The Overwhelming Burdens Of Racism And Cultural Stereotypes

Name Tutor Course Date The Overwhelming Burdens of Racism This is a story about Tyron Trevon, a black male student, and his life experiences dealing with cultural stereotypes and racial discrimination. In a world where it is increasingly becoming a challenge navigating the murky waters of youth, people like Tyron have the additional challenge of dealing with racial prejudices. Tyron has many interesting and shocking stories growing up in a society that is yet to accept that everyone is equal despite the color of their skin. On several occasions, he has had to deal with glaring suspicion from shop owners whenever he is shopping. He explains that this is probably due to the racial stereotype that the people of his race are predisposed to stealing. However, despite trying to be honest and explaining the inexplicable actions of shop owners that have displayed racial prejudice towards him, he still insists that he does not really understand them. According to Tyron, “Black people have lived in this country for over a hundred years. You would think that they would get used to having us here by now or learn to see beyond our color and see us for who we really are. Honestly, it is primitive and depressing.” The creases that appear on his face as he narrates his stories suggest the emotional and psychological toll dealing with racial stereotypes has already had on him a such a tender age. Decades since the illegalization of slavery and the legalization of equal rights for people of color not much difference has been realized in the fight against racism. First of all, in the context of this article, racism is defined as “an ideology of racial domination in which the presumed biological or cultural superiority of one or more racial groups is used to justify or prescribe the inferior treatment or social position of other racial groups,” (Clair and Denis, 857). The history of racism is a long and complicated one. It can be traced back to the advent of the slave trade, going back five hundred years ago. It is common belief that the slave trade that emerged in early civilizations promoted racial discrimination. According to the BBC, “the burgeoning trade in Africans gave birth to the idea that different races of human beings existed, distinguished by the color of their skin.” Consequently, the misconceived notion that people of color, who were often traded as slaves, were inferior to their merchant counterparts. Racism went on to become a common phenomenon in the 20th century where colored people were denied equal rights with white people. Several demonstrations and civil right movements, the legal barriers segregating races were abolished. The issue of racism still persists today, even though in a lower scale than five decades ago. However, the effects are still the same and colored people continue to experience discrimination. Tyron’s experience with racism has left him in a situation where he has to be overly cautious about his actions, lest they are misinterpreted for hostility or crimes. He narrates an encounter with police officers which almost proved fatal, for him of course. One evening he was skating around a parking lot when he accidentally bumped into one of the cars, setting its alarm off. The alarm alerted the attention of police officers in a nearby squad car who quickly accosted the teenager. “They repeatedly shouting at me to get down at gunpoint as I tried to explain that it was not what it looked like. It felt like being a freed slave,” narrates Tyron. It took the interference of a white man, who had seen exactly what had happened, for Tyron to ...