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Racism : Racism And Racism

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Racism, a topic which has become especially touchy in modern times. It is quite clear that racism is alive not only in the United States, but across the globe. Though the topic is widely talked about, nobody really does anything to stop it. People will be quick to elaborate on the fact that it should be stopped, then make no changes themselves. Yet do they truly understand the concepts of racism and what it really means to be racist? Granted everybody understands that it is racist to hate a group of people solely due to their ethnicity but there are deeper concepts of racism which are ignored. What is racism and what deems a person as a racist? According to Merriam-Webster dictionary’s website, racism is “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.” Or “racial prejudice or discrimination.” Both of these explanations are true, though one speaks better than the other. Racism can range from solely hating an entire ethnicity to thinking that a person is less capable or more likely to act differently in a specific situation based on their race. For example, pbs.org administered multiple surveys to multiple age groups but focused on Caucasians and African Americans views regarding common racial stereotypes. The statement “It’s really a matter of people not trying hard enough; if blacks would try harder they would be as well off as whites.” Roughly 55% of whites

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