In a just society, the legal system practices fair and impartial treatment for all citizens. In consequence, any actions in opposition to this practice can be deemed as injustice. The incident in Jenna can be extrapolated to represent injustice in the legal system in America. This may be a wake up call that prejudice is apparent and leads to mistreatment. In a way minorities are settling for the way that they are being treated. My generation has been considered lazy and unappreciative. People wonder what happened to the great civil rights generation. Maybe the fact of the matter really was that my generation hasn’t yet faced the crossroad metaphorically to either accept unjust treatment, or stand up as a unit and fight for the cause. There are no longer bold acts of racism such as lynching or beatings. However our government may be implementing institutional racism. This social caste system is what is left of slavery and segregation. The government no longer exhibits “Jim Crow” laws, but there are ways around the issue to continue to hold a group of people down. For example, racial profiling is a big problem in America. Statistics show that police are more likely to stop a minority on the road. There is no causal relationship between “race” and the probability that you are more likely to commit a crime. So why are the chances that a black man will get pulled over so much higher than a white man getting pulled over? Another example of the existence of institutional racism is the fact that less public school funding seems to trickle down to schools in urban areas. The case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka was ruled over fifty years ago. This court case found that “separate but equal” was not constitutional. So why are some schools still considerably better than others? What, if any, is the causal relationship between institutional racism and racism in America?
In a civil society, our justice system is the instrument used to establish order. Although it may not be perfect, it is the best tool that we have. A change in our legal system no matter how minute, will amount to macro discrepancies. Our legal system serves justice to criminals.
4 comments:
I think there is a valid connection to be made between the lack of government funding to schools in urban areas and crime in those areas in general, regardless of race. Education is absolutely crucial, in my opinion, to any hopes of dropping the crime rate, again, regardless of race. Is funding for these schools however going to bring education to those areas? Or will it only bring more money for better supplies and more qualified teachers? These things, unfortunately, cannot guarantee a better education. What would you suggest we do then in order to increase the education of such urban area schools? Something must be done or else we will continue in this 'under the carpet' racism.
I agree with your overall theory that racism is a form of injustice that leads to mistreatment, but I can’t see how minorities are settling for it. The people who call our generation “lazy and unappreciative” just cannot see how much we have to really be appreciative of. They have paved the way so that we don’t have as much to fight for, but we are learning to stand together as a whole. For example, blacks all over the world rallied and supported the Jena 6 when it was brought to attention. Or maybe they haven’t realized how they drifted away from each other, which caused us- the next generation- to drift further away.
i think it would be interesting if you commented about the racial profiling within airline security checks, as i think people are divided about the situation, and many will agree that it is positive in that situation.
I think your topic is interesting, but I have to admit I am a bit of a cynic when it comes to eliminating racism entirely. I believe that everybody was made by their Creator equal, but racism seems present throughout the history of the world. I just don't know how people can be entirely objective if there exists an idea of race. I refer to the idea of affirmative action and while I won't debate the constitutionality of it, there are valid arguments for both sides. I am curious how you will approach this problem and look forward to more posts.
Post a Comment