What is Racism?In the words of Martin Luther King Jr., injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Such philosophy, although penned more than 49 years ago during the peak of racial conflict, is still unceasingly relevant within today’s society.
The perpetuation of injustice involves a morally unjust act being inflicted upon another individual/minority group by those who acquire a different characteristic and/or position of power. When an individual faces discrimination based solely on the colour of their skin/ethnicity in the workplace environment, this is deemed as racial harassment; one of the many forms of injustices that are prevalent within today’s society. The discrimination endured can either be direct, which involves a situation where someone is treated unfairly and thus is disadvantaged due to a particular characteristic, or alternatively it may be indirect, whereby treating everybody in a same manner disadvantages an individual because of a personal characteristic. |
Although there have been numerous implements and acts to hinder racism in today’s society, complete and utter equality has ceased to exist. Racism in the workplace environment is a serious issue whereby the ethnicity of an individual is the key determinant of their psychological, physical, intellectual or inherent capabilities.
The stereotype upheld, which is a collection of beliefs that we have about an individual who belongs to a certain ethnicity, causes employers and/or employees to judge an individual based on their physical characteristics rather than their charisma/temperament. Consequently, the stereotype instilled in the majority group enables them to believe they are the ‘superior race’ and in turn ‘have the right’ to bully or mistreat individuals of a differing ethnicity. |