The Impact of Racism on the Society

The world can be viewed through many different lenses, and sociology is one of those lenses. Sociology allows the world to be viewed on a human level and societal level. This allows an individual person's problems to be looked at on a more complex level. These individual problems include personal yet public problems, how historical occurrences shape an induvial, and how people's background influences them. Looking at these things on a closer level, will allow new discoveries to be made in the field of sociology.

One person can face many challenges during their lifetime, usually these problems are kept private and not publicized. Some private problems can quickly turn into public problems, and public problems can quickly turn into societal problems. Racism is a big problem faced by this country. The past has shaped the present and the present is shaping the future; the role racism plays in our everyday lives is undeniable. A few people here and a few people there can be racist. No big deal because that is their own personal belief. It has nothing to do with society as a whole, but that is completely wrong. That one personal’s belief of racism can easily grow and get passed onto future generations. Those future generations grow up and continue to pass on racist beliefs and live by those beliefs. So, those few racist people get jobs like a police officer or a doctor. The police officer that has inherited or taught these racist beliefs is more likely to pull over a person of color, harass them, or perform an unwarranted search. These actions increase the odds for that individual to get arrested and serve jail time for a petty crime. The racist doctor that has personal problems with race can put any minority's health in jeopardy; because he does not believe they are in pain. The doctor that does not want to give the appropriate medical attention that is necessary for healthcare treatment. These small personal problems influence things on such a greater level. Racism is a personal problem, but these people's actions can influence minorities in more ways than one. The racist cop is the reason for more incarcerated people of color, and the racist doctor is the reason that minority women are more likely to have complications during labor. More incarcerated people mean a higher prison population which is a public problem because funds could be allotted to other places if there were fewer prisons.

Complications with labor affect the number of healthy newborn babies, and it affects the number of healthy moms. Possibly leaving more babies without moms and unintentionally decreasing the birth rate. This too becomes a public problem because in order for the human population to survive, babies have to be born and survive in order to repopulate the Earth. Racist people may seem like a small problem that does not influence everybody. However, the role of racist people in society is a major one from the way they treat minorities to the bills they vote for.

History is a big part of any individual no matter their sex, race, or age. There is some significant historical event that has taken place and rocked the world. One major event that has shaped my world is COVID-19, the book, Introduction to Sociology, talks about culture and norms. Covid quickly became a part of the culture, whether we liked it or not. When Covid surfaced emerged in America, I was a high school senior prepping for prom and graduation. The last thing on my mind was the entire world changing, but the entire world did change. The norm became shutdowns, quarantine, sickness, and death. The culture we knew disappeared, and new norms arose; sanctions, like mask mandates, were put in place. These things caused my graduation and freshman year of college to be anything but normal. It was a hard time mentally and emotionally because my whole world was turned upside down.

The other event was the death of George Floyd, which fits well into a topic discussed in the book. Introduction to Sociology talks about real culture vs ideal culture, and George Floyd’s death is a representation of these cultures. Real culture is what people really do, and ideal culture is what we think people should do. George Floyd’s death was real culture, and the way the situation should have been handled was ideal culture. The idea is that police protect and serve everyone, but the reality is minorities are automatically viewed as criminals or threats to society. I watched the death of George Floyd as a black person in America, and I was faced with the reality that my dad, uncle, future son, or future husband could easily be in the place of George Floyd. This realization brings a lot of pain and fear into my life. I watched my mom watch the video and her reaction rocked me to my core. She cried as if she was in agonizing pain, because she knew this world will never be safe for her black children. When some people watch that video, they have the luxury of just seeing George Floyd. However, everyone does not have that same luxury. Other people watch the video and must face the harsh reality of the world. Sadly, I watched the video and felt the great burden my mother carries as black women in America. that in a few years I will have to carry that same burden. As a Black woman in America, you nor your family are safe. Being a black woman in America, his death should not have shocked me, but it did and hurt my soul. However, I see my future son and nephew in George Floyd. From my perspective, the world only views them as a threat, and there is nothing I can do to protect them. I see my mom crying in agonizing pain because she knows this world will never be safe for her children or family. I watch that video, I see my future son and nephew. Not only did he die, but he died by the hands of the people supposed to protect him. I see an America that is going backwards in so many ways, but most of all I see the hypocrisy of America represented in that video. That video shined a bright light on the dark side of America. A major event for my grandmother would be the death of Martin Luther King Jr. She felt as though the fight for equal rights would die with him, and the old unequal ways would remain the same. I think her answers differ from mine, because of the period she grew up in, but I think in some ways her answers mimic mine. The death of George Floyd and Martin Luther King Jr. catalyzed a dynamic change in people's hearts and in some cases political policies and laws. 

Contextual factors and my personal background have influenced my life in many ways.  I think my background of being a minority has influenced my world. In Introduction to Sociology, it talks about double consciousness. Double consciousness is like having separate identities. For me, those identities are American, Southern, and Black. If you pick one identity, you must sacrifice parts of the other identity. Living in the South, the confederacy is a big part of the ideology. However, my Black identity does not support any part of the confederacy. I do not support the flags and statues, because the confederacy was not fighting for my Black identity. However, the South is not known for supporting Blacks, and that is why the Civil Rights Movement occurred. My Black identity supports Kaepernick kneeling during the National Anthem because it was necessary. It was necessary that Americans face the ugly side of America; the side they often choose to ignore rather than discuss. Although by supporting those actions, it seems like I had to let go of my American identity. My American identity respects the flag and military members, but it respects my Black heritage, because no matter how American I am, I will always be seen as Black woman first.

In addition, Introduction to Sociology, talks about mcdonaldization. I was born in the early

2000s, and I am a part of generation Z. Mcdonaldization is a big part of my background, and it has given me many advantages. Amazon is one of the companies that has dominated society. I have grown up ordering everything from Amazon, and Amazon being the first place I shop. It is cheap, fast, and reliable. I can participate in different things, because I know I can get the necessary supplies or tools. Overall, I think technology is the greatest form of mcdonaldization for my generation. Technology is such a big part of our life. Phone, social media, and much more relies on technology to run. It has given me many opportunities to connect with people everywhere no matter what. Allowing me to learn and seek new opportunities to better myself.

To conclude, sociology helps discover new things about the complexities of human life. It points out the major and minor differences of human society, yet it somehow manages to focus on the individual. As individuals, we are continually developing. We struggle with small and big problems that impact them. Also, our development is influenced by big historical events that have occurred during our lifetime, and our race, sex, and overall identity determines who we become long term. Every individual is unique, and everyone has a different story. It is that we face these things to become a better society to grow up with phones, the internet, and much more; technology is all I know.