Man In The Zoo Racism

According to the textbook racism is when the basis of discrimination involves someone’s perception of race. An instance of racism that has stayed in my mind ever since I read the article The Man in the Zoo in the textbook. A 22-year-old pygmy was enslaved in Africa and bought by an American only to be put in the zoo for display and people to enjoy. It’s extremely unfortunate that this man was put in the same exhibit with an orangutan and had to endure crowds of people that howled and poked him everyday. It is pretty clear that labels were put on the African Pygmy people. A Pygmy is a member of an ethnic group that is known for their unusually short height. The man that was displayed in the zoo was labeled as a “freak” or “ugly”. He came from