The Causes Of Racism

Racism is an ongoing issue throughout history, defined by the unfair treatment of individuals and groups, especially minority groups, leading to inequality of opportunities, resources and health (Paradies & Cunningham, 2012). The most common way racism is expressed is through the use of stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice due to one’s race, ethnicity or culture (Paradies & Cunningham, 2012; Kassin, Fein, Markus, McBain, & Williams, 2015). Racism is not just something that occurs at an individual level, where racism is directed at your person, or it can occur at a cultural and institutional level where majority groups are more privileged than the minority groups in many aspects of life, including socio-economic status, health and education …show more content…
For a self-fulfilling prophecy to occur, three events must take place (Madon, Willard, Guyll, & Scherr, 2011; Kassin, Fein, Markus, McBain, & Williams, 2015). First, an individual or perceiver, must hold false beliefs about a targeted individual and treat them in a manner that matches such beliefs and finally, the targeted individual must respond to the treatment from the perceiver, therefore reinforcing the legitimacy of the original false belief (Madon, Willard, Guyll, & Scherr, 2011; Kassin, Fein, Markus, McBain, & Williams, 2015). By influencing the targeted individual’s actions, the perceiver is causing the target to perpetuate the false beliefs, therefore leading to the self-fulfilling prophecy (Madon, Willard, Guyll, & Scherr, 2011). There are many negatives beliefs regarding Indigenous Australians at both a personal level and an institutional level. At a personal level, some studies show that some non-Indigenous people believe that Indigenous Australians drink more, receive more benefits for less and even outrageously that they are less hygienic, akin to animals in the sense of hygiene (Pedersen, Clarke, Dudgeon, & Griffiths, 2005). At and institutional level, some government policies that are in place, such as The Northern Territory Intervention and the banning of alcohol in some Indigenous …show more content…
From the time of colonisation, to current times, Indigenous Australians are still suffering from oppression and being dominated by the white society. They often miss out on receiving the opportunities and resources that are readily available to others, leading to health issues, especially mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and suicidal behaviours. Prejudice and discrimination is still heavily ingrained in our society by the likes of social domination, social identity, social categorisation and in-group favouritism. The only hope of overcoming these issues is education around the false beliefs to help make the dominant white Australia more accepting towards Indigenous Australian’s to decrease the psychological issues caused by discrimination and prejudice. This is the only way we can begin to bridge the gap between non-Indigenous and Indigenous Australians and create a more prosperous nation with equal opportunity for