Posted: October 20th, 2022

The Impact of Racial Discrimination in the Contemporary American Society with a View of the Resultant Social Problems

The Impact of Racial Discrimination in the Contemporary American Society with a View of the Resultant Social Problems
Introduction
Undoubtedly, the United States of America is one of the most culturally diverse, multi-ethnic, and multi-racial nations in the world. The United States has been home to many immigrants who come from different regions and nations across the globe. From history, the United States received thousands of immigrants from Africa who had been brought to America to serve as laborers and slaves in the white-dominated farms and estates (Hunter, 2007). As such, America today is home to millions of African-Americans who were born and bred in the United States, especially during and after the abolition of the inhumane slave trade and slavery. Clearly, the prejudices that existed centuries ago based on the color of skin and ethnic origins have found their way into the contemporary American culture (Alhumam, 2015).
Indeed, there have been other immigrant groups in the United States; such as, Asians, Hispanics, Arabs, Muslims, Chinese, Mexicans, and Europeans- who have attained the American citizenship and domicile. Evidently, the multi-ethic and multi-racial phenomenon of the American society presents the challenge of racial discrimination (Harvard University School-of-Public-Health, 2017). In this regard, racial discrimination may be viewed as the prejudice or open unfair consideration or treatment accorded to an individual based on his or her color of skin, ethnic origin, or racial heritage (Bobo, 2017). Certainly, from a sociological perspective there are a myriad of social problems that arise from the element of racial discrimination in the United States. From the backdrop, an in-depth review of the state and impact of racial discrimination in the United States with a view of the resultant social problems forms the basis of this research paper.
Background Information and Present State of Affairs
Arguably, the dominant form of racial discrimination in the United States of America that exists is between the white and black races whereby the ‘whites’ treat the members of the ‘black’ community or African-Americans with prejudice and unfair consideration and treatment (Shambaugh, Nunn & Anderson 2019). Fundamentally, the historical background of this practice dates back to the slavery period in the 16th and 17th centuries when the Africans or blacks would work in the plantations and farms owned by the whites (Baker & Shear, 2019). Certainly, the basis of the unfair consideration was that the white farmers thought of the Africans as lesser humans whose responsibility was to work as laborers in the extensive farms and they had no entitlement to any rights.
Throughout the American history in the recent past centuries; there have been aggressive efforts backed by the federal government with an aim of putting an end to the practice of racial discrimination, especially based on the matter of being black or white (Bobo, 2017). The federal government of the United States has instituted strict regulations and established strong policies that promote racial equality through the process of affirmative action and black emancipation initiatives (Comey, 2019). Certainly, the aim of the American government is to enhance societal cohesion and promote harmonious and cordial living within communities across the United States.
At present, the American society has made critical strides in the journey towards racial equality and justice. However, there are common challenges that cripple the effort to eliminate racial discrimination in the United States. Undoubtedly, the incidences of racial discrimination, especially between the members of the white and black races have been on the rise in spite of the federal government’s efforts (Bobo, 2017). As such, the resultant effects of racial discrimination that are demonstrated through social problems in the contemporary American society are the key motivations behind this research.
How Racial Discrimination Occurs
Distinctly, racial discrimination can take place in various forms whereby a person belonging to a particular racial origin, say ‘black’ or African-American is treated unfavorably due to the matter of his or her color of skin by an individual who belongs to another racial heritage, say white or Caucasian (Matsueda and Drakulich, 2009). Certainly, discrimination can be viewed as intentional or unintentional depending on the setting or circumstance; nonetheless, the commonest incidences of racial discrimination are intentional.
For instance, within the operations of law enforcement departments and agencies in the United States, there have been serious cases of racial discrimination whereby members of the black community are subjected to police arrests that are often unjustified and unfounded based on their racial heritage (Alhumam, 2015). Clearly, the federal government has instituted various programs and policies to check on these complaints of racially-biased arrests by the law enforcements organs. At the same time, if a housing scheme established by a corporation in the private sector is focused on signing up whites or Caucasians in its allocation of units and thereby locking out persons of other racial origins, then the housing program can be considered to be promoting racial discrimination.
Impact of Racial Discrimination in the United States of America
Fundamentally, racial discrimination in the United States has had adverse effects on the society based on the fact that persons who are discriminated against feel that they are being denied the sense of belonging that an ordinary American citizen enjoys (Baker & Shear, 2019). In this case, racial discrimination has resulted to a myriad of social problems that have hindered the path to social and economic progress in the United States (Davis, 1996). The matter of social disharmony is a phenomenon that has been brought about by the practice of racial discrimination. When a member of a given racial community is discriminated against he or she feels left out of the social bond of the larger American society; thus, this promotes social disharmony.
At the same time, racial discrimination shows lack of respect for the value of humanity since it is based on unfair treatment subjected to an individual on the basis of his or her color of skin or ethnic background (Comey, 2019). Agreeably, social problems; such as, terrorism have been promoted by the practice of racial discrimination. When members of a given community feel aggrieved due to unfavorable treatment founded on their racial heritage, they may seek justice in the wrong way through violent extremism that is expressed in terrorist activities (Corbin, 2017). The United States’ society has been on the receiving end of violent terrorist attacks; hence, this helps to illustrate the adverse effects of racial discrimination.
Without a doubt, the American education system has been found to harbor some tendencies of racial discrimination within certain institution and schools whereby children from the low-income minority groups are denied opportunities to access quality education based on their racial heritage, color of skin, and ethnic inclination (Case, 2012). In this regard, the children who miss these opportunities turn to crime and drug abuse as a way of relieving off the pressure from the challenges in life; thus, the crime-rate increases and the issue of juvenile delinquency emerges as a result of racial discrimination (Matsueda and Drakulich, 2009).
It is clear that the work places in the United States are characterized by a multi-ethnic and multi-racial workforce. As such, the occurrence of unfavorable considerations towards a given employee based on his or her racial origin results to lack of motivation, and low productivity (Harvard University School-of-Public-Health, 2017). At the same time, the given employee feels detached from the other colleagues; thereby, the spirit of cooperation and teamwork is weakened, and this may lead to a further collapse of the organization in the long-term view.
Markedly, when communities unite, there is growth, sustainability, and development through collective energy and responsibility. However, in view of the impact of racial discrimination, when persons from a given racial background are treated unfairly in a particular community setting, they detach themselves from community development initiatives; hence, the said community is deprived off its much needed development that is achieved thought unity and harmonious living among community members (Shambaugh, Nunn & Anderson 2019).
From a psychological perspective, the idea of how people perceive an individual has a tremendous impact on their self-esteem and personal image. In this view, the matter of racism has a deep psychosocial impact on the person to whom it is subjected; thus, racial discrimination results to intense feelings of personal hatred and rejection (Baker & Shear, 2019). Therefore, a person may consider themselves as social outcasts due to unfair treatment directed towards them based on their color of skin or racial heritage.
Agreeably, racial discrimination has immensely contributed to the problem of poor leadership within the communities as well as in the government in the United States. Usually, during the process of appointing individuals into positions of authority and duty to the people, there are incidences of racial prejudice that occur; hence, qualified and dignified candidates may be locked out of these influential positions based on their racial or minority status (Shambaugh, Nunn & Anderson 2019). In this regard, persons who do not meet the required criterion and career threshold are given mandated that are above their scope: as a result, the communities and government in the United States experiences bouts of poor leadership and governance that is manifested through unreasonable policy formulation and execution that causes loss of huge public investments and government resources.
Racial discrimination has led to the problem of lack of access to healthcare facilities and services by some people on the grounds of their ethnic and racial background. It is evident that some medical facilities in the United States demonstrated prejudice in the manner of handling members from the black community, especially within the white-dominated neighborhoods (Comey, 2019). As such, racial discrimination creates a rift between the whites and blacks; thus, hindering the path to social progress.
In America today, there have been strong political opinions and ideologies based on racial considerations: truly, in some instances there have been cases of racial discrimination within the American political sphere (Bobo, 2017). In this case, the nomination process for candidates aspiring for positions in the government leadership is riddled with racist tendencies; thus, this results to bad governance and ineffective leadership within the government departments (Corbin, 2017). In essence, poor governance due racial discrimination leads to low development and slow growth in the society, and this fuels social problems; such as, poverty and high incidence of unemployment.
Social Problems Resulting from Racial Discrimination in the United States
Social Disharmony
Understandably, the New York Times’ article on August 4th, 2019 “El Paso Shooting Suspect’s Manifesto Echoes Trump’s Language” by Baker, .P and Shear M. helps to expose the soft underbelly on which the problem of social and racial disharmony rides in the United States. The authors point out to a grave tragedy that involved a mass shooting attack in one of the top retail stores in El Paso. A middle-aged young adult of American descent was behind the inhumane act and he asserted that the motivation that prompted his actions were the utterances by the president of the United States, Trump Donald on the matter of ‘invasion’ by immigrants into the United States (Baker & Shear, 2019). It is evident that the young gentleman was convinced that his actions were patriotic and sacrificial to the American society, but this was a significant misconception.
To put it clearly, the young gentleman performed an act of racial discrimination whereby he opened fire-randomly- to innocent shoppers whilst making a racist-laden claim that Texas State had been invade by the Hispanics. As such, the shooting attack in El Paso is an open demonstration of how deep-rooted the social problem of racial discrimination is and the dangers that it holds for the future of the American society (Baker & Shear, 2019). Arguably, the President of the United States has to take stern actions that are aimed at hindering the occurrence of such bloody and heart-rending extremist actions that are premised on the issue of racial prejudice. In this regard, the problem of social disharmony can only be addressed through taking a stand against racial profiling and discrimination in the United States.
Lack of Respect for Humanity
Comey, J.’s article that featured in the New York Times on 4th August, 2019 “James Comey: Mr. President, Please Take a Stand against Racism” is compelling and thought-provoking. The author shares deep insights on the comments made a member of an audience that was being addressed by President Trump. Evidently, the commentaries by the anonymous member were highly racist and openly divisive, and they lacked the mere respect for humanity and the value of life. In the utterance, the member posited that the government of the United States should consider shooting all the persons who bear immigrant status. Indeed, the comments were unfounded, reckless, and openly racist (Comey, 2019). From the backdrop, the problem of lack of respect for the value of human life and the dignity of humanity is brought out in the racist utterances that indeed encourage the practice of racial discrimination.
Terrorism
Corbin, M. Caroline’s article in the Fordham Law Review in 2017: “Terrorists Are Always Muslim but Never White: An Intersection of Critical Race Theory and Propaganda” presents a sharp focus and insight on the relationship between racism and violent extremism that is often expressed in the form of terrorism. The author shares her views on the perceptions that a majority of Americans have towards the members of the Islamic community. Clearly, Muslims in the United States are viewed as terrorists; thus, they usually fall victim of the racial discrimination matter. Bearing in mind that there are contrasting views between the Islamic religion and Christianity, there are avenues of misunderstandings between these groupings, and sometimes they end up taking the path of racism (Corbin, 2017). In this case, racial discrimination results to the unfair treatment of the Muslim community in the United States; thus, the Islamic sympathizers of this worrisome trend often engage in terrorist activities as a way of venting out their deep grievances.
Challenges in the Education System
Agreeably, Alhumam, I. in his 2015 article “Reflections on Racism in American Schools” that featured in the Journal of Education and Practice shares his perspective on the matter of racism and segregation within the vast school system in the United States. Certainly, the education system in the United States faces noteworthy challenges that are presented by the characteristic multi-ethnic and multi-racial community. As such, the diversity in culture within the education system sometimes acts as a deterrent to the achievement of the goals of academics (Alhumam, 2015). Unfavorable treatment of students from the black community and minority groups in the United States serves to cause disharmony and discord among the learners as well as the teachers.
As such, the educators from a given race develop a tendency to show undue favor to students with whom they share a common ethnic or racial origin. Without a doubt, Alhumam’s view point is congruent to the stand taken by Case, L. Rebecca in her web article “Not Separate but Not Equal: Education in the United States” captured in Racism.org. Truly, Case is quick to point out that the racial discrimination has found its place in the American school. She advises that policy changes should be recommended to eliminate and control the challenge of racism in the school system (Case, 2012).
Crime and Juvenile Delinquency
Matsueda, L. Ross and Drakulich, K.’s article “Perceptions of Criminal Injustice, Symbolic Racism, and Racial Politics” is concise and informative on the matter of racial discrimination in promoting crime and the prevalent juvenile delinquency. Clearly, within the robust criminal justice framework, there are tendencies of racism from the players in the sense that the members of the African-American community tend to record high numbers in the prisons and other correctional facilities. In this regard, the law enforcement agencies are keen on making arrests, especially related to the persons from the black community (Matsueda and Drakulich, 2009). Thus, there is a heightened belief that the young male adults from the African-American community are more likely to participate in criminal activities. As such, racial discrimination of such kind creates a trend of unreasonable arrests to innocent teenagers from the low-income neighborhoods that are dominated by the minority groups as well as the blacks.
Arguably, the article by Matsueda and Drakulich is in line with the propositions made by Davis, J. Angela’s article published in the Michigan Law Review in 1996: “Benign Neglect* of Racism in the Criminal Justice System.” In her submission, Davis shares the details of an ugly incidence that involved a racially discriminative police arrest whereby a black teenage boy was asked to surrender a shirt to an officer after being suspected of theft from a local retail store. It was evident that the white officer was more concerned on making the arrest of the young black gentleman as opposed to establishing the facts of the matter from the officials from the store (Davis, 1996). Indeed, such racist acts from persons serving within the justice system help to demonstrate the concern of social problems of crime and delinquency resulting from racially-motivated attacks.
Non-Cooperation at the Workplaces
Markedly, the film “Discrimination in America: African American Experiences” prepared by the Harvard University School-of-Public-Health on 1st November, 2017 helps to highlight personal experiences of the members from the African-American communities in their day-to-day engagements in the United States. The submissions by various speakers help to show the extent of racial discrimination in working environments in the United States and the resultant effect of under-performance by the concerned employees. From the narrations, it is evident that the matter of unfair treatment in the workplaces serves to lower the morale of the workers; hence, organizations should be keen to establish stern regulations to discourage the vice of racial discrimination (Harvard University School-of-Public-Health, 2017).
Under-Development of Communities
Shambaugh J., Nunn R., & Anderson A. Stacy’s February, 2019 article “How Racial and Regional Inequality Affect Economic Opportunity” makes compelling views on the aspect of racial discrimination and the access to reasonable economic opportunities. Truly, the authors are quick to posit that when societies and communities are divided on ethnic and racial lines, then the pace of development and social progression is tremendously affected. Certainly, in the United States, the members from minority groups as well as the blacks have often lived in low-income environments since their exposure to the favorable economic opportunities is limited (Shambaugh, Nunn & Anderson 2019). In this regard, racial discrimination affects the path to economic and social progress of the communities as highlighted by the authors.
Recommendations
Profoundly, to reverse the adverse effects of racial discrimination in the United States, the government should institute community programs that encourage communal and harmonious living among the citizens for the purpose of boosting cohesion and racial equality through mutual understanding (Shambaugh, Nunn & Anderson 2019). The education system in the United States should be structured in a way that promotes intercultural exchange among the learners as well as the tutors with an aim of creating cultural awareness and discourage racial discrimination (Alhumam, 2015). Again, the incidence of violent extremism brought about by racist tendencies can be checked by initiating programs that promote prosperity in racial diversity (Matsueda and Drakulich, 2009). As such, the terrorist attacks will be eliminated and the interactions between persons from different racial origins will be cordial and productive.
Personal Reflection
As a young American adult, I have a commitment and duty to serve my nation diligently and without engaging in any form of prejudice that may compromise on the agenda of harmonious relations among communities. I strongly believe that the United States of America is a blessed and beautiful land that holds promise to the people who work hard and dedicatedly to their line of occupation. Therefore, the matter of racial discrimination will only serve to divide our reputable nation and derail the path to economic and social prosperity. In essence, I would encourage my fellow young adults and citizens at large to remain faithful to the values and tenets captured in the ‘American Dream’ since they will act as a reliable guide to the journey of success of our nation.
Conclusion
Fundamentally, it is clear that the issue of racial discrimination has been a key challenge to the social development goals of the United States. Truly, the unfavorable treatment of persons from the minority and black community groups has led to tremendous social problems that have hindered the objective of harmonious and mutually beneficial community living in the United States. As such, the government has taken critical initiatives to reverse the undesirable trend of racial discrimination. In the education system, the federal government has instituted programs to promote inter-cultural exchanges whilst in the workplaces, corporate organizations have been mandated to design internal policies that discourage racial discrimination. In the same view, racial discrimination within the criminal-justice-system has been addressed through investigating the activities of law enforcement organs from a racially-sensitive standpoint.

References
Alhumam, I. (2015). Reflections on Racism in American Schools. Journal of Education and Practice, 6(11), 160-161. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1081672.pdf
Baker, .P and Shear M. (August 4th, 2019). “El Paso Shooting Suspect’s Manifesto Echoes Trump’s Language”. New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/04/opinion/james-comey-trump- racism.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FRace%20and%20Ethnicity
Bobo, L. D. (2017). Racism in Trump’s America: reflections on culture, sociology, and the 2016 US presidential election. The British journal of sociology, 68, S85-S104. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1468-4446.12324
Case, L. R. (2012). “Not Separate but Not Equal: Education in the United States.” Racism.org. Retrieved from https://www.racism.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1167:educatio n02-3&catid=49&Itemid=172
Comey, J. (August 4th, 2019). “James Comey: Mr. President, Please Take a Stand against Racism”. New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/04/opinion/james-comey-trump- racism.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FRace%20and%20Ethnicity
Corbin, C. M. (2017). Terrorists are always Muslim but never white: At the intersection of critical race theory and propaganda. Fordham L. Rev., 86, 455. Retrieved from https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5437&context=flr
Davis, A. J. (1996). Benign Neglect of Racism in the Criminal Justice System. JSTOR. Retrieved from https://repository.law.umich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2091&context=mlr
Harvard University, School-of-Public-Health. (2017). Film. “Discrimination in America: African American Experiences”. Harvard University. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zX9CsxZh08
Hunter, M. (2007). The persistent problem of colorism: Skin tone, status, and inequality. Sociology Compass, 1(1), 237-254. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1751-9020.2007.00006.x
Matsueda, R. L., & Drakulich, K. (2009). Perceptions of criminal injustice, symbolic racism, and racial politics. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 623(1), 163-178. Retrieved from http://faculty.washington.edu/matsueda/Papers/Perceived%20Injustice.pdf
Shambaugh J., Nunn R., & Anderson A. (February, 2019). “How Racial and Regional Inequality Affect Economic Opportunity”. Brookings. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2019/02/15/how-racial-and-regional-inequality- affect-economic-opportunity/

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