Preview

Kristof's Argument In Racism Without Racists?

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
392 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Kristof's Argument In Racism Without Racists?
It has always been a topic of much discussion throughout history: race. Nevertheless, Nicholas Kristof brings a new approach and opinion to an old topic. In this article, his tone, perfect integration of assertion and authority, and the acknowledgement of the opposing perspective ultimately led to a convincing argument.
The usage of an overall positive tone helps contribute to the argument at hand. Often times in today’s media, the news is slugged down by articles with negative connotation. This applies not only to the subject of race, but also to a wider variety of topics. However, “Racism Without Racists” never bashes the opposing side and is respectful throughout the text. A positive attitude entices the reader to be more engaged in their reading but also adds a level of credibility to the author. Even
…show more content…
Whenever a new point was brought up, there was evidence to support it — most of the time with testimonials from respected and educated people. These testimonials raise the author’s credibility, meaning a reader who is more likely to believe what he or she is ingesting. A common mistake many authors make is utilizing a logical fallacy as a point. Kristof did no such thing, always having logical reasoning and superb evidence, resulting in a stronger argument.
Though not directly regarded as a prime example of an argumentative tool, acknowledging the opposing viewpoint in a controversial topic adds persuasion. Kristof gives studies for why Obama was at a disadvantage because of his race during the 2007 election season, but also states that it could be the other way around. “It appeals to some whites as a demonstration of their open-mindedness, and it wins him overwhelming black votes and turnout.” Yet again, more ethos is added to the author. A sign of intelligence and open-mindedness is seeing other views beside one’s one, and that is exactly what Kristof

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Cited: Wood, N. V. (2012). Perspectives on argument. 7th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.…

    • 536 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Adele Douglas and J. Kenji Lopez-Alt both start their argumentative piece by defining who their argument is targeted to as well as what they will be arguing. Over the course of the two contrasting papers, they both use similar and contrasting methods to try and convince the reader of their opinion. By doing this, a number of flaws as well as good techniques can be seen in both writings.…

    • 1240 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the article “Racial Formations,” Omi and Winant described race as being constructed in a social, political, and historical context, which is constantly changed by evolving socio-political climates. Historically, conceptualizations of race began to differentiate between White and non-White, which was often rigidly reinforced. Race became a way to stereotype and categorize people in order quick assumptions, which continues to be deeply ingrained in U.S. culture. Omi and Winant advocate that rather than aiming to eliminate the concept of race, we should aim to understand race as an unstable and complex concept that is continually transformed.…

    • 549 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    What if Tom Brady decided to take a knee during the national anthem? “He wouldn’t do that.” He quickly interjected. “But what if he did?” I asked. There was a long silence on the other end of the phone before my friend answered. “I really don’t think he would do that.” He insisted. “Me either” I countered. “but, what if he did?” after a short pause my friend answered as if I had taken all the wind out of his sails. “If Tom did that, he would be as bad as Kaep.” He said the words but, they didn’t ring true. This is coming from a man I have known all my life who I know is no racist. It’s just an unconscious bias that we all have in one way or another. The reaction to Colin Keapernick protest to the national anthem was swift and for the most…

    • 231 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Yolanda Yong Race

    • 268 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Overall these texts deal with the fundamental prospect of the race’s development in the American society. Yolanda Yong, Eric Holder and Walter Backstrom do all agree on the segregation of races in the US, however there is a notable difference in their views of the past years development and the future solution.…

    • 268 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Omi And Winant Analysis

    • 361 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The belief that race is merely based on the color of a person’s skin has been the most common used method for defining racial boundaries in the modern world. However, this is not an accurate representation of how human beings should be classifies. According to authors, Omi and Winant, identifying an individual’s race on the basis of physical attributes is the most superficial factor in determining a person’s race (2). These authors, unlike many other scholars in the world do not define race based on an individual’s physical attributes. They define race as being a social concept due to the fact that they recognize that the classification of race varies broadly across the world. As stated by the authors, “In our view it is crucial to break with…

    • 361 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Currently, Race is defined as, a group of people sharing the same culture, history, language, etc.; an ethnic group. We need to evaluate Race as a social construct rather than a cultural and biological idea. Race needs to be redefined so that it does not hold a profoundness similar to how biological or cultural characteristics would. As we identify the futility of categorizing people by superficial and generic qualities, we begin to accept the complexity of more important human distinctions in an ethnological means. Considering Race as a recent way of thinking strips away its power within societal norms of a westernized culture. Exhausting the power Race has over our thinking will improve the way we interact with one another. When we stereotype…

    • 168 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    | The author make a real good argument for affirmative action, he stated in his opening statement that affirmative action is coming to a end, but, how do we make this transition from a paradigm in which race just seeps out of everyone pore of the body politic. He also mentions the only way to resolve this problem is not by racism. I believe if we come together as a nation and a family and forget about the color of a person skin, we can end racism. There is too much prejudice in our society, sometime we camouflage our prejudice, because we don’t want anyone to know. The author points are will state and valid.…

    • 2109 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    After addressing this fallacy, Niebuhr explains that it is one of deeper concern; the issue of racism cannot be fixed by making it an economically even playing field for all races in the country (Niebuhr 29A). Solidifying his argument, Niebuhr tells us that we are merely creatures; we must engage religious empathy and logical enlightenment across cultures to finally banish racism from its roots.…

    • 564 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As we explore these distinct variations of race…

    • 707 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Course Syllabus

    • 3882 Words
    • 16 Pages

    University policies are subject to change. Be sure to read the policies at the beginning of each class. Policies may be slightly different depending on the modality in which you attend class. If you have recently changed modalities, read the policies governing your current class modality.…

    • 3882 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Racism is a global problem that has existed throughout the history of mankind. Despite the different kinds of measures taken against racism including African-American Civil Rights movement, Anti-Apartheid Movement, Hate Crime Laws, or bans on any racism manifestations, it continues to be a constant concern. For some people, it is a vague concept, because it reveals itself in different forms. For others, it is simply based on unreasonable believes and hate. So racism, after all, became a label that is used for humiliation, based on hatred of the individual or even entire ethnic groups. I will try to address the problem of racism from several points of view taking into account the areas in which racism exists and manifest itself; to prove that…

    • 550 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The notion of race has been thrown around a lot recently in academic settings, social circles, and the media. From the tokenistic fallacy that President Obama’s presidency crushed the argument of so-called “racial disparities” to the incorrect clumping of whole religions into a perverse race, race discussions remain abundantly found in society, both explicitly and implicitly. But what is race? Many seem to believe that it’s a natural, biological occurrence. That one’s so-called race stems from a different set of genetics that make up his racial group. Others may believe that it’s simply a societal sorter, based entirely on perceptions and not biology. Yet disparities exist in society from one racial group to another, and many times it’s perceived as any one group’s genetics being inferior to any other group’s genetics. Perceived racial inferiorities are not the product of genetic determination; rather, they are the result of societal inequities reinforced by the incorrect belief in the former.…

    • 924 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Critical Race Theory

    • 1042 Words
    • 5 Pages

    There are many people today that believe that racism has been terminated. There are a lot of ways to support it too, with affirmative action, having a black president, and even interracial marriages. In reality, however, racism has not only progressed, but it has evolved throughout the time of its life. In “Theories and Constructs of Race”, by Linda Holtzman and Leon Sharpie, the authors use different logical theories and facts to let the reader know that racism is still alive.…

    • 1042 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Understanding Race

    • 1703 Words
    • 7 Pages

    What if we lived in a world where there were no races? What if people were not discriminated against because of the color of their skin or because they are different from what we see as acceptable? This is what Kwame Anthony Appiah tries to examine in his essay “Race, Culture, Identity: Misunderstood Connections.” Appiah tries to point out that “American social distinctions cannot be understood in terms of the concept of race.” (102) That America is made up of so many different races that no race is the more superior or in other cases inferior to one another. America is defined by its cultural diversity; it is what makes America the nation that it is. It is the reason that we as Americans have freedoms other people don’t have. It is also one of the reasons we are one of the most powerful nations in the world. The concept of cultural diversity in America defines us and makes us the nation we are today.…

    • 1703 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays