hemselves that it would help destroy the Vietcong. Self-justification is apparent even in todays society. Humans are always searching for excuses to justify our actions towards one another.The need to compete for possessions, jobs, and status causes people to feel animosity towards other ethnic groups. For example, during the 1800s the Chinese occupied many of the jobs building railroads; this made the Anglo-Americans angry, they felt as if the Chinese were taking over the job market. In turn, this led the Chinese to become victims of open discrimination and hostility (571). Although the Chinese were already barred from schools and the court system, the Anglo-Americans felt that the Chinese immigrants were taking away Americans jobs. The Anglo-Americans felt threatened. It was not until the Chinese workers retreated into Chinatowns and entered specialty occupations not in competition with whites did the intense hostility abate (571).Racism is a major problem that stems from prejudice. Hatred towards ethnic groups different from our own may be a mechanism to take out our internal frustrations on or it might just be to have someone to blame for societys problems. Some may try to convince themselves that racism no longer exists, but in fact, we live in a world full of hate toward on another. Whether it is because of a persons skin color or the religion that one chooses to follow, mankind is socialized to develop bias opinions of the other group. Maybe it is because we are afraid of opening ourselves up to others or that we feel threatened by them. Shelby Steele, a researcher at Stanford University says, What Americans fear are the sacrifices and risks that true racial harmony demands (622). People filter their perceptions of the world and other people through their own past experiences, this may lead to categorizing individuals solely based on appearance rather than actually getting to know the person. People are afraid of ch...
