Does racism still exist today? Yes, of course. Is it still large enough to send a crime to a national level? That question is up for debate. Has society making such a big deal about racism given birth to the race card? Richard Thompson Ford thinks so. Racism exists, all can agree upon that. Many people use threats about discrimination to their advantage. When that happens, that is called playing the race card. Ford writes about a "crime" committed against a young girl named Tawana Brawley, "When her clothes were removed, the markings were stark and unambiguous: the words "n-----(fill in the blanks)" "bi---" and "KKK" were scrawled on Brawley's torso in black charcoal" (Ford 1). After this incident, Brawley went to the hospital, and later to the police station where she identified an unnamed, unidentified white cop. The nation went into a frenzy, all over a simple rape case. Al Sharpton got involved. Ford writes, "Sharpton-not-Brawley-named names, accusinga local police officer, who later committed suicide, and assistant district attorney... who later sued Sharpton for defamation" (Ford 4). Racism has transformed this nation into one that will allow big names to cause suicides over an unproven case. The race card has been played.
How and why is the race card played? Tawana Brawley didn't set out to make an officer commit suicide. So the question is, why? Ford describes, "... used a claim of racial bias in order to gain something they didn't deserve- notoriety, attention, money, public support of their controversial racial politics" (Ford 7). We live in a society where anybody can claim something with minimal evidence to get a desired thing. The nation will over react to a minor thing even if it was true. But the question is, why does it work? America must need at least some evidence. Ford describes, "They (claims of racial bias) "work" because there are enough similar verified case for the lies and exaggerations to seem plausible" (Ford 8). Just because there were cases of police raping young black women in the sixties, it means that there could be one today. I am not a racist, but this nation has gone from freedom of expression, to freedom of expression, as long as its what we tell you. Racists went from those who's opinions differed, to social pariahs.
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The irony (based on the past anyway) is that the more racist people of today are the black people and the mexicans over the whites. Take O'bama's victory in the presidential race for example; the black men and women of the south rallied behind him because he was finally a candidate like them. This is racism. You don't have to say you're better to be racist. Just follow the color and, you too, are racist.
It seems no matter what happens, racism will always exist. As we discussed in Mrs. Froehlich's classroom cultural clashes/racism appears due to the ignorance that people seem to have towards other races. Just as Justin states racism can be taken in many different forms so even if you say you aren't a racist, to others you may be one. The concept of "Racism" in general is one that is often debated.
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