Race and the American Quest for Equality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Race and the American Quest for Equality - Essay Example The fact that German-Americans were not held in internment camps proves there was a racial dimension. Most African-Americans were brought to America against their will and enslaved. Slavery was not a new practice. In the ancient world, people could be enslaved if they were defeated in a war. The fact that Americans enslaved a specific race meant that society justified their actions by claiming that people of that race were inferior. Even after African-Americans were released from slavery, they still had to struggle against widespread racism and economic and political discrimination. Native Americans were horribly disadvantaged when the Europeans first came to America and began to take their land. In a long process, the United States took more and more land until they had taken virtually all the lands that had once belonged to the Native Americans. Discrimination continued against the Native Americans even after their lands had been stolen. They were forced onto small reservations whe re jobs were hard to find and alcoholism and psychological problems went untreated. Even though there has been great progress in reducing racism, these groups are still disadvantaged today. Racism still exists in America even though most people are now afraid to show they are racist or don’t even believe they are racist. One part of racism today is the stereotyping of members of minority groups. Comedians today joke about how Asian Americans are good at math and have small penises and African-Americans are violent and lazy and Native Americans are alcoholics and lazy.... Sometimes these jokes are funny and the comedian is making fun of his own racial group, but that does not mean that it is not racist. The jokers forget that members of a "race" are individuals who cannot be defined by their ethnic background. These groups are also disadvantaged today because of the economic and political discrimination their ancestors have already experienced. If your parents and grandparents were successful, then it is much easier for you to be successful because your parents are able to teach you how to succeed and they can provide support to help you take advantage of your opportunities. People in these groups who have been discriminated against do not have a fair chance to help their children be as successful as those who have not experienced discrimination. San Francisco includes many people in its vision of success, but it is still not perfect. I know many Asian Americans who are successful here, but that does not mean they are always treated fairly. I don't know as many African-Americans, but I know that some of them are successful and some are not as successful. For the ones who aren't as successful, part of the reason they are disadvantaged is probably because of their "race," and this is wrong. I don't know many Native Americans, which shows that they are still disadvantaged, since they used to be the only people here. I feel that the best way for me to change people's vision of who is included in my community is to celebrate my own culture and to try to learn more about others' cultures. Many of the differences that have been attributed to "race," which makes people believe the differences are biological, should be attributed to culture. For example, the comedian that says

Problem Set Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Problem Set - Essay Example This is also true in the case of couples. However, studies show that it is more likely for a woman to follow the partisanship of the husband as compared to the contrary scenario. Genetics can also play a vital role in partisanship. Genetics is vital in the political socialisation of an individual. This is sourced from the fact that there is a predisposition to incline towards certain issues in the society. The perception of peer groups can affect political socialisation. This then, in turn, affects partisanship of the individual. However, the effect of these groups is thought to be of lesser power as compared to parents. b. Bipartisanship has always characterised the agenda of presidential elections. Each one of them endeavours to increase bipartisan interactions with the opposition. However, this is rarely an easy undertaking. This stems from the presence of barriers within the political system. The political system, in place, has resulted in the presence of Congress members who hav e little institutional knowledge. As such, their reconvened notions are always to counter the arguments of the opposing party. Insider knowledge is vital in the performance of congress members. This is exemplified by the relative bipartisanship evident in a significant number of politically older Congress members. Aside from this source of partisanship, there exists a crucial element that is responsible for partisanship. The political system is responsible for instituting reforms that limit the amount of campaign donations from a single source. This necessitates the campaign to search for funding from several sources. These subsequent interactions by the donors results in political socialisation. As such, when in Congress, these ideologies are in most cases different from those propagated by the rival party. 2. a. In such a situation, the Democrats would be campaigning for the bill. This is probable since they operate under the premise that the benefit of the general public should b e of the core concern. All through the entirety of the House sessions and political stance of the current administration, this has always been their unspoken mantra. This is best exemplified by their stance on the AIG situation. The Democrats were against the hefty package payout to the giant insurance firm. The Republicans are most likely to be against the bill. In line with their stance on the bailout, it can be assumed that they will be catering the upper class citizens, especially the millionaires. As such, they will put up convincing arguments to justify their stance. Arguments might be in the form of the bill being in detriment to the country as it scares investors. At this juncture, the passage of the bill is a demanding affair. b. In a country with a parliamentary system, the complexities mentioned above are almost non-existent. This stems, in part, from the fact that partisanship is not significantly entrenched in the American system. In a parliamentary system, the oppositi on does not endeavour to solely reject the policies proposed by the government. As such, once an appropriate higher number of members accept the bill, it moves to the head of state (MAISEL, 2007). 3. A nation is defined as a group of people unified by their nationality or ethnic background. A distinguishing factor is that nations are not associated with any geography. On the other hand, a state is an independent country: sovereignty. It is geographical location that is governed by a sovereign government.