Hip-Hop, Not Racism Is The Problem Essay Examples

The issue of racism has been discussed at several forums. Many prominent personalities have commented on how they see racism as an issue which needs to be addressed on priority. In your respectful opinion the hip-hop “has done more damage to black and brown people than racism in the last 10 years”. You have further elaborated you point by highlighting how the “powerful men” in hip-hop have played their role in marginalizing the young minorities. However, in my humble opinion you have only addressed a small part of the problem. You have pointed out how people are segregated from the culture that prevails in the society due to hip-hop, but you have not given due importance to the issue of racism itself.
Many people try to avoid talking about racism assuming that the problem no longer exists (Jackson). The part of the problem is turning a blind eye to the issue instead of facing it. Reality is that race-related issues exist in the society while people choose not to bring it up in their conversations. People interact and perceive us in a different manner due to the color of our skin. This attitude might not be deliberate as people have preconceived notions which drive their actions. In your interview, like other people, you have not taken the whole picture into consideration. It would be quite a myopic understanding of the issue if we limit racism to petty issues. A particular form of music could not bring in a cultural change in the society. The issue of marginalizing segments of society is much more than that, and we could trace its roots to the overall issue of racism. Hip-hop is just an art form used by musicians to communicate their message. By calling the hip-hop the part of the problem, you have given little importance to the issue of racism.
I don’t see race
The notion that no race-related issues exist and viewing the people around us as equal is the solution to the problem is based on some weak assumptions. First of all, you cannot deny the fact that problems related to race exist in the society. If you choose not to consider racism a problem than it would be difficult to approach towards a solution. “Colorblindness” is considered racism itself as posted Monica Williams in the article “Colorblind ideology is a form of racism.” The article further explains how the idea of adopting the colorblind ideology looks like an attractive approach. However, you should understand that this ideology doesn’t help in solving the problem; in fact it only makes us ignore the issue. A common strategy on the national level to address the issue of racism can only be developed if, as a first step, people recognize that the issue exists.
“Colorblindness” is quite harmful to a society as it makes us ignore the harmful effects of racism in the society. You could understand it by an example that if a majority of people in a society are white and they choose to disregard the issue of race than the minority communities are at a disadvantage. Supporting such attitude towards the issue could help in increasing the issues instead of alleviating the situation. If you ask someone from a minority, you will know that racism exists. By showing a lack of knowledge about the issue, we tend to disregard the feeling of the minority community (Williams). The issues related to ethnicity are present in the society and the ideology of “colorblindness” is serving as an obstruction in solving the problem (Nell). I respect your idea of treating all the people as equal, but my friend, we have to face the reality that racism exists and we need to gather the courage to address it.

Works Cited

Jackson, Sarah. “Why I want to talk about race, and why you should too?” Huffington post.N.p., 11 Oct. 2011. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.
Williams, Monnica. “Colorblind ideology is a form of racism.” Psychology today.N.p. 27 Dec. 2011. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.
Nell, Sarah. “I’m not racist; I’m colorblind.” Sociologyinfocus.N.p., 30 Jan. 2012. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.