Some Things Never Change, Especially Racism

The world has changed in the past 20 years in many respects, but racism is still an issue in today’s world. I am an Asian and I take criticism every single day. Racism comes in the form of the media and many other sources.

Racism not only results in separation between ethnic groups, but can also ultimately result in death. I turned on the television to watch CNN. They were showing a program called Black in America. One of the stories that came up is about two black men walking on the street that were approached by police. The police beat the two men and arrested the two men. These two men luckily survived and were released.

Media is one of the most popular ways to advertise in today’s world. However, many advertisements include racism. Asians are viewed as old, smart, nerdy people that have trouble speaking English. Black men are viewed as gangsters and rappers causing trouble. Often, these stereotypes are not true and cause divisions between ethnic groups.

In the past year, the world witnessed a black man move from a no name to one of the most powerful men in the world. This man is Barack Obama. He endured people calling him Islamic and doubt because he was black. I don’t know if he is a good president of the United States of America, but the fact that this man grabbed the world’s attention and addressed the issue of racism in the world should be commended for the hard work he has done.

Everywhere we go we see racism, but we do nothing about it. We all agree it’s wrong but no one does anything about it. No one should be judged because of an ethnic background. Imagine being that man walking down the street and getting assaulted and arrested; Imagine viewing the media and having others laugh at the accent; imagine failing to do something significant in your life or in the world because you were from a specific ethnic group. We all have to realize that people all over the world deal with these issues. So will you stand up against racism or let it grow and take the lives of many?