Racism: The Causes And Forms Of Racial Discrimination Throughout History

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Abraham Joshua Heschel once said “Racism is man 's gravest threat to man ­ the

maximum of hatred for a minimum of reason.” Racial discrimination has been prevalent

throughout history; it can take many forms, but all deals with unjustified prejudice against others

of a contrasting race or color. It can be mutual or one­sided, blunt or subtle, violent or verbal

(What Is Racism?, 2). Children in school are mocked, adults judged, or, in worse cases, entire

populations fall subject to a ruler’s genocidal wrath, such as Hitler and the Holocaust. Irrational

actions such as these lead to insecurities or injuries of those victimized, based on beliefs with no

valid reasoning. For many, racism indicates an issue between whites and blacks
…show more content…
People are naturally afraid and threatened by those who

are different from themselves; they feel security in who they are. Due to this pusillanimity, many

have been targeted and victimized, but not one ethnicity or culture is targeted solely. Emotional

distress and physical beatings have resulted from such cowardice, fear of diversity, and comfort

in uniformity. It is saddening when considering the struggles of those involved in civil rights,

trying to earn basic privileges revoked due to skin color or birthplace. Even more disheartening

are the people who continue to adopt this belief­ the exclusion of a certain group of people is not

innate, instead a learned behavior. Racial discrimination is not a topic with a black and white

definition; targeted races, oppressed races, and treatments of those victimized each vary.

People are quick to judge. When hardships are prominent, humans look for others to

blame, and it seems easier to pick a person or group of people to find guilty, generalizing

judgements for the group as a whole (Why Are People Racist?, 3). In addition, racism is a form

of asserting the superiority of one race over that of another; by doing this, one may not

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