Racism And The American Dream

What is the American Dream? Many Americans believe the American Dream is the idea that every citizen in the US are equal and have equal opportunity to obtain success through hard work. Even if an individual was raised in poverty, he has an equal opportunity to achieve greatness as someone who was born into money. Because of the idea of the American Dream, many Americans are quick to judge lower class individuals as “lazy” for not trying hard enough and believe that everyone place in society is due to the amount of effort. However, how much of the American Dream is true? There are others who would disagree with the notion of the American Dream and believe an individual has more opportunities than others depending on their race, ethnicity, …show more content…
In the article “Racism”, Feagin states, “In recent survey, black and white Americans still differ dramatically in how they view discrimination (2000, 351). Many want to believe that in America, discrimination is not a problem and believe black Americans are asking for illegitimate demands and their problems are due to a lack of motivation. In a sociological perspective, that is not the case. Feagin also found that most white Americans believe racism was demolished after the end of legal segregation and the start of civil rights. They also justify themselves as not racist by comparing themselves to KKK clan or claiming other whites are racist, but don’t consider themselves as …show more content…
At first many black professors were reluctant to say that “race does matter”, but admitted that they face problems a white professor would not have to concern themselves with. “For African American, however, their racial status is inconsistent with their faculty status; therefore they may find themselves doing ‘tiring identity work’” (2000, 366). Later research also suggested that black professors were questioned on their qualifications and credibility by the students. Many of their students went as far as to ask a different professor before they could believe the credibility of the black professor. Harlow also surveyed white professors to compare it to black professors and found that many of the white professor never thought about having to prove themselves to their students nor were they questioned for their qualifications and credibility. Many individuals believe that being white means bring privileged, privileged does not necessarily mean a person doesn’t face struggles, but a person who does not face the same struggles as a person who lacks