Some people believe racism is not a problem anymore. This is not true. Despite a prevailing attitude that we live in a post-racial society in the United States, prejudice is pervasive and informs every aspect of our society. Racism, specifically anti-black sentiment, is not only alive in the present day, but heavily and disturbing prevalent. Post-racial societies don’t feature anti-blackness, deliberate appropriation of black culture, and rampant police brutality that is directed towards the black community. James Baldwin said, “to be Black and conscious in America is to be in a constant state of rage.” This is true. A post-racial society is “a highly structured system of human organization for large-scale community living that normally furnishes
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Race, traditionally, is “the concept of biological subspecies, or variety of a species, consisting of a more or less distinct population with anatomical traits that distinguish it clearly from other races.” (“Ethnicity and Race: Overview”) Race, however, “is not biologically real - it is socially and politically constructed via law, public policy and social practices.” (Fletcher, Heitzeg, and Wygal) A social construct is a “social mechanism, phenomenon, or category created and developed by society; a perception of an individual, group, or idea that is 'constructed ' through cultural or social practice” …show more content…
The New Black Theory, coined by musician Pharrell Williams in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, states that black people should not “blame other races for our issues.” (Parham) He goes on to say that “The New Black dreams and realises that it 's not pigmentation: it 's a mentality and it 's either going to work for you or it 's going to work against you. And you 've got to pick the side you 're going to be on." (Parham) Presumably, he means that black people need to stop playing the woe-is-me race card and start owning up to the ‘reality’ that we cause the majority of our own problems. This is ridiculously untrue because anti-blackness is a rigid institution built off the backs of the
Race, traditionally, is “the concept of biological subspecies, or variety of a species, consisting of a more or less distinct population with anatomical traits that distinguish it clearly from other races.” (“Ethnicity and Race: Overview”) Race, however, “is not biologically real - it is socially and politically constructed via law, public policy and social practices.” (Fletcher, Heitzeg, and Wygal) A social construct is a “social mechanism, phenomenon, or category created and developed by society; a perception of an individual, group, or idea that is 'constructed ' through cultural or social practice” …show more content…
The New Black Theory, coined by musician Pharrell Williams in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, states that black people should not “blame other races for our issues.” (Parham) He goes on to say that “The New Black dreams and realises that it 's not pigmentation: it 's a mentality and it 's either going to work for you or it 's going to work against you. And you 've got to pick the side you 're going to be on." (Parham) Presumably, he means that black people need to stop playing the woe-is-me race card and start owning up to the ‘reality’ that we cause the majority of our own problems. This is ridiculously untrue because anti-blackness is a rigid institution built off the backs of the