Ethics Final Paper

Kevin Vixamar
May 1, 2013
Ethics
TOPIC: Racism
Racism is usually defined as views, practices and actions reflecting the belief that humanity is divided into distinct biological groups called races and that members of a certain race share certain attributes which make that group as a whole less desirable, more desirable, inferior or superior. Racism and racial discrimination are often used to describe discrimination on an ethnic or cultural basis, independent of whether these differences are described as racial. According to the United Nations convention, there is no distinction between the terms racial discrimination and ethnic discrimination, and superiority based on racial differentiation is scientifically false, morally condemnable, socially unjust and dangerous, and that there is no justification for racial discrimination, in theory or in practice, anywhere.
In history, racism has been a major part of the political and ideological underpinning of genocides such as The Holocaust, but also in colonial contexts such as the rubber booms in South America and the Congo, and in the European conquest of the Americas and colonization of Africa, Asia and Australia. It was also a driving force behind the transatlantic slave trade, and behind states based on racial segregation such as the USA in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and South Africa under apartheid. Practices and ideologies of racism are universally condemned by the United Nations in the Declaration of Human Rights.

A kid, crying and sniffling, has had a rough day. Why is this you ask? Well this boy is crying because he is a victim of racism and discrimination. Racism and discrimination affect a large group of people each and every day. It may be a joke amongst you and your friends. The absolute truth is that racism and discrimination is no joke at all.

To start, I have witnessed racism and discrimination first hand. My childhood friend was teased on a daily basis. He was constantly teased for his race and the choice of friends he hung out with. This caused big problems which I shall get to in a little. I have also seen it in early childhood sports. I used to play football when I was younger and let me tell you we had one game that just got out of control. My friend made and excellent tackle against the opposing team. So this kid got up and tackled my friend to the ground where he then called him the "N" word and started throwing punches at my teammate. I mean it does affect everyone. After this incident happened in the football game my friend didn't want to play in that game anymore and he was down.

Now let’s get back to my child hood friend. He was constantly put down, and so were most of my cousins also. They were always being put down and made fun of. These things hurt me so much just to know that someone could be so heartless and do this for their entertainment. These people made it a battle to get my friend to go to school. I mean you sure do sound like a swell person, especially when you terrorize people's lives and in some cases cause them to kill themselves.

Every year per every population of 100,000 people 1,369.2 black males and 895.6 white males commit suicide due to racism and discrimination. In Aurora, Colorado 397.6 black males committed suicide while 177.7 white males died by the hand of racism. Due to discrimination amongst certain groups of people 1,572 people commit suicide every single year.

Getting discriminated for who you are is no pretty walk in the park. Twenty-percent of every one hundred million people are affected by racism. How would you feel if that was you? Getting discriminated against every day for you being you? Many families are affected by racism every single year. Exactly twenty-percent are affected each and every year. That's more than you can understand. That's 2,000,000 people every year. Racism is like getting accused of a crime and it is unfair especially when you have done nothing wrong.

You discriminators have caused people to die. You have caused death and now you have blood on your hands and you always will. How would you feel if it was one of your family members who were getting discriminated against? How would you feel if they committed suicide all due to a group of people made fun of them daily?

It is simply barbaric for us to pull off stunts like this and cause death and think its ok. It's not ok at all, and it never will be. As for you discriminators, you caused pain, you caused death, and you caused war amongst families.

Racism happens daily and affects so many people. How can you live with yourself for causing someone so much trouble? How can you live a normal life and think everything's fine? Racism is causing death and too much pain it must be stopped once and for all. After all was said by Gandhi, "Be the change in the world YOU want to see."