discriminatory acts are postponed and unforeseen for decades, and sometimes for centuries, as was with the discriminatory act of slavery, for example. However, if the preceding were not true, and the longevity of discrimination was limitless, then black people would still be in slavery; be lynched; not be able to vote; and not have access to a decent education, just to name a few discriminatory acts that no longer exist. Therefore, if those acts had time limits on them, are there any reasons why all discriminatory acts wouldn’t, as well, have time limits stamped across their foul existences. Wouldn’t they, too, come to an end in their own determined and maybe even, per-determined …show more content…
They have been emancipation for about 150 years? Of that 150 years, only about 50 years, and probably less, not more, can it be said that black people, as a whole, were offered any real leeway to acquire a decent education. From these facts, how can it be, even, imagined that black people should have climbed out of the 400-year-phenomenal-hold-of-slavery, after having gone from that hold and directly into suffering inconceivable discriminatory acts toward them, which are still running rampant today, and then be expected, by now, to be living in prosperity? Whites knew, without an education, black people would not be able to eradicate the dire dilemma slavery had put them in, thus, that was the sole reason that necessity was unanimously withheld from blacks for almost their entire existence in the United States. It was not until 1968 when the doors were swung open and school segregation was determined unlawful in “all schools” across the United States (tolerance.org) did black have, at least, a chance to get an education. Hence, if Macintosh wanted to ponder what her white skin gave to her that really mattered to blacks, she should have pondered the White Privilege of education and of the lack thereof for blacks. All the other privileges Macintosh mentioned are so well and good, but the black race, as a whole, without sufficient education, as the news reporters broadcast almost daily, is a terrible,
I agree with Bell in that, Racism is permanent. I disagree with him in the effect of racism, which is discrimination, which is “not” permanent. Moreover, Bell’s argument did not differentiation between the two. Racism is hatred. Discrimination is the act of racism. Bell spoke as if one and the other are the same. They are not. For that reason, White racists will always hate black people and they will always dwell in the United States. Therefore racism is permanent, but the longevity of discrimination has its limit. Though, oftentimes the resolutions to discriminatory acts are postponed and unforeseen for decades, and sometimes for centuries, as was with the discriminatory act of slavery, for example. However, if the preceding were not true, and the longevity of discrimination was limitless, then black people would still be in slavery; be lynched; not be able to vote; and not have access to a decent education, just to name a few discriminatory acts that no longer exist. Therefore, if those acts had time limits on them, are there any reasons why all discriminatory acts wouldn’t, as well, have time limits stamped across their foul existences. Wouldn’t they, too, come to an end in their own determined and maybe even, per-determined …show more content…
They have been emancipation for about 150 years? Of that 150 years, only about 50 years, and probably less, not more, can it be said that black people, as a whole, were offered any real leeway to acquire a decent education. From these facts, how can it be, even, imagined that black people should have climbed out of the 400-year-phenomenal-hold-of-slavery, after having gone from that hold and directly into suffering inconceivable discriminatory acts toward them, which are still running rampant today, and then be expected, by now, to be living in prosperity? Whites knew, without an education, black people would not be able to eradicate the dire dilemma slavery had put them in, thus, that was the sole reason that necessity was unanimously withheld from blacks for almost their entire existence in the United States. It was not until 1968 when the doors were swung open and school segregation was determined unlawful in “all schools” across the United States (tolerance.org) did black have, at least, a chance to get an education. Hence, if Macintosh wanted to ponder what her white skin gave to her that really mattered to blacks, she should have pondered the White Privilege of education and of the lack thereof for blacks. All the other privileges Macintosh mentioned are so well and good, but the black race, as a whole, without sufficient education, as the news reporters broadcast almost daily, is a terrible,