Racism is an ideology or xenophobic concept that is based on the idea of the superiority of one race over others.
What is RACISM – meaning and definition in simple words.
Simple answer: Racism is a system of prejudice that is built on perceived inequalities between different races. These racial prejudices often include beliefs that people of different races differ in mental and physical abilities, moral or cultural qualities, and so on.
Thus, we can say that racism is a type of discrimination or oppression by a dominant race in relation to people of another race. Usually, the dominant race considers itself superior to the rest in a number of ways, which allegedly gives it the right to enslave and subjugate representatives of other races. Naturally, such an ideology or concept is absolutely anti-scientific and dangerous. History knows many examples when, under the influence of racist ideas, entire peoples were destroyed or enslaved (slavery, genocide, Nazism).
Types and forms of racism.
Based on the paradigm of modern reality, we can argue that there are a huge number of different forms of manifestation of racism in the world. Conventionally, they can be divided into three large groups:
- Biological or scientific racism;
- Individual racism;
- Institutional racism.
What is biological or scientific racism?
This kind of racism is based on early scientific misconceptions that were made by scientists in the early 18th century and gained popularity and influence in the mid 19th century. Such misconceptions have been used to justify cruelty to the Negroid race. Based on the measurements of the skulls of representatives of the Negroid race, whole theories were built, the essence of which was that it was the representatives of the Negroid race that were the middle link between the “white” people and chimpanzees. Naturally, all this is complete anti-scientific nonsense, but such views were very popular at that time.
Such ideas were so popular that even Darwin, who considered all people to be the same species, noted that some races have differences in mental abilities. Such were the times and such was science.
It is also worth recalling the contribution of Joseph Arthur de Gobineau to the development of racism. It is he who is the author of the theory of the existence of the so-called “Aryan” race, which, in his view, occupied a dominant place among all the others. These thoughts were set forth in his work An Essay on the Inequality of the Human Races (1853-1855). And it was his ideas that were taken as the basis for the creation of the Nazi racial policy of the Third Reich.
What is individual racism?
This type of racism can take the following forms:
- Racial prejudice is personal opinion about a person based on his belonging to another race. For example, it could be like this: this person is a priori bad because he is a representative of another race. Such prejudices are often formed on the basis of social opinions or stereotypes.
- Racial discrimination is a form of racism that is based on a person’s belonging to a particular race. For example, when hiring, they may simply not accept blacks, Asians or Hispanics, preferring “whites” if there is a choice.
- Reverse discrimination. It is a rather ambiguous form of racism that can refer to both individual and institutional racism. The essence of this form of racism is this: as compensation for past “sins” against a certain race, its representatives are given an advantage. So, for example, an employer may intentionally or because of existing quotas provide work to a representative of another race and ignore the candidates of his own race.
- Racism against one’s own race. This type of racism occurs when, within one race, there is a group with some pronounced characteristics. For example, lighter-skinned blacks may experience a sense of superiority over darker-skinned people. It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen.
What is institutional racism?
This type includes various types of discrimination based on race, which are carried out with the support of government institutions. So, it can be various political or financial actions aimed at the formal division of society on the basis of race. There may be various job quotas, educational opportunities, restrictions on cultural development, and so on.
In conclusion about racism.
The main thing you need to know about racism is that such an ideology and concept should not have a place in the modern world. Many people have already suffered because of such prejudices, and this should never happen again.
