Sources: Personal experiences.
Relation: Robbins Chapter 7, pg. 162
Regardless of how you perceive racism in America, you must admit that it still thrives. While the focus and intensity of racism may have diminished, there are still people struggling under the weight of their stereotypes, and nearly every town has them. You might ask why a practice that is widely considered ignorant is still in motion, but the answers are vague. We must think about the perceptions of success in America, and how we weigh success by measure of intelligence. Many people claim Asians are smarter, Blacks are more athletic, and Whites are more privileged. Racism may be ingrained into our social hierarchies, so it may be here to stay (Robbins, pg. 162). Some claim that comedic media only perpetuates the racial barriers that they try to make light of; Dave Chapelle had to leave his entire life behind when he realized people were laughing for the wrong reasons. Others might say that stereotyping is a practice of the Government, which hands out specific scholarships, gratuities, and profiled responses to people of mixed or foreign background. We are subconsciously predisposed to give reason to the action of those around us, and if a large group of colored men walk by wearing purple and carrying baseball bats, chances are you'll chalk it up to their similarity in skin color and think "gang" before you even begin to unravel the true reason for their action (baseball team?)( Just eight dudes having fun?). But what is curious, is the relationship between concentration of people and the amount of racial aggression.
Small towns are believed to be backwater places, you know, hillbillies, farmers, white trash, and the like. And these stereotypes are deemed abnormally racist, compared with city folk. Having come from both a small town, and a Bay Are city, I can conclude that these assumptions are somewhat inaccurate. The town I lived in
was called Middletown. It had a population of 3,000 people and was almost entirely populated by people who would be considered hicks or hillbillies. Yet I was continually surprised as to the lack of true, hateful racism. There may have been one or two old drunks spouting drivel about the effects of Mexicans on the small-town economy, but other than that, it was a tolerant atmosphere. Through careful observation, and a bit of common sense, I've isolated two possible reasons as to why this is. Firstly, there is not a very high concentration of non-whites in Middletown. When you see one black guy walking down the street, he's a person. But when a group of a people of color walk down the street, a racist person begins to think by numbers, and personal safety. If a minority does not pose a threat, then a racist does not see the need to retaliate. But there is another reason: shame. In a small town, everyone knows practically everyone else's business, and that means if a town as a whole despises racism, then a town as whole will keep quiet about racism. To be different is to be scrutinized, and in a small, California town, to be racist is to be hated. But what of cities, how do they compare? Well, cities like San Francisco, and pretty much any large city in America, has to deal with the problem of segregation. How many times have you passed through "Chinatown" or "Little Italy"? Cities play host to vast sections in which certain races congregate. Latinos will stay in one area, just as blacks in another, and whites in yet another. While the separation of races does decrease the friction, geologically, it does not help conquer stereotypes or misconception. In fact, it may increase them. You can only ever know half a man until you've been to his home, and what despicable eccentricities would the home of another culture contain? Also in cities, are stores and shops both themed and run by minorities. People generally find salesmanship distressing, and to put a person of a different ethnicity behind the counter may only increase the tension between a man of one race to another. While this is in no way a scientific study or one based on much more than observation, I feel it may be relevant. If anyone has some ideas, or wants to call me out on my probable ignorance, I encourage you to comment below.
-T Brierly
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