The Concept of Racial Formation and Why Racism Still Exists in The World

Numerous people that are currently living in the United States of America or around the world tend to believe that racism is a culmination of past events and it is gradually disappearing. Whether it is from the European expansion, African slavery, segregation, Muslim Ban or having an African American president - although the United States has evolved over the years of these events but yet racism has yet not been demolished. Several memorable speculations behind this statement reassure that racism is still active momentarily whether that is through politically, media representations, socially, or history-wise.

During one of her interviews, Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning author and social critic Toni Morrison respond to the concept of “post-racialism” during an NPR interview in which she states that racism will disappear when it is, “no longer profitable and no longer psychologically useful” (NPR Interview 2008). She notably continues that when it does disappear, the racists will, “face something really terrible: misery, self-misery, and deep pain about who they are” (NPR Interview 2008). Reminiscing about sociological theories that we have defined in this course, I acknowledge Toni Morrison’s concept of how racism still endures within the United States and around the world.

However, from my understanding, racism will never disappear but furthermore prompt onwards to a different community or racial association. Over the past centuries, we have witnessed such racial groups to be the victim of racism. Whether you are African, Irish, Native American, Muslim, or are affiliated with any other features that do not “represent” them as “American” - racism intentionally arises towards them. Ever since the European Expansion in 1492, racism ought and will eternally linger component throughout the United States history. Due to racism, initially, in the memoir of the world, a conflict within the corresponding nation had begun, drifting the nation to divide into two North and the South and is known as the American Civil War.

Merely by this event, we can perceive how influential and affecting racism can be. It is further associated with the concept of colorblindness racism, “whites can express resentment toward minorities; criticize their morality, values, and work ethic; and even claim to be the victims of “reverse racism””(Bonilla-Silva 2003:4). In the discussion, we reviewed how the Irish when coming to the United States, were discriminated against even though from their physical features, one could not differentiate them making them adapt to the “American” culture. Additionally, we discussed and watched a documentary on how the whites used Affirmative Action towards them by stating that the government was becoming racial against them. They tried to victimize themselves due to the concept of colorblindness.

Not only that but in class, we watched Jane Elliott’s famous Blue eyes, Brown eyes experiment, where it simulates that if growing children, at remarkably naive years, are accustomed to differentiating among and others. This leads to their attitude, attraction, and judgment perpetually evolving regarding the other racial community that is not correlated like them. From young, children are either guided or acquire from their surroundings about racial prejudice which psychologically inducts within them about the difference. One day after Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, a third-grade teacher, Jane Elliott, had divided her class, who were all white, by the color of their eye, telling them that children with blue eyes were better, faster, and smarter than those with brown eyes and vice versa the following day. Arguments, misbehavior, name-calling, and other offensive aspects developed through this experience among the third-graders.

Hance going back to Toni Morrison’s statement that racism will disappear when it is “...no longer psychologically useful” (NPR Interview 2008). From this experiment, Jane Elliott discovered that racial prejudice is a learned behavior that can be unlearned if we desired it. However, my understanding is that the behavior cannot psychologically be withdrawn from civilization because of our comprehensive knowledge about history. Before migrating to the states, I was never disclosed to the concept of racism until my physical and social abilities comprehended with my education and making friends due to my background - being a Muslim. It took years before I appeared satisfied with my body and physical characteristics which diverged from my surroundings and depositing me in a bubble all those years.

Beginning the course off with the American sociologists and authors, Michael Omi and Howard Winant, who wrote the book, “Racial Formation in the United States” endure various theories however one which is regarding the racial formation theory. According to them, racial formation theory indicates that people have been distinguished by individuals due to their characteristics whether it is through socially, economically, or politically. The sociologists and authors further begin to express that the community is made up of a micro and a macro level which interprets that society’s evaluation or reasoning is based upon how they perceive or examine the racial disparities regarding certain groups of people.

From personal experiences, it can be justified that racial distinctions can instantly be seen within the United States nowadays through the Muslim communities. Ever since the biggest event, September 11, 2001, people’s judgment concerning the Muslims has transformed towards negativity. An example of the cause behind this negativity is mass communication, which has facilitated information to develop and spread through the operating system and dynamic ability that was never before witnessed. The social media’s coverage of the event generated regular sociological and psychological adjustments for not only the Americans but also the Muslim people.

About sixteen years later, the Muslim community was politically attacked in the United States when a new policy was issued by President Donald Trump. On January 27th, 2017, the Supreme Court declared an Executive Order 13769 or in other words known as the Muslim Ban, which stated that any people that were entering the United States of America from the seven Muslim-majority countries, which incorporated - Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen will confront a 90-day suspension of their Visas. The formerly reserved term, Islamophobia, was progressively beginning to engender fright and apprehension towards the Muslims community.

Whenever an unusual attack occurs, the initial thought that occurs to everyone's perception is, “Oh he/she must be a Muslim.” From particular experiences, I have listened to this comment numberless times from my surroundings. This connects to Toni Morrison’s statement regarding how it is advantageous for, “vitriolic racists as well as the sort of social racist,” to say, ‘That one over there is the cause of all my problems’”. Instead of confronting the actual dilemma behind all of this, people merely manage to criticize one’s movements to dictate the prescription of several.

Being personally affected by this, I was held and checked at the LAX airport for hours when coming back from my homeland Pakistan in March 2017, where after telling them numerous moments that I was a citizen and a full-time student at the University of California, Los Angeles they did not hearken and maintained with their integration. Even though Pakistan was not listed as one of the countries on the Muslim Ban yet I was discriminated and my constitutional benefits were ineffective for me. Connecting it back to Michael Omi and Howard Winant’s theory of racial formation which represents that these circumstances symbolize race as being socially assembled by the people that might have significance towards it but also have opposition towards it when it is generated as a universal concept. The authors further designate that race is not biological but it is preferably envisioned by humans to perceive people’s features such as their eye, skin complexion, or the status of a certain human being.

Connecting it back to Toni Morrison’s quote, it is extremely challenging for racism to psychologically disappear from the United States or around the world. For centuries, powerful stories and historical events have imported throughout the generations which makes it complicated to mentally not speculate about racism. When stories are told about racism, it strengthens the concept and the effect of it on people’s struggles with the society which originates from it incredibly challenging for it to be “erased racism from the country”.