Persuasive Essay VERY rough draft

            We are an ignorant society. Today, many believe that racism has been eradicated throughout the corners of our modern world—this is far from the truth. We as an American society love to play pretend. Americans like to believe in the virtue and purity of this country. We like to believe that racism is a thing of the past, that we are the leading example for the world. Interracial marriage is legal; we have an African-American president, and don’t forget the American dream—the belief that anyone, no matter what color they are, can be anything they achieve. Yes, we have come some ways as a society, but still, look around. Racism runs rampant through urban and suburban streets alike, causing racial tensions to flare and many to question how far we have really come from the days of slavery. These tensions can be seen everyday in the papers through police force violence against minorities (Chicago), the heated debates on immigration control and the obvious segregation of urban neighborhoods in large cities. Author Michelle Alexander, in The New Jim Crow, argues that racism has shifted from overt forms to covert methods (due to racism being stigmatized) and now lurks deep within the justice system. These are only a few examples of the extensive list. How do we stop such a timeless phenomenon? My answer is education. Education, to an extent, will help eradicate some forms of racism and create a more understanding and susceptibly equal society.

             In a sense, racism will never truly be eradicated from our world because from the day we are born we notice differences. One may argue that it is simply just the recognition of a distinction between people, which constitutes racism. Just based on someone’s appearance whether it is their skin, their accent, or any other physical feature, we are programmed to categorize people and notice these variations of the human race. Park argues this concept in his piece, The Nature of Race Relations. He poses Brazil as an example, stating that racism is a subdued phenomenon due to the “color-blindness” of the population. This calls for a very valid point. However, it has been formulated in my mind that racism is when these variations are recognized and further stereotypes begin to form that this acknowledgement becomes racist. In other words, I will argue that racism, in its common implication, is only truly racist when actions are taken due to these differences with malicious intent. It is with this definition in mind that I start my argument.

            It is widely believed that education will solve all our problems. Famous philosophers from Plato to Burke, from Dewey to Kant all believed that a strong foundation of education was the key to creating and sustaining a thriving society. So why shouldn’t education be used to establish a less racially discriminant environment today? I believe that although education might hinder blatant acts of racism, nothing will truly eradicate it from our society wholly. That being said, education, in my opinion, will create a less ignorant and understanding society in the realm of race.

            Racism thrives on ignorance. It thrives on the stereotypical comments and constructs we form in our heads when interacting with someone who differs from us. These mostly subconscious preconceived notions are disadvantages many Americans are plagued with today. They are believed and acted upon not always with a negative mindset, but mostly because the majority of people don’t know any better. David Theo Goldberg strongly advocated this theory. He believed, much like what I am proposing, that racism is irrational. Irrational behavior can be eradicated through the process of learning through education. Goldberg believed that if we educated the public, this ignorant behavior would cease to exist. When discussing education, I am not proposing that primary schools stress the importance of historical events such as the Emancipation Proclamation or the 13^th amendment. This is education of the mind. What I am proposing is education of the soul. This type of education entails not just educating the youth about multi-racial history, but on society’s paradigms and what it means to be someone of color living in today’s America. This education relies on a more personal and progressive curriculum. This includes the integration of the sometimes-sad truth without just relying on cookie-cutter facts. Children who are fortunate to enjoy “white privilege” need to learn about what it is like on the other side of the spectrum. It is with this type of education that the youth will become more susceptible to understanding and eventually accepting people of difference races.

                        Growing up overseas enabled me to interact with people from different backgrounds my entire life. Through the international schooling system I was fortunate enough to learn about others and their cultures on a personal level. It was through these relations that I began to understand that those who differed in appearance from me really weren’t all that different. I found new appreciation for the variety of life that surrounded me. It is my hope to bring this kind of acceptance and realization into the classroom. Maybe then these stereotypes and surface assumptions will fade.

            So what exactly does it mean to be someone of color living in today’s America? Much like Sartre encourages, “colonialism is a system”, Robert Bernasconi in The idea of Race has taught that racism is also a system. Take for example the idea that African-Americans in urban neighborhoods have lower life expectancies. This is due to the lack of funding and coverage most receive from their less prestigious careers. Because they hold lower-class jobs, they do not receive health benefits. They were only able to obtain these jobs in the first place because they didn’t receive a proper education. The education in these urban areas is subpar because many teachers refuse to work in such conditions. Because teachers refuse to work there and because the schools aren’t prospering, the government decides to fund them less. In sociology, there is something called the Labeling Theory of Deviance developed by Howard Becker in his book Outsiders. This theory states that people are labeled as “deviant” dependent on how people perceive them. The number one factor that influences this label is race. Specifically, black males are perceived as the most deviant model in our society, whether or not this label is rightfully applied. Also, in terms of the predictions in crime amongst the youth, it has been found that African-Americans youth are more likely to have experiences that lead to poor outcomes. These experiences stem from factors such as living in more violent-prone neighborhoods, poor academic structures and high levels of interaction with others labeled as deviant (the differential association complex). Other contributors to racism in a historical sense include the economic collapse during the period prior to WWII. From this, the sense of “scapegoating a minority” was born (discussed in Nathaniel Coleman’s presentation). Therefore, it can be extrapolated that from birth, if one is an African-American, living in a poor urban neighborhood, you are set up for failure. Racism is based on a system. A system, which I believe, can be somewhat undone by the type of education proposed earlier.

            Education can somewhat remedy certain types of racism, but not all. Counter arguments for my propositioned method could include an argument such as Ruth Benedict’s. Her argument calls for social engineering in place of education. She believes that education alone is simply not substantial enough to eradicate the means by which racism has flourished throughout the decades. Although I agree that simply integrating racial issues within the classroom is not enough to undo centuries of oppression, it is enough to open people’s eyes. This in my opinion is a tremendous step in the right direction.