Race Has Long Been Controversial

Race has long been controversial issue in American society. The history of the country has established certain notions about race that are both beneficial and detrimental. These notions have also affected the manner in which people interact with one another. The purpose of this discussion is to reflect on the reasons why we use the term race and how the term is beneficial or detrimental.

The term race is defined as "a family, tribe, people, or nation belonging to the same stock." This definition is quite broad because in the context of America's concept of race, the term is often limited to the color of people's skin and their ethnicity. That is Black and White are races but Latino is an ethnicity. Latino people can be Black or White or some other admixture but most have Spanish in common, Brazil being the exception. In some ways differentiating people based on race is beneficial because people different from one another. There is nothing wrong with acknowledging these differences that are related to culture, language, dialect and appearance. Differences are what make us unique and aid in the development of a society that is vibrant and diverse. The notion of colorblindness is asinine, when can acknowledge our differences and still treat one another equally.

Indeed, when people begin to discriminate against each other based on race or a country actually creates laws designed to keep some people as second class citizens, the term "race" can be detrimental. In American society the idea of race has been used to perpetuate the idea that certain races are superior to others. More specifically Native Americans, African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans have been treated in discriminatory ways. This use of the term race has led to the mistreatment of many people for centuries.

The terms "community" and "race" are often used synonymously, or in ways that are relational. For instance, an article or news report may refer to the Black community when referring to African-Americans. In some ways these terms simply refer to the various subcultures that exist in America. However when used in this way these terms can take on negative connotations because they treat everyone of a certain race as a monolithic group and this is not the case. Not all people who belong to a certain race hold all the same beliefs as other people who also belong to that race.

Discrimination causes tension between people of different races and ultimately can lead to race wars and the inability of people to interact with one another without apprehension. For instance, I have been in situations where it was assumed that I believed I was better than people because I am a white male. In some ways I understand people's feelings towards me because they have been historically discriminated against; however, I don't believe that I am better than anybody because of my race. The idea that others believe that I have a superiority complex is disheartening. At the same time this misconception also influences the way that I interact with people and I make a more concerted effort to engage in conversation with people of different races in a manner that takes into account the fact that they may have experienced discrimination from someone who looks like me.