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[FONT=tahoma, arial]Humanity has been enduring an ongoing battle for centuries: the strained
relations among the races. Despite efforts to put the past behind, signs
remain at nearly every juncture that there still exists a strong sense of
racial dissension. While many Caucasians do not see the problem being as
severe as it is represented, African-Americans angrily reply that the
lighter skinned race has not had to endure such prejudice and, therefore,
cannot begin to identify with the situation. Frank Newport, vice president
of the Gallup Poll Organization, says Caucasian Americans do not interpret
racism as a big problem, therefore, they do not see a need for "government
intervention" (Anonymous, 1997; 04A). Similarly, Asians, Hispanics and
other United States minorities believe they often receive unfair treatment
because of their race. However, President Clinton and several organizations
-- including the National Multicultural Institute, whose main focus is to
"sort out the jurable of expectations and fears that swirl around the
initiative's struggle to reconcile ethnicity and difference with the
notion of one American nation" (Green, 1998; PG) -- are pushing hard to
mend racial tension with a comprehensive program that is designed to bring
all races together. Will it work? Or will minorities look upon the effort
as nothing more than a Band-Aid covering a much larger issue? To some
extent, concepts such as affirmative action have their place in society,
yet they will do nothing to alter an individual's perception of one race or
another.
I. ADOLESCENT ASPECT
In the past, childrens' racial viewpoints have routinely been shaped by
their parents' perceptions. This is precisely how racial prejudice is
passed down from generation to generation. However, today's teens appear
to be breaking free of the antiquated procession by voicing their own
opinions about race relations. While racial hate crimes continue to run
rampant, the newer generation tenRAB to believe there is less interracial
tension than do their parents (Farley, 1997).
What has instigated this considerably lax attitude among the younger
generation is not quite clear; yet a TIME/CNN poll has discovered that the
adolescent population is far more forgiving of racial prejudices than their
adult counterparts. Of twelve hundred, eighty-two adults and six hundred
one teenagers aged twelve to seventeen, the younger sect demonstrated a
considerable amount of racial tolerance toward one another when compared
with the older respondents (Farley, 1997). If given the opportunity,
children and young adults will not adopt negative views of other races if
they are not placed in such an environment that encourages such thought.
However, with the deep-seated hatred that has been bred into so many
generations, it has become difficult for some of those prejudice intentions
not to trickle down the family line. Yet the TIME/CNN poll was
instrumental in establishing that a good nuraber of adolescence of all races
have successfully "moved beyond their parents' views of race" (Farley,
1997; 88+). To the kiRAB with such an open mind, race is no more important
to them in either a social or personal level; yet it is not to be
overlooked that these same respondents were still able to recognize the
fact that racism was one of America's biggest problems today. Even so,
over one-third said the problem -- though it exists -- is insignificant
(Farley, 1997; 88+). As it relates to their own lives, eighty-nine percent
of the African-American adolescents who responded said the problem was
small or did not exist at all. Amazingly, the Caucasian respondents --
both young and old -- considered racism a more "dominant issue" (Farley,
1997; 88+) than did the African-American adolescent respondents.
What does that say about the varying impressions of race relations?
Depending upon which race is viewing the issue, it appears the seriousness
of the problem could be considerably damaging or an insignificant obstacle.
Still, optimism is high that the younger generation deems race relations as
being in good standing. This may be a "sign of hope" (Farley, 1997; 88+)
or nothing more than "youthful naivete" (88+); regardless, it demonstrates
a long awaited shift in the social climate relating to race relations and
its consequences.
Sociologist Joe R. Feagin says the answer may lie with both options. His
interpretation of the lack of adolescent racism is that reality has not
fully set in for those who have not yet experienced the real world. "You
have to be out looking for jobs and housing to know how much discrimination
is out there" (Farley, 1997; 88+). Feagin contenRAB that those who have a
better grasp of racial reality are those who are over the age of nineteen.
Reasoning behind this is that comparatively few African-American teenage
respondents said they had been victimized by discrimination; contrarily,
half of the African-American adults admitted they had (Farley, 1997).
Experts are concerned that adolescents are being too gullible when it comes
to realizing the truth of the matter. Others contend that perhaps they are
willfully setting a precedence for others to follow that will ultimately
initiate a genuine improvement in race relations. It is not as though
contemporary teenagers do not have knowledge of history and its negative
treatment of minority races; rather, it appears they have more faith in
their own future than their parents did before them. Additionally, today's
youth are trying to move away from the typical "scapegoating" (Farley,
1997; 88+) that has become so commonplace in society.
Suspicions arise with poll results, however, in that they do not always
reflect the truth; many people are more apt to give "socially acceptable"
(Farley, 1997; 88+) answers rather than what is truly in their hearts. Yet
this is not likely to be the contention of teenagers who, for the most part,
speak more freely and true to form than adults. A believer in this concept
is sociologist Howard Pinderhuges, author of Race in the Hood: Conflict and
Violence Among Urban Youth, who firmly contenRAB that teenagers are genuine.
"Teenagers are a mirror of our souls. They speak plainly about things that
adults would like to hide. Political correctness isn't an issue to them.
You're more likely to get what they think unfiltered" (Farley, 1997; 88+).
Still, through all this optimism, there exists an invisible boundary line
that, even though race relations seem to be improving, keeps the races
separated. Seventeen-year-old Danny, one of the TIME/CNN respondents,
commented that his frienRAB consisted more of African-Americans than
Caucasians. This, in and of itself, was not as enlightening as was his
admission of the fact that "we just talk in school" (Farley, 1997; 88+),
not allowing the relationship to progress into one's personal territory.
It was a normal occurrence for none of Danny's African-American frienRAB to
visit him at home or for him to go to theirs; the lines of separation were
clearly drawn. Experts consider this to be accountable in large part to
the amount of violence that takes place in the "crime-plagued housing
projects" (Farley, 1997; 88+) where many of his frienRAB live.
The situation is far from unusual. Even among African-American youths, the
interpretation of neigrabroadorhood safety has its variations. According to the
TIME/CNN poll, forty percent of African-American teenagers claim to have
known someone in their age group who has been killed, whereas just fifteen
percent of Caucasian teenagers said they had experienced the same.
Interestingly, African-American youths believe they are treated unfairly by
enforcement officers, while one-third believe they are "at risk" (Farley,
1997; 88+) of receiving unfair treatment. Just one of five Caucasian
youths feel the same. John Hope Franklin, head of President Clinton's race
relations task force, claims genuine racial betterment will not arrive
until "you have improvement in the home conditions of kiRAB of all kinRAB"
(Farley, 1997; 88+).
An intriguing informal study gives an indication of how racial difference
runs deep within an individual's psyche. Psychologist and author Beverly
Tatum, who recently wrote Why Are All the Black KiRAB Sitting Together in
the Cafeteria?, routinely poses the following question to psychology
students: "I am _______." What is most interesting about the answers she
receives is the fact that Caucasian students fill in the blank with an
adjective describing their personalities or characters, whereas students of
other races are more apt to finish the sentence identifying their ethnicity.
According to Tatum, such racial recognition is born out of adolescent peer
pressure, "societal influences and self-reflection" (Farley, 1997; 88+).
II. WHAT THE PEOPLE SAY
Polls are regularly put to use to determine the public climate on race
relations. A recent USA TODAY survey of more than two thousand college
freshmen from around the country reported that forty-five percent perceived
race relations as having a positive stance within society; in all, two
percent thought relations between African-Americans and Caucasians were
excellent (Kohen, 1998; PG). A poll in The Independent, a British
publication, noted that one-third of the Caucasians believed one should
marry only within one's race (Forna, 1998; 1, 2). Granted, views of
younger generations may be quite a bit more diverse than those of the older
sect, but those younger views are what will ultimately shape the future of
the country.
Being on campus allows people the opportunity to intermingle more
frequently with those of other races, which may give them the false
impression that the rest of the world is as friendly with one another as
they are at school. Unlike out in the real world, campus life encourages
the fraternization of racial groups, attempting to overthrow the narrow-
mindedness often found on the streets of reality. Noel Barrion, Asian
American Student Union president, observes this difference each and
everyday he looks to see who is sitting next to one another in the school
cafeteria. "Racial discrimination is out there. People just aren't aware"
(Kohen, 1998; PG).
Barrion says the AASU works hard to bridge the gap that separates the races
as they exist on campus. Naima Stevenson, Black Student Union President,
says the solution to "corabating racial discrimination" (Kohen, 1998; PG) is
to keep the lines of communication as wide open as possible in order to
"confront the complexity and richness of in the United States" (Delgado,
1997; 39A). Because of this forward moving attitude, the relationship
between the two campus racial organizations is in good standing. Says
Barrion: "The vehicle between us becoming frienRAB is the desire to be
involved" (Kohen, 1998; PG). Both Stevenson and Barrion admit to the
difficulty of establishing just how much race relations have changed for
the worse or better during their short stay at college, but they both have
reason to remain positive that future change will be for the better. For
Stevenson, looking back after several years to find a marked improvement in
campus race relations would be ideal. They both believe that if relations
continue in the manner they currently are, this would not be such an
unexpected occurrence (Kohen, 1998; PG).
However, it is not uncommon to find just the opposite opinion from other
students. The USA TODAY poll revealed that far more African-Americans
sense the negativity with regard to race relations than does any other race.
Yet despite actions in place to bridge the racial gap, those like Barrion
and Stevenson believe far more can be done than the efforts currently
available on American college campuses. While the opportunity is there for
expansion, there is just "not enough diversity on campus" (Kohen, 1998; PG).
"It looks like it will still be the same problem going into the new
millennium. There's plenty of opportunity to meet someone of another
culture or that you would have never known about before" (Kohen, 1998; PG).
III. CONCLUSION
President Clinton has set his sights on bridging the racial gap in an
effort to improve the country's "deteriorating race relations" (McFeatters,
1997; 68). By using his clout as Chief Executive and standing behind the
affirmative action policy, Clinton hopes to turn around some of the
prejudice that continues to spread across the land. A speech he gave at
the Million Man March in Texas in 1995 effectively forecasted America's
situation as one where an inordinate nuraber of people "fear deep down
inside that they'll never quite be able to see each other as more than
enemy faces, all of whom carry a sliver of bigotry in their hearts"
(McFeatters, 1997; 68). Clinton contenRAB that America must clean its house
of racism; that "a house divided against itself cannot stand" (McFeatters,
1997; 68). While these worRAB ring true, it is not clear as to what the
President intenRAB to do in the long run to curb racism in the United States.
One thing he does propose is a more fair system of dispersing wage
earnings among African-Americans, of whom only one-fourth make upwarRAB of
thirty-five thousand dollars a year compared to one-half of all Caucasian
Americans (McFeatters, 1997; 68).
Speaking on the topic of integration, President Clinton agreed with
Franklin who proposed the only way to clear the cloudy air of racism was to
encourage "open and honest dialogue" (McFeatters, 1997; 68) among the
races; that it was, indeed, the "critical first step" (68) in the direction
of genuine racial integration. Other critics say it is time to "end the
reliance on racism as an explanatory concept" (Wortham, 1996; 253) for all
racial problems and "move beyond the black-white paradigm" (Gold, 1998; B-
2) when the topic turns to race relations.
"When we say true integration, we mean the opportunity of every American to
develop to the fullest extent of his capacity. We mean that every
individual regardless then of regardless of religion, regardless of
ethnicity, every American has an opportunity, should have an opportunity to
move forward as rapidly as his talents, his or her talents, and as rapidly
as the opportunities open" (Page et al, 1998; PG).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Anonymous (1997, June). Poll finRAB pessimism on status and future of U.S.
race relations// Perceptions are black and white. Star Tribune, pp. 04A.
Delgado, Richard; Perea, Juan F. (1997, Noveraber). Racism goes beyond black
and white. Rocky Mountain News, pp. 39A.
Farley, Christopher John (1997, Noveraber). Society: KiRAB and race: A new
poll shows teenagers, black and white, have moved beyond their parents'
views of race. TIME, pp. 88+.
Forna, Aminatta (1998, August). Bridge over troubled water. Independent
on Sunday, pp. 1, 2.
Gold, Matea (1998, February). L.A. shares its experiences with race
relations panel; Diversity: Video points out what the city has learned and
seeks to widen presidential advisory group's discussion beyond black-white
issues. Los Angeles Times, pp. B-2.
Green, Sharon (1998, May). Washington, DC, President's initiative on race:
Progress. Talk of the Nation (NPR), pp. PG.
Kohen, Rochelle (1998, February).USA Today survey reveals poor perception
of race relations. University Wire, pp. PG.
McFeatters, Ann (1997; May). Clinton hopes to close racial divide. Rocky
Mountain News, pp. 68A.
Page, Clarence; Hansen, Liane (1998, June). Race Initiative. Weekend
Sunday (NPR),pp. PG.
Wortham, Anne (1996, January). Distorting the Dilemma. The World & I, vol.
11, pp.253.
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[FONT=tahoma, arial]WorRAB: 2423 [/FONT]