Is Race A Major Issue In US Today Politics Essay

Is Race A Major Issue In US Today Politics Essay Historically, the problem of racism persisted in the US. In fact, racism in the United States has existed since the founding of the state.  Society, founded by white men, differing in their national and religious grounds, was very different with their attitude towards other groups.  Victims of racism were non-white indigenous population Indians and black slaves. Significant progress in overcoming racism in the U.S. has been in the 1960s, when the success of the movement of the struggle for civil rights there were taken considerable political and socio-economic measures to ensure equality and overcoming age-old gulf that separates African American, Native American and other minority groups from  mainstream of American life.  However, racism still remains one of the hottest topics in American public life. Although the race problems take significant place in the life of the people in the United States, there are examples of the improvement of the situation. Imagined differences are built into the main quality and turn into a hostile psychological attitudes towards some ethnic group, the unit that separates people psychologically, and then theoretically justifies a policy of discrimination. Race is a major issue in the United States today but it is important to place emphasis on the fact that, today, race issues tend to change although the problem of racism has not been eliminated yet. Definition of racism In order to understand the current situation in the US concerning race issues, it is necessary to dwell upon the definition of the concept of racism. At this point, it is worth mentioning the fact that the concept of racism is closely intertwined with the concept of discrimination because racism implies the discrimination on the ground of race of an individual. At the same time, the concept of racism can be defined as the violation of basic rights and liberties of individuals because of their race. In this regard, racism can have different manifestations, including the oppression of racial minorities and their discrimination. In the past, cases of racism occurred frequently and racial minorities suffered from the severe oppression from the part of the dominant white majority. As the matter of fact, racism can exist in any multiracial societies. Therefore, the emergence of racism in the US can be viewed as a natural effect of the domination of racial group over others. On the other hand, it is worth mentioning the fact that the concept of racism changed and evolved in the course of time. In the past, racism was taken for granted and the violation of rights of non-white Americans was a norm. For instance, it is possible to refer to numerous cases of lynching of African Americans in the beginning of the 20th century. By the mid-20th century, the attitude of Americans has changed under the impact of the growing Civil Rights movement and effective work of civil rights activists. The Civil Rights movement of the 1950s 1960s contributed to the consistent change in racial relations in the US but the Civil Rights movement still failed to solve the problem of racism in the US. In spite of consistent legislative and social changes, race issues and the problem of racism persisted in the US in the second half and late 20th century. Race issues still involved the problem of discrimination and unequal opportunities for white and non-white Americans. The problem persisted and, today, this problem needs the effective solution. Modern perception of racism In actuality, the modern perception of racism has changed consistently compared to the past. At this point, it is necessary to dwell upon the changes that have occurred in the society to understand the essence of the change of the perception of racism in the modern society. First of all, it has been already mentioned above that, in the past, racism was taken for granted, it was a sort of norm. Cases of violence and murders of representatives of minorities were frequent. Steadily, the attitude to racism changed. Today, the problem of racism is viewed from a bit different angle. To put it more precisely, today, racism refers to the field of the under-representation of certain racial groups in the political life of the US. In addition, many representatives of racial minorities suffer from discrimination in the workplace, when they fail to obtain equal job opportunities. At the same time, today, socioeconomic position of people and their job opportunities as well as their participation in the political life of the country depend on their educational background. At this point, it is important to place emphasis on the fact that the access to education and opportunities to receive higher education are crucial in the modern society. As a result, education, being unavailable to certain racial groups, to minorities, becomes one of the most important issues provoking tension between representatives of different racial groups in the US. The role of education in the life of the modern society can hardly be underestimated because the modern technology keeps progressing and people should come prepared to use new technology to succeed in their professional life and to play an active part in the social, political and economic life of the country. For instance, the emergence of mass media and new telecommunication technologies contribute to the consistent growth of the speed of spreading information. In this regard, many specialists indicate to the fast spread of information The Boyfriends Death (Brunvand, 78) story by J.H. Brunvand. The information is spread nationwide fast that naturally affects consistently race issues. To put it more precisely, the fast spread of information can affect consistently the public opinion, including cases when information refers to race issues. In this respect, it is possible to refer to some cases of violence from the part of white police officers in regard to African Americans and other minorities. The information being spread fast nationwide evoke strong opposition within the society to cases of racial discrimination. Discrimination In actuality, the problem of racial discrimination persists and the President of the US, Barak Obama does recognize this problem. At the same time, he attempts to unite the nation and eliminate racial differences: We the people, in order to form a more perfect union. (Obama, 304). In actuality, race issues have changed consistently but the problem of racism persists in the American society: And yet words on a parchment would not be enough to deliver slaves from bondage, or provide men and women of every color and creed their full rights and obligations as citizens of the United States. What would be needed were Americans in successive generations who were willing to do their part through protests and struggle, on the streets and in the courts, through a civil war and civil disobedience and always at great risk to narrow that gap between the promise of our ideals and the reality of their time. (Obama, 305). In fact, the US society still suffers from wide gaps between the dominant racial group, i.e. white Americans, and minorities, i.e. non-white Americans. In such a situation, the development of new, effective solutions to the problem of racism, racial inequality, racial discrimination and other race issues is essential. At this point, it is very important that the US policy makers, namely the US President, are conscious of the importance of solution of the problem of race issues: unless we perfect our union by understanding that we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes; that we may not look the same and we may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction towards a better future for of children and our grandchildren. (Obama, 306). Hence, the union of the nation is the ultimate goal of current policies of the US government but it is still important to find effective tools, which can help to solve the problem of racism and other racial issues. Current issues and limitations In actuality, it is possible to single out new, emerging racial issues, which aggravate the problem of racism and make relations between different racial groups extremely complicated. At this point, it is possible to refer to the speech delivered by Barak Obama, who stated: At various stages in the campaign, some commentators have deemed me either too black or not black enough. We saw racial tensions bubble to the surface during the week before the South Carolina primary. The press has scoured every exit poll for the latest evidence of racial polarization, not just in terms of white and black, but black and brown as well. (Obama, 307). At this point, it is possible to raise the problem of the the growing racial diversity and emergence of new racial tensions, including tension between minorities. What is meant here is the fact that today racial issues refer not only to relations between the white majority and non-white minorities but also to relations between non-white minorities. In fact, the aforementioned problem can lead to the radicalization of the US society: expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America; a view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel, instead of emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam. (Obama, 308). The radicalization of the society will lead to the consistent deterioration of the socioeconomic and political situation in the US and it may undermine the existing social order. Hence, the solution of the problem of race issues is essential for the stability of the existing social order in the US. Future directions In such a context, the US authorities should define clearly the major priorities and strategies that can help the US to solve the problem of racism and race issues. In this regard, Barak Obama argues that: by investing in our schools and our communities; by enforcing our civil rights laws and ensuring fairness in our criminal justice system; by providing this generation with ladders of opportunity that were unavailable for previous generations. (Obama, 310). In fact, Obama indicates to one of the possible ways to improve the current situation in the US society and to solve, at least partially, the problem of the tension between different racial groups. The President suggests the complex solution, which focuses on key areas, where race issues arise, including, education, justice system, civil rights protection, and others. In such a situation, Obama gives insight toward the ultimate goal of the suggested changes may be defined as follows: a country that has made it possible for one of his own members to run for the highest office in the land and build a coalition of white and black; Latino and Asian, rich and poor, young and old is still irrevocably bound to a tragic past. But what we know what we have seen is that America can change. That is true genius of this nation. What we have already achieved gives us hope the audacity to hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow. (Obama, 309). Obviously, this is an optimistic forecast for the future elimination of existing problems related to race issues. Nevertheless, the strategy is defined clearly but still the US lacks effective tools with the help of which the problem of racism and race issues can be eliminated. Conclusion Thus, taking into account all above mentioned, it is possible to conclude that the problem of racism and race-related issues persists. Although officially a race cannot be identified as a major issue problem in the United States, there are still many issues and details considering the race issue. All in all, the race still remains one of the major problems in the United States, which is still not solved. In fact, this means that the US still suffers from the discrimination and oppression of minorities. In this respect, the US authorities are conscious of the fact that race issues may pose a number of serious problems and, what is more, they may lead to the radicalization of the US society. Therefore, the solution of this problem becomes strategically important for the US authorities. In actuality, the US authorities, namely the President of the US, defined the major priorities in the development of their policies to tackle the problem of racial discrimination and other race issues. Obviously, the unity of the entire country is of the utmost importance and the unity of all Americans, regardless of their race, can unite the nation. However, it is still unclear how the President of the US is going to unite the nation and to eliminate wide gaps that persist between different racial groups. As long as these gaps exist, the US will deal with race issues.

Culture and Motivation :: Business, Employee Motivation

Culture and Motivation According to Robbins, DeCenzo, and Coulter (2011) â€Å"motivation is the process by which a person’s efforts are energized, directed, and sustained toward attaining a goal† (p. 267). Organizations are always looking for new ways to motivate employees. In a global economy it is important to understand that cultural differences can impact how an organization can motivate its employees. Geert Hofstede (as cited in Sledge, Miles, & Coppage, 2008) believed there are five dimensions of culture. These five dimensions are power distance, individualism versus collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity versus femininity, and Confucian dynamism (p. 1670). This paper will discuss each dimension of culture and how they could effect employee motivation. Power Distance According to Sledge, Miles, and Coppage (2008) power distance is â€Å"the degree to which control and influence are distributed unequally in society† (p. 1670). In a country with a high power distance employees would not feel comfortable voicing their opinions or disagreeing with their managers. Empowering employees would not work well because employees would be scared to take actions on their own. Employees would feel more comfortable with structure and strict procedures. In countries with low power distance managers could benefit from empowering employees. Employees are free to voice their opinions and develop and express new ideas or plans. Empowerment would motivate employees more in a country with low power distance. Individualism versus Collectivism According to Sledge, Miles, and Coppage (2008) individualism versus collectivism is â€Å"the concepts of ‘I and Me’ versus ‘We and Us’† (p. 1670). Some cultures rely heavily on groups and teams. Collective societies look at group accomplishments rather than individual accomplishments. Some countries such as China and Japan rely heavily on groups. Countries like the United States and Canada are more of an individualism society. People focus more on individual accomplishments. Teams have started to become popular in the United States, but are not as effective as in a collective society. In a country where individualism is strong individual recognition and rewards would be effective motivators. Uncertainty Avoidance Sledge, Miles, and Coppage (2008) explain uncertainty avoidance as â€Å"the degree of risk aversion† (1670). In a country with high uncertainty avoidance there may be more policies and procedures in place. In a culture with low uncertainty avoidance companies could empower employees to develop new ideas. Culture and Motivation :: Business, Employee Motivation Culture and Motivation According to Robbins, DeCenzo, and Coulter (2011) â€Å"motivation is the process by which a person’s efforts are energized, directed, and sustained toward attaining a goal† (p. 267). Organizations are always looking for new ways to motivate employees. In a global economy it is important to understand that cultural differences can impact how an organization can motivate its employees. Geert Hofstede (as cited in Sledge, Miles, & Coppage, 2008) believed there are five dimensions of culture. These five dimensions are power distance, individualism versus collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity versus femininity, and Confucian dynamism (p. 1670). This paper will discuss each dimension of culture and how they could effect employee motivation. Power Distance According to Sledge, Miles, and Coppage (2008) power distance is â€Å"the degree to which control and influence are distributed unequally in society† (p. 1670). In a country with a high power distance employees would not feel comfortable voicing their opinions or disagreeing with their managers. Empowering employees would not work well because employees would be scared to take actions on their own. Employees would feel more comfortable with structure and strict procedures. In countries with low power distance managers could benefit from empowering employees. Employees are free to voice their opinions and develop and express new ideas or plans. Empowerment would motivate employees more in a country with low power distance. Individualism versus Collectivism According to Sledge, Miles, and Coppage (2008) individualism versus collectivism is â€Å"the concepts of ‘I and Me’ versus ‘We and Us’† (p. 1670). Some cultures rely heavily on groups and teams. Collective societies look at group accomplishments rather than individual accomplishments. Some countries such as China and Japan rely heavily on groups. Countries like the United States and Canada are more of an individualism society. People focus more on individual accomplishments. Teams have started to become popular in the United States, but are not as effective as in a collective society. In a country where individualism is strong individual recognition and rewards would be effective motivators. Uncertainty Avoidance Sledge, Miles, and Coppage (2008) explain uncertainty avoidance as â€Å"the degree of risk aversion† (1670). In a country with high uncertainty avoidance there may be more policies and procedures in place. In a culture with low uncertainty avoidance companies could empower employees to develop new ideas.

My Identity

Human identification comprises several aspects in life that clearly defines who he or she is and distinguishes him from the rest of other human beings. Individuals may be defined through their characters, personality and the physical appearance. In identifying someone, the first descriptive aspects are the physical appearance. Identity can also be related on how one looks like, or the resemblance of the individual in comparison to another human being. My identity may differ from the identity of my colleague but to some extent some factors in my definition may resemble that of my colleague. The most distinguishing part is gender. Irrespective of the exceptions, dwelling on the assumptions, one can only be either a man or a woman. This of course is the most outstanding grouping when it comes to identifying people. In my case, I resemble other men because I am a man. This sounds awkward but male is a male in the sense hat he has male features as opposed to female features, still on physical appearance, I do resemble several people when it comes to the height and the size of my body. Being a tall person, my height can be compared with several people and through comparative method I find that I do resemble majority of tall individuals. In identifying myself I have to clearly understand who I am and how I look like and in most cases I find that I have to compare myself with another individual or sometimes several individuals. After considering my physical appearance I clearly analyzed myself and either through assumption or fabrication, I find that the physical features can be compared with another person. This therefore leads to a temporal conclusion that one resembles another person in one way or another. Personality is defined by the characters of a person and the way of handling matters. Through the way someone behaves and considering a collective form of behaviors it is therefore possible to identify someone and in most cases it’s concluded that this person behaves like the other who exhibits the same behavior. Being an attentive person and slow in reacting to suspicious issues I was able to identify another individual who have the same qualities or behavior which I consider to be similar to mine. In that way I can make a partial conclusion that personality actually defines who a person is and it can only be understood clearly when related to the person’s characteristics. Several factors contribute to the shaping of one’s personality. From the scientific point of view, genetic heredity has featured a lot in determining the characters through genes manipulation which is explained better in scientific research. The defined characters will then be possessed throughout the development of a human being. Behaviors are acquired through continuous repetition of actions which can also contribute to the characteristics. Naturally, it is difficult to find normal human beings with exactly similar personality but it has been found that sometimes people can have several characteristics which resemble. In such a case it’s concluded that one individual resembles the other characteristics but it’s not said that one person has turned to be another identity. In my consideration it’s difficult to find a person who has a personality resembling mine, but in actual sense I find that it would be possible to consider several individuals who would each have one or several characteristic that resembles mine. Cultural background is another area which influences the personality and the behavior of a person. It is always considered that culture is a major contributing factor in the growth of a human being. Through cultural background developing children have a lot of lessons to learn. It is easy for individuals to be defined who they are depending on their cultural background. An individual who has spent the whole of his/her life in a busy city and urban centers can easily be distinguished from the person living in a less developed area. In this context it can be argued that society under which we live has also a part to play in person identity in the sense that people tend to influence one another in different aspects in the society which develops the social behaviors depending on the kind of society one is involved in. Now considering all the aspects that uniquely defines and identifies a person it’s clear and possible for one to identify himself or herself in different ways. In my case I have different personalities. I have mostly derived this from the different situations and circumstances in which I find myself in. during the good moments I have the capability of having a good relationship with my friends especially when we are involved in common activities and goals. In such situations I am calm and ready to listen to their contributions. I sometimes find myself going an extra mile to ensure that I satisfy them. Emotionally, in such circumstances I accommodate and tolerate their behavior unconditionally with the understanding of the meaning of morals and virtues in life. All this characters combined with my psychological reasoning I can clearly identify myself as a reliable and considerate person. This I considered to be a piece of my personality or self. Alternatively during the unhappy or sad moments, I do consider myself as a different person following the way I react to the situation. It’s in such circumstances that I can clearly understand that someone can virtually exist in more than one personality According to (Abramson, L. & Teasdale, J. 1978) Personality and human behavior has a relationship in that human behavior contributes to the characteristic that defines the personality depending on the different situations. That means through the influence of the circumstances personality might change. I consider this one since I realize the other personality I have is during my sad moment. Whether naturally or not during such situation I find that my character is totally different which I feel psychological a changed person. I believe that in such circumstances it is easy for other people to realize and see a different person other than they know. My change of behavior makes me feel that I have another self. for example, in such situations I feel that I want to stay alone and I find myself avoiding the company of my partners my emotions goes down and I feel psychological dizziness which end up rendering me inactive. Difficult in solving simple problems is common and the feelings of demotivation occupy my brain. Sometimes I would find myself being physically affected and loss of appetite is also very common. The approach towards my duties would also be fully affected and the learning becomes a bother. During this time I avoid a lot of activities since it would be easy to mess up. In particular, I would find myself criticizing and concentrating on my failures. In combining all these drastic character change I find that this is totally different person in me. I believe that each and every individual has a conclusive analysis he or she makes in realization that it’s impossible to identify yourself as the same identity throughout. Works cited Abramson, L. & Teasdale,J. (1978). Learned helplessness in humans: Critique and reformulation. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 87, 49-74. Â  

The Problem Of Prison Overcrowding - 2447 Words

Prison overcrowding is a major problem in our criminal justice system and it continues to be a hotly debated topic as to how we should address the problem. One of the main reasons our prison systems have a problem with overcrowding is drugs. More specifically, the war on drugs started by President Reagan in 1982 brought a dramatic increase to the number of people put behind bars for drug offences. Mandatory minimum sentencing and truth in sentencing are two policies which have sent drug offenders to prison and kept them there for longer periods of time. The continuing crusade against drugs has apprehended hundreds of thousands of suspects who spend millions on drugs but the cost to incarcerate these non-violent offenders exceeds billions of dollars and much of that money is coming from the taxpayers pockets. One way to address this problem is to reverse the current trend of putting first time, non-violent drug offenders in prison and instead sentence these offenders to boot camp and counselling combined with family support. There are currently over two million people in our nation s state and federal prisons and jails. Nearly one and a half million of these offenders occupy state and federal prisons, serving over a year in detention for felonies.(1) The most alarming statistic is the fact that the United States houses twenty five percent of the world s inmates. A good percentage of these convicts are serving time for drug crimes, most of which are first time,Show MoreRelatedThe Problem Of Prison Overcrowding1166 Words   |  5 PagesRealignment Prison overcrowding has always been a problem in California prisons. It has been growing over the year and has now lead the United States Supreme Court to take part in trying to find a solution to this problem. Because of this issue, Plata litigation came through and had a significant impact on the way we see community corrections. The ruling in the Plata litigation in turn lead to AB 109 or The Public Safety Realignment Act to be implemented as a solution to California’s growing problem of overcrowdingRead MoreThe Problem Of Prison Overcrowding1395 Words   |  6 Pagesjustice system is prison overcrowding. To examine a nation’s soul, all one has to do is look inside of its prisons. Even though we have 5 percent of the world’s population we have 25 percent of the world’s prison population. The makeup of our prison population range from first time drug offenders to serial killers. Prisons serve a necessary function in society if used properly to keep the worst of the worst of the streets. In the last 40 years prisons has become a hammer where every problem appears toRead MoreThe Problem Of Prison Overcrowding1767 Words   |  8 PagesHave you ever noticed the serious issue of prison overcrowding? Growth of prison inmates over the years. Since the late 1900 s the prisons have been filling rapidly and that has caused a huge problems in the 2000 s. Overcrowding is not as easy of a fix that everyone thinks it is there is way more to it and it is way more complex. There are many reason that the inmate population continues to grow. Throughout the years, there has been a huge debate on ways to lower crime rate so there won t be asRead MoreThe Problem Of Prison Overcrowding1598 Words   |  7 Pagessolutions to the major problem of prison overcrowding and argue that the problem of prison overcrowding would not be ending anytime soon, due to the inadequate attempts by state governments to deal with the inhumane living conditions in overcr owded prisons. This article relates to the topic because the authors analyze how the federal government and some individual states, such as California and Florida, respond to the constrained resources causing unsuitable conditions in overfilled prisons. This source illuminatesRead MoreThe Overcrowding Problem in Prisons1800 Words   |  7 Pages The number of people held in prison facilities across the world is increasing at a tremendous rate with each passing day. This comprises both the people who have already been sentenced and those that are at the pre-trial stage. The effect of this is an increase in the prison population which leads to the problem of overcrowding (Atabay, 2013). Overcrowding in prisons can be defined as a situation where the number of prisoners in a given penal institution exceeds the official carrying capacityRead MoreThe Problem Of Prison Overcrowding880 Words   |  4 Pages. They get very limited space, making it easier to pass infections or diseases along each individual in the cell. The reason why there is a congestion in prisons is because to construct a cell is very expensive. Each cell in prisons cost about $75,000 to construct. According to the textbook, it would cost approximately 31 million dollars to build a medium security facility. The state tries to overcrowd prisoners in a cell to save money because cells are expensive to build, but on the long run theyRead MoreThe Problem Of Prison Overcrowding Essay1773 Words   |  8 Pagesthe 1980s, the California prison system and parolee population have grown tenfold. This is in great part due to the three strikes law that passed in 1994. This law made it a requirement for any offender convicted of a felony with two previous felonies to go to prison for a minimum of twenty five years. This law sent many people to prison for longer sentences due to non-violent drug offenses, when in actuality they should have been sentenced to rehab. Prison overcrowding is an important topic thatRead MoreThe Problem Of Prison Overcrowding1572 Words   |  7 Pagesthe past 30 odd years, California’s prison population has grown by 750 percent (â€Å"California’s Perpetuating Prison Crisis†). As this percentage perpetuates to make substantial gains, inmates are suffe ring in confinement cells, officials are negotiating over the issue, and the public is protesting to make their opinions count. The prison crisis has continued to grow over the years, causing a great uproar among all of California’s 32 state prisons. Prison overcrowding has been an increasingly vital issueRead MoreThe Problem Of Prison Overcrowding998 Words   |  4 PagesPrison overcrowding has been seen as an issue since the early 1990’s in California. It all began when California began to aggressively increased sentencing in the late 1980’s and 1990’s in response to a nationwide fear about crime rates. During this time period California â€Å"enacted more than 1,000 laws that increased sentencing in a five-year span to settle these fears† (Fuchs). The effect of these laws resulted in a high prison population when California prisons reached a number of 173,000 by 2007Read MorePrison Overcrowding Is A Serious Problem1448 Words   |  6 PagesPrison overcrowding is a result of the imprisonment of drug users and first time offenders of non-violent crimes. The number of people being incarcerated greatly outweighs the number of prisons across the country. Prison overcrowding is a serious problem beca use it can be dangerous to both prisoners and correction officers. When prisoners are forced to live in crowded situations, the possibility of violence is greater (Oliver 44). Issues such as assaults and rapes can occur when there is not