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13 years ago @ World In Conversation - What does it say about... · 0 replies · +2 points
There are a number of reasons for this rise in segregation. In the first place, it is estimated that forty-four percent of the students currently enrolled in the United States public schools are minority students. In comparison, only twenty percent of the students in the public schools of the 1960s were minorities. This increase in the percentage of minority students, however, would not have as severe an impact on school segregation were it not for the fact that a majority of these new minority students and their families are forced to live in inner cities where employment and reduced apartment rates are available. This, in turn, has a tendency to pool minority students together in inner city schools. Hence, the inner city schools become pockets of segregation in what is supposedly an integrated school system.
Another contributing factor to segregated public schools is housing. While there have been a variety of laws passed to prevent racial prejudice in the housing industry, subtle forms of racism still exist to prevent some minority families from buying a house in a better school district.
Some authors like Nadra Nittle suggest that the reductions in busing have an increase in segregation particularly in inner city schools. Busing initially was used to end the effects of the “separate but equal” doctrine that had evolved from the Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court decision. Accordingly, white and minority students from the same neighborhoods were bused to a single school that offered an equal educational opportunity. Many whites, however, began to move away from communities containing minorities. This became known as the “white flight” and in many cases this movement of whites into the suburbs and rural areas resulted in the further segregation of older communities.
Another factor that contributes to the current segregation of schools is charter schools. Charter schools often provide a means by which the better minority students can attend a free private school. This further debases the student population in each of the inner city public schools by reducing the number of high performers.
Racial segregation appears to have increased in the United States public school system despite efforts to end it. What this says about the United States is that there has been a significant increase in minorities coupled with public housing discrimination, white flight, and the debasing effect of charter schools. All of this would seem to indicate that true integration is a multifaceted problem.
13 years ago @ World In Conversation - What do you think abou... · 0 replies · +1 points
While many of these organizations are honest and forthcoming in their efforts to care and educate impoverished children, others are not as earnest in their efforts. A number of these organizations have little interest in the care and education of impoverished children and exist simply to enfranchise themselves. These organizations usually funnel off money under the guise of “administrative costs” while providing a small portion of each donated dollar for the care and education of the children.
Another perspective on this practice can be taken from the adults in a society or country from which the pictures of the impoverished children were taken. Many of these people may not want pictures of their country’s poor children spread all over the internet for the purpose of obtaining money. Many of these people may feel that pictures of this type inaccurately portray their children and their country. Many people in countries like Haiti, for example, may not want to see their children treated as beggars on a worldwide network. Many of these people may, in fact, feel that the use of such pictures is a moral abuse of the depicted children.
Yet another perspective on the use of photographs of impoverished children has to do with goals of the religious organizations using those photographs. The primary goal of most religious groups is to convert people to their religious beliefs. Despite these intentions, however, much of the early missionary work in the Americas resulted in tragedy. Even today many traditional religious organizations do not offer anything more than temporary handouts to the people of countries like Haiti. In contrast, some non-traditional religious groups have been trying to incorporate business partnerships with religious instruction in order to provide a better economic infrastructure.
An examination of the use of pictures of impoverished children provided several interesting perspectives. In the first place, many religious organizations have found this practice most effective for procuring needed funding for the care and education of impoverished children. Some less ethical organizations, on the other hand, have used much of the funding obtained from this practice to simply perpetuate their organization. Many adults from impoverished countries may not look on these types of pictures with favor because they depict the children of their country as beggars. Finally, many of the traditional religious groups use these types of pictures to provide temporary handouts to the people instead of providing the seeds for long term economic development.
13 years ago @ World In Conversation - What reasons make mult... · 0 replies · +1 points
Each of these peoples has contributed to the American culture. These contributions have expanded the limits of the original English-American culture to include many other ethnic beliefs and practices. For instance, eating Chinese is no longer limited to the Chinese community. Similarly, spaghetti is not prepared and served just for Italian-Americans but for all Americans. Furthermore, multiculturalism has taught Americans to respect other value systems and religions. Currently, there are churches and temples for almost every religion in the world. Many Americans are aware that the Islamic Sabbath is on Friday while the Jewish and Christian Sabbaths fall on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
While there has been some isolation among some ethnic groups, this isolation has been gradually disappearing. With each new generation in America, there is a tendency to move away from isolationism of one’s racial or ethnic group and to become part of the American society. This is also reflected in the larger number of interracial marriages that now take place in the United States. Formerly, interracial marriages were frowned upon and barred by law in many states. This increased number of interracial marriages represents an important step toward further understanding among various racial and ethnic groups and the growth of real multiculturalism.
Multiculturalism also helps the United States in terms of diplomacy and economics. There are presently people from every country or land living in the United States. Many of these people represent diplomatic and economic ambassadors for the United States. Certainly, President Obama’s African-American heritage has helped to endear him to millions of people of color throughout the world. Accordingly, the multicultural population of the United States is a resource to promote our diplomatic and economic goals.
Multiculturalism is a positive influence on American society. Through multiculturalism Americans have gained insights into other cultures and have developed respect for one another. Multiculturalism has also led to an increase in interracial marriages which, in turn, has further worked to erode racial and ethnic isolationism. Finally, multiculturalism provides a pool of individuals with racial and ethnic ties to countries with which the United States may want to have diplomatic and economic relationships.
13 years ago @ World In Conversation - Has Barak Obama’s pr... · 0 replies · +2 points
President Obama’s election has certainly given many African Americans hope for the future. It has also probably increased the popularity of the United States among the many peoples of color throughout the world. His election, however, has not ended racism and there are still significant pockets of racism within the United States. President Obama, himself, suggested that certain portions of the newly formed Tea Party contained racist elements. Similarly, there are groups of people known as birthers who continue to discredit President Obama’s Hawaiian birth certificate and claim that he was born in Kenya and, thus, ineligible to be the president. Although these people have been provided with more than adequate proof of President Obama’s birth in Hawaii, they continue to suggest that there has been a huge conspiracy to cover up the truth that he was born in Africa.
President Obama’s election as president has done away with many racial barriers barring African Americans from the White House. It has also improved relations between whites and African Americans to some degree. His election has additionally increased the popularity of the United States with people of color throughout the world. His election, however, has not ended racism and it has led to the formation of new racist elements and birthers who continue to try to have President Obama removed from office.
13 years ago @ World In Conversation - Is it possible for aff... · 0 replies · +2 points
Initially, legislation was passed to give preference to minorities and underrepresented groups in the workplace and in education. To support this legislation, the Supreme Court came up with the use of quotas as a means to achieve affirmative action goals. The use of quotas as a primary means of determining work and educational opportunities, however, became unpopular during the 1980s and 1990s and this led to a variety of Supreme Court decisions that lessened the impact of quotas on affirmative action decisions. As a result of these decisions, quotas became part of a formula that included a variety of achievement items used to determine selection for work and/or education.
Without a doubt, affirmative action has provided employment and educational opportunities for many minorities and underrepresented groups. At the same time, it can safely be said that there still exists under representation of various groups within the workforce and college environment. Accordingly, it would seem that there is a need to maintain the program for some time to come. Although affirmative action lessens the importance of discrimination based on achievement, it works against the rather unsavory forms of discrimination based on race, color, gender, national origin, religion, and age.
While many people look upon affirmative action as just another form of unjustified discrimination, it performs a valuable service in the work place and university setting. Affirmative action provides a series of rules that serve as guidelines for making fair decisions and selections. The procedure is far from perfect, but the presence of federal guidelines coupled with the threat of court actions has helped to increase the opportunities for minorities and underrepresented groups in education and the work place. The fact that the executive, the legislative, and particularly the judicial branches of the federal government have continued to provide corrective guidance for these laws would seem to insure that they remain in accordance with the Constitution and, hopefully, American opinion.
Affirmative action was initiated by Presidents Kennedy and Johnson to end discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender, and age. It was supported by legislation and court decisions over the past 46 years. It has allowed underrepresented groups to make limited progress in the workplace and in education. It is important that this program be maintained to insure some concept of proper guidelines in making fair and equitable selections for employment and education.
13 years ago @ World In Conversation - Is it selfish for peop... · 0 replies · +2 points
There are other individuals, however, both married and single who continue to have more children than they can afford to support. These people would seem to be selfish. They are selfish not only to the welfare system created to support them but also to the children they have sired and/or borne. By increasing the number of children on welfare, these people place further strain on the welfare system. They are taking money from others to help raise their children. Children born in poverty, on the other hand, are usually of low birth weight, slower in development, and ill more often. In addition to this, these children are more prone to get in trouble and drop out-of-school than their more affluent classmates.
Like the unmarried young mothers, many of these impoverished parents have a lack of education, make poor decisions and suffer from low self esteem issues. As a result of their lack of education, they are usually unemployed or working low level jobs. In many cases, they lack the knowledge and/or financial support to purchase and use appropriate birth control devices. Accordingly, these individuals and couples often have more children than they can afford to support.
The question of whether it is selfish to have more children than one can support is clearly one of perspective. To the taxpayers who pay into a welfare system that provides minimal support for poor children, it is a selfish act. It is selfish because the children of impoverished parents will usually have low birth weights, poor development, frequent illnesses, and an incomplete education. From an impoverished child’s perspective, life is difficult and unrewarding often for reasons beyond his/her control. To the person who is the father or mother of a large poverty-stricken family, the children are usually the result of trying to cope with life in the lower classes of our society without the benefits of sophisticated birth control and family planning devices. These people often make poor choices due to limited education and self esteem issues. From their perspective, there may be the hope that just one of their children might rise out of poverty.
13 years ago @ World In Conversation - Do you think in todayâ... · 0 replies · +2 points
Racism toward Blacks in the United States is presently very subtle. For instance, many local law enforcement officials use arrest and imprisonment for offenses like possession of marijuana to rob many Blacks of their rights to employment, housing, jury service, and the right to vote. There is also the subtle use of interviews for jobs and housing that is used to deprive Blacks of fair treatment.
Racism toward Muslims, in contrast, is rather recent and has much to do with the terrorist attacks directed at the Twin Trade Towers and the Pentagon on 11 September 2001. These attacks resulted in the deaths of over two thousand people—mostly Americans. While most countries in the world expressed condolences to the government of the United States, Middle Eastern Muslims rejoiced at the news and danced for joy in the streets of their various countries. The fact that the terrorists themselves were Muslims coupled with the overwhelming joyous reaction of the various Middle Eastern Muslims has galvanized American public opinion against Muslims in particular and Middle Eastern people in general.
Following these attacks, many Muslim Americans were looked upon like the Japanese Americans after the attack on Pearl Harbor. At that time, many Americans questioned the loyalty of Japanese Americans. After the 9/11 attacks, many Americans had similar questions regarding the loyalty of Muslim Americans. Additionally, the United States Armed Forces are presently participating in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that have caused numerous casualties and deaths to American military personnel.
Another factor that has contributed to our society’s distrust of Muslims is our ignorance of Muslims and the Islamic religion in general. Many Americans see Islam as a non-Christian religion that is un-American. Others see it as a religion that breeds terrorists who are willing to commit suicide to insure the death of innocent people. These behaviors by Muslim extremists are contrary to the beliefs and experiences of Judeo-Christian Americans.
While various subtle, institutionalized forms of racism against Blacks still exist in the United States, racism against Muslims, particularly Middle Eastern Muslims, has risen to a much higher level following the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001. The resulting deaths of over two thousand Americans have unified American opinion against Muslims. Americans direct more racism and anger toward Muslims than Blacks because they see them as an enemy of America. Americans also direct more racism toward Muslims because they have a very limited understanding of the Islamic religion itself. For these reasons, the intensity of racism toward Muslims exceeds that of racism directed at Blacks in the United States. In fact, Muslim terrorism may have served to unite American Blacks and Whites.
13 years ago @ World In Conversation - How can we make people... · 0 replies · +2 points
Modern slavery is a dirty little secret that affects 12 to 27 million people in the world. Slavery involves a variety of human rights violations and primarily affects the young, the poor and females. Suggestions for making people more aware of modern slavery include discussions with friends and acquaintances, urging people to boycott goods made by forced or slave labor, and reporting suspected cases of slavery to the proper authorities. Motivated individuals may also write letters to their state and federal representatives regarding the enforcement of slavery laws. Others may choose to write and post research and editorials regarding modern slavery on the internet and published media. Educators may use the classroom as a platform to increase student and community awareness and to sponsor fund raising campaigns. Finally, highly motivated individuals may join and provide financial support to organizations that promote awareness of this problem and help to free and rehabilitate enslaved people.
13 years ago @ World In Conversation - Renting disparities du... · 0 replies · +2 points
Despite the fact that there numerous laws that forbid racial discrimination in the rental business, subtle discriminatory practices still persist. A rental manager may, for instance, post a phone number at the rental site and use the calls by applicants as a means to screen out minorities. He/she may also take a rental unit off the market for repairs until an unacceptable minority renter seeks housing elsewhere. Some managers are even less discrete and openly inform minorities of their unwillingness to rent to them. This practice, however, is usually limited to legal or illegal immigrants who have a language barrier or fear of being deported.
As mentioned earlier, there are also disparities that minority renters suffer in terms of health issues. A 2006 study by Dr. Mark Smith in North Carolina indicated a high incidence of birth and congenital defects, cancer, neurobehavioral conditions, respiratory problems, accidental burns and falls, and lead poisoning among people living in substandard rental housing and apartments. The higher incidence of these health-related problems was estimated to cost the state of North Carolina over $94, 814, 102.00 to cover immediate and long-term care requirements.
Minorities are usually forced to select substandard housing because they do not have the financial resources to rent in a more upscale neighborhood. Often they do not speak English and, accordingly, have difficulty communicating their wishes. Immigrant minorities also have a tendency to settle into areas where there are other immigrants with similar backgrounds. In general, poor immigrants are willing to rent and live in substandard housing without complaining because they fear the manager will have them thrown out of their dwelling. They may also face deportation if they are undocumented aliens.
There are numerous disparities between affluent whites and minorities in the housing and apartment rental business. Managers of upscale apartments and housing properties routinely use subtle techniques like racial phone screening, and false repair work to discourage minorities from renting their units. The lower cost rental units, on the other hand, are usually substandard and have been shown to contribute to an increase in accidents and poor health conditions. Immigrants usually try to find rental housing near others of their racial or ethnic background for support and due to ignorance of the law and/or a fear of their rental manager, seldom file complaints.
13 years ago @ World In Conversation - Why do you think Racis... · 0 replies · +2 points
The cause of racism is usually pride or fear of another group of people that are different from us. Our pride usually leads us to feel superiority toward some other peoples. In contrast, we may fear some people because we were taught to fear them or because of some personal bad experience we had with someone belonging to a certain racial group. Racism is usually perpetuated within the family. In the present day, however, many racists use the media and, in particular, the internet to communicate and spread their beliefs and biases. Another factor that has caused an increase in racism is the legal or illegal migration of people. When a new group of people enters a country, they are often seen as a threat to the work, social, and living environment. If these people come in large enough numbers, they eventually threaten to make the majority group of that country into a minority group.
There is a great deal of racism throughout the world. In Africa, for instance, there is a large amount of anti-white sentiment in countries like Zimbabwe and South Africa. There also exists racism among African tribal groups that have been forced to live together because of the “artificial” borders created by Europeans in the 19th Century. There is currently a growing anti-Muslim sentiment throughout much of northern Europe. In France, there have been numerous clashes between Middle Eastern Muslims and white French authorities over the school dress of Muslin children and the blockage of public streets by Muslims during prayer times. There is even a form of racism between the wealthier white Ashkenazi Jews and the less affluent Sephardic Jews in Israel. Even in Mexico and the Central and South American countries, citizens of pure white European ancestry are considered to be superior to citizens of mestizo or mixed European and Indian ancestry. In the United States, the federal government has institutionalized racism in the form of quotas to institutionalize racism. In India, there is still a caste system that treats the “untouchables” with disdain.
Although efforts have been made to end racism, it continues to thrive throughout the world. There are numerous examples of racism in the Americas, Europe, and even Asia. Racism is based on differences in appearance and is usually caused by pride, fear, or hatred. Racism is perpetuated within the family, the media/internet, and by the increased legal and illegal migration of peoples. Perhaps, the only ways to limit racism may be intermarriage, social interaction, and education.