ISU

             Does Racism Exist In Our Society Or Third World Countries?

               Discrimination against people of a different religion or race has been a troubling issue throughout the history of mankind, dating back to the 1500s. Although racism drastically declined during the 20th century, it is still a common problem being faced in our world today. Most people believe racism only exists in third world countries and is not a huge problem in Canada. Despite how things are portrayed on the media and in society, racism is just as much as a problem in North America as it is in other third world countries.


Racism presented through acts of violence and war are problems some people have to face day to day. People living in third world or poorer countries are victims to this way of living. This photograph expresses this idea in a very particular way. The photo is centred on the black man in the middle on the ground helpless being beaten, who represents someone living in a war driven country such as Afghanistan or Somali. All the people around the circle; who are representing the rest of the world, are more than capable of stepping in and putting a stop to it although they avoid doing so. By avoiding the opportunity to realize what is happening to people, the victims have their complete pride and rights taken away from them, like it says in the bottom right corner of the photograph "Ignore us, ignore human rights". This picture makes a clear statement that people in third world countries are impacted by racism, while other people in the world choose to ignore it.

Just like the people being beaten and killed because of racism-run conflict, many other people are victims to slavery. It is estimated that 60 000 slaves still work in the US, compared to the estimated millions of people in South Africa that are victims to slavery. Most businesses use slavery as a way to save money, creating a higher amount of total revenue. For example, companies like nestle use underpaid slaves to farm cocoa beans in order to make the most money. This picture shows a man signifying a slave. The black chains and shackles wrapped around the mans arms stand out perpetually because they are made up of different currencies from around the world. The different currencies express not only that slavery still exists worldwide, but also that the whole world is guilty of it, not just the people running the companies. For instance, people still continue to buy Nestle chocolate supporting them and their use of slave labor. Another point the picture makes is the mans skin color. Although this picture focus on the fact that slavery is mostly used by companies to make money, it also states that race is a strong factor involved as well. Proving that most cases of slavery in an act of racism.

Apart from the racism in third world countries, it is still a constant problem in our modern day society. One of the largest forms of racism currently is labeling against Muslims, especially after the theater attacks in Paris this past month. Following the attack, many people in European countries including Paris, attacked and vandalized mosques and Muslim owned restaurants and businesses. Just one week after the attack in Paris, 115 incidents were reported involving attacks against Muslim people. Even Donald Trump, a candidate running for the president of the United States, wanted to close all the borders to anyone Muslim. These discriminating profiles are represented in the following photograph. The photo is of a man who appears to be Arab or Palestinian, who has been impacted by racial profiling. The labels on his face show that when people see someone of his descent they assume he is associated with what they see on TV and online creating a racist outlook. This system of racial profiling was created over time from the medias way of exaggerating news. It creates a false interpretation of how people of other skin colors should be viewed and treated. Furthermore it creates a circle from the media to society, keeping racism in a communities culture without them realizing.

Besides profiling against Muslims, discrimination against black people can also be a common problem, particularity in the workplace. Not only can discrimination be the bullying and harassment of black people, but studies show that non white workers are significantly less likely to promote to a higher position of authority. Take hospitals for example. Several studies have found that less than one percent of chief executives were non-white. That means that more than ninety-nine percent of chief executives are white. The idea is displayed perfectly in this picture. The white background and man in all white stands out more than his skin color and sorrow expression. This is backed up by the line at the bottom that reads: "What did you notice first?". It means that in a workplace a person should be judged by their ability and skill in that profession not by their skin color. The reason the white background is empty shows that the man in the photograph stands alone in his career path against the racism in his place of work. Unfortunately, the majority of non white people are strongly discriminated against despite their skills in their profession.
           
         Despite what many people believe, racism and discrimination is still existent in our society as much as it is in third world countries although in different ways. In the modern society today racism is around through harassment and discrimination, unlike the way it is existent in third world countries through slavery and war.