Racism In Jamaica Essay - 1235 Words

Black is beautiful,† I remembered hearing those words as a child growing up in Jamaica and never quite understood the philosophy of its existence. â€Å"Racialism† as defined by webster’s new world dictionary as â€Å"a doctrine or feeling of racial differences or antagonism, especially with reference to the supposed racial superiority, inferiority, or purity; racial prejudice, hatred or discrimination.† All my twelve years of living in Jamaica i have never seen much less heard of anyone committing or giving a definition to such despicable terminology. As a merging teenager growing up in Jamaica playing with my friends of different Ethnicity I did not see race nor did I use it as an excuse to isolate myself. However, some might argue that racism†¦show more content†¦The first question to come to mind was, they went through all that to pass security? I was baffled as how Trevor was when he first landed in America and was mistaken as someone of Sp anish descent. What I observed that day in the terminal I reflected back on that day as an icebreaker which to help ease me into what lies ahead. My father’s explanation to why that scenario played out the way it did, I began to analyze things in a different perspective, especially when I am watching a movie and a character of a different descent did something without a justifiable reason, predominantly to a black character It would lead me to believe that their motive for such action was simply due to some degree of racism. Despite the fact that racism is well and alive in today s era, I still find it hard to accept; the concept of bringing hatred or harm to another because of their distinct physical characteristics. The ideology that energizes the production of one being racist is sadistic, and cannot be justified without concluding that the individual has some degree of mental illness. In other words, the motive to terrorize someone mentally or physically to satisfied a d emonic entitlement to feel superiority. That same logic and think was used to convince others of the same descent that slavery was a tenable. Acts of such plainly show you how profoundly America holds on to its past. My personal experience of becoming a victim of discriminated due to racial intent began after aShow MoreRelatedThemes In Walking While Black By Garnette Cadogan873 Words   |  4 PagesScrolling through the possible essays, it didn’t take long to find one that was eye catching. Walking While Black, by Garnette Cadogan, caught my attention for obvious reasons. The author takes a personal story that shows his interests-walking that is very current and understandable to most audiences. Cadogan depicts one of the terrors black men risk enduring everyday life in the United States. 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According to American Fact Finder it has an estimated population of 32, 821 with the margin of error being 1550. Of the 32,821 population, there are only 1543 whites (4.7%) populating the Jamaica area of Queens while the community is heavily populated with blacks with the fact finder coming up with 24,847 Black or African American (74.6%) that resides there. The other 6431 left of the populationsRead MoreAnalysis Of Claude Mckay s If We Must Die 928 Words   |  4 Pagesmoved to America from Jamaica in the early 1900’s. He moved several times before settling in Harlem, New York where he became an important part of the H arlem Renaissance. During his life in America, he wrote numerous pieces of literature from essays, short stories, poems, and more. In the early 1900’s, life in the South was difficult for colored people because of segregation. Thus, the experience of racism motivated him to write poetry. He wrote about peasant life in Jamaica to poems that challengeRead More Plantation and Race in the Caribbean Essay1738 Words   |  7 Pagesplantations. The Issue of Race Perhaps out of personal experience and perhaps out of direct experience with people of the Caribbean, Michelle Cliff makes, by far, the biggest deal out of the race issue and the role that it played (and still plays) in Jamaica. Benitez-Rojo and Mintz certainly mention race as a factor in determining social status as well, but they do not base their articles on this. Cliff dedicates both Abeng and her article to this issue. It seems to have touched her in a way that theRead MoreThemes and Characters of Coffee for the Road by Alex la Guma, The Green Leaves by Grace Ogot and See me in me Benz and Ting by Hazel D. Campbell826 Words   |  4 Pagesnumerous short stories of different cultures and traditions, various themes and language choices are common, it is clear that these themes and language choices all play a major role which will essentially be the central focus in this essay. This essay will centre around three stories, Coffee for the Road by Alex la Guma, The Green Leaves by Grace Ogot and See me in me Benz and Ting by Hazel D. Campbell. I will also make sure to focus and explore characterisation and settingRead MoreCaribbean History: THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF INDENTURESHIP ON THE BRITISH CARIBBEAN BETWEEN THE PERIOD OF 1838 AND 19211629 Words   |  7 Pagesoccupations were limited, ex-slaves had no choice but to continue plantation work. For example, planters in Barbados and St Kitts had very little difficulty in accessing labor in the post-emancipation period. It was in the large territories such as Jamaica, British Guiana and Trinidad that planters faced such difficulty and had to turn to immigration schemes as an alternative labor source (Beckles Hilary McD., 2004). Another benefit was that they could spend less for more work; cheap pay for largeRead MoreNorth Atlantic Slave Trade2518 Words   |  11 PagesHIST1105 Essay Question: Edward Long justified slavery in 1774 by arguing that black Africans’ â€Å"narrow intellect† and â€Å"bestial smell† implied that they might almost be of a different species. What part did racism play in establishing and maintaining the north Atlantic slave trade? Response: With the discovery and colonisation of the New World, white Europeans had to establish a workforce to perform the transformation of vast areas of land. Massive vegetation clearance, road constructionRead MoreSmall Island and a Concise English-Chinese Dictionary for Lovers1429 Words   |  6 Pagesto communicate â€Å"Other† sees working hard to gain citizenship as the way out (Trottier Arsenault, 2011, 56). In this essay I chose to compare and contrast the two cases of literature first by Levy, â€Å"Small Island†; and Xiaolu Guo’s â€Å"a concise Chinese-English dictionary for lovers†. Of importance to note is that Levy an English writer who traces her origins to the islands of Jamaica. Her parents sailed to England from where she was born (Levy, 2010, 15). On the other hand Xiaolu was born in China.