Racism

Racism

Racism is the belief that characteristics and abilities can be attributed to people simply on the basis of their race and that some racial groups are superior to others. Racism and discrimination have been used as powerful weapons encouraging fear or hatred of others in times of conflict and war, and even during economic downturns.Racism is also a very touchy subject for some people, as issues concerning free speech and Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights come into play. Some people argue that talking about supporting racial discrimination and prejudice is just words and that free speech should allow such views to be aired without restriction. Others point out that these words can lead to some very dire and serious consequences (the Nazi government policies being one example).There's plenty of polling data that reveals that white and black Americans view the justice system in starkly different terms. By and large, black Americans see a system that treats people unfairly by the color of their skin. Whites are far more divided, but much less likely to see race as a major factor in justice. Even as a stunning 95 percent of respondents in a Wall Street Journal/NBC poll said they expected more racial unrest over the summer, they were split on the causes: Six in 10 whites thought people in Baltimore were just looking for an excuse to loot, while six in 10 blacks saw the riots as anger over police actions boiling over.


In a poll released Thursday, the Public Religion Research Institute approaches the question a little differently, asking whether the litany of deaths are a handful of isolated incidents or part of a broader pattern, and the results cast the debate in a usefully fresh light. Almost half—49 percent—of Americans say they think the killings of black men by police are part of a pattern, while 39 percent think they're isolated.

When The Washington Post and ABC asked a similar question in December, they got almost the opposite result....

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