Research is apparently revealing that American racial relationships have shifted from traditional racism to something called "racial resentment".
Tension between black and white persons is a long term American experience. As the 150th anniversary of the American Civil began earlier in April of 2011 and will continue for another four years, the issues of Civil War days will be analyzed and played out once more on the national stage.
Slavery of blacks (and others) was and is a cruel and inhuman commercializing of human beings. The economic side of race relationships is a continuing and harsh struggle. Apparently this is where racial resentment is crowding out the traditional nature of racism. Racial resentment is more difficult to recognize and yet has observable impacts.
The March 2011 edition of The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science is focused on "Race, Racial Attitudes, and Stratification Beliefs". Scholarly essays examine various aspects of the Evolving Directions of racial issues in America. David Wilson and Darren Davis in an article entitled "Reexamining Racial Resentment: Conceptualization and Content" propose that the measuring of racial attitudes using the "Explicit Racial Resentment" measure shows underling racial resentment.
Just why does this make any difference? I believe that as long as we American pretend that racism does not influence decisions and behaviors we have little chance of moving ahead on a just and fair society. Racism means that powerful sectors of society demean and stereotype other less powerful groups of people as inferior and inadequate, perhaps even less human.
Tension between black and white persons is a long term American experience. As the 150th anniversary of the American Civil began earlier in April of 2011 and will continue for another four years, the issues of Civil War days will be analyzed and played out once more on the national stage.
Slavery of blacks (and others) was and is a cruel and inhuman commercializing of human beings. The economic side of race relationships is a continuing and harsh struggle. Apparently this is where racial resentment is crowding out the traditional nature of racism. Racial resentment is more difficult to recognize and yet has observable impacts.
The March 2011 edition of The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science is focused on "Race, Racial Attitudes, and Stratification Beliefs". Scholarly essays examine various aspects of the Evolving Directions of racial issues in America. David Wilson and Darren Davis in an article entitled "Reexamining Racial Resentment: Conceptualization and Content" propose that the measuring of racial attitudes using the "Explicit Racial Resentment" measure shows underling racial resentment.
Just why does this make any difference? I believe that as long as we American pretend that racism does not influence decisions and behaviors we have little chance of moving ahead on a just and fair society. Racism means that powerful sectors of society demean and stereotype other less powerful groups of people as inferior and inadequate, perhaps even less human.
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