ke of and contempt for minorities. Racism, it is said, is subtle: it is disguised, kept out of sight." Avoiding minorities on the street and denial of a public benefit to a minority which would be awarded to a white are examples of covert racism. "Since it is no longer politically correct to openly express one's racist views, people therefore favor disguised, indirect ways to express their bigotry" . Covert racism is the most abundant form of racism in our society today. In the past, our society has seen many forms of major racial discrimination. One such topic that affected North America was the use of blacks as slaves. During the eighteenth and nineteenth century and into the early stages of the twentieth century, black people were thought of as inferior to the whites. Since no laws were passed at the time, plantation owners used many blacks as slaves. Before slavery was abolished, it hurt and killed an immense number of people. During World War II (1939-1945), Adolf Hitler persecuted Jewish people by taking them to concentration camps. At these camps they would be gassed to death after doing hard work for the Germans. Another major event in history was the killing of many Soviets during Stalin's Great Purge. During this period, any Soviet citizen who was heard questioning or opposing Stalin's ideas for the country was quickly annihilated with the use of Stalin's Secret Service. Again, millions were killed because of one person's beliefs.What causes racial prejudice? Our textbook gives these four reasons:1. Influence of tradition2. Psychological need of individuals to belong to a particular, identifiable group.3. Building up ego by cultivating a feeling of superiority.4. Usefulness of prejudice as an economic and political weapon. Practically since the dawn of man's existence man has undoubtedly noticed differences between races. "Racism's presence throughout the formation of our culture is quite evident". Frequently througho...
