Definition Essay: Racism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Definition of Racism - Essay Example Racism was institutionalized and given support from all quarters of the government as well as parts of the society. The Blacks were denied their Civil Rights and opportunity to participate in any political, social and economic matters. Racism also accounts for heavy prejudice based on race that entails discrimination and segregation against the race that is inferior. Racism was a very powerful force to reckon with in American society and hence the Blacks were neither favored nor given any prominence for any of their talent, which includes their artistic or intellectual abilities. They were not given admission to good educational institutions nor were they allowed to enter theaters or Hotels. Racism could also be described as the hatred or intolerance of one race towards another. Before and during the wars the Whites felt it below their dignity to induct the Blacks into the army. It is only when all the vacancies had been filled by the Whites and they badly needed hands to help in the war, did they begin recruiting Blacks who bravely served the country all through the war- some of them were so heroic that they served until their last breath. Racism wears different masks – but basically, the psychological pre-condition for racism is nothing but anxiety or contempt towards another race in order to secure or reassure themselves of their own identity. On a Philosophical level, we could say that racism does not provide room either for the unknown or the strange. All the facets of racism are dependent on the socio-economic, cultural and religious condition of any given society which reflects the over-emphasis of the skin color of a particular race. Racism is of many kinds. For example, in European History we have what is called state – organized racism where thousands of Jews were persecuted in History’s worst holocaust.  Ã‚  

What is political ideology, and why do you subscribe to it Essay

What is political ideology, and why do you subscribe to it - Essay Example e classic works of Althusser, Mannheim, Freeden and Bell are clarifying this term in terms of its connection to real practices, morphologic structure, and internal classification. So, in a given essay the definition of political ideology is stated and its internal power to influence minds in analyzed. To start with, the very appearance of ideology is caused by human nature. As Althusser (1969) assumed, the fact that human beings use their mental abilities in order to comprehend the world around them creates the very appearance of ideology. As the author summarizes it, â€Å"ideology is a ‘representation’ of the imaginary relationship of individuals to their real conditions of existence† (Althusser, 1969, p. 162). In other words, it is a specific way to imagine reality in general and political conditions in particular. Moreover, materialistic dimension is crucial for Althusser as he refers to the theory of Karl Marx in his determination of ideological thinking. In this case, ideology as a part of certain ideological state apparatus â€Å"always exists in [†¦] its practice, or practices† (Althusser, 1969, p. 162). So, each behavior in society is regulated by the way people appreciate and interpret the world around them. Consequently, their mental con structs impact the reality they live in. Finally, the continuous existence of ideological thinking evokes the fact that some people have more authority than the others. Hence, the phenomenon of ruling ideology appears. In this context, individual can be easily transformed into the agent of ideology by approving certain procedures of interpretation. Actually, each member of society has prescribed identity or â€Å"appointed as a subject in and by specific familial ideological configuration† (Althusser, 1969, p. 176). And so, the horizon of senses which is created by the human thinking on social unequal background enables the very appearance of ideology. Similarly, in the field of political struggle the way of