Critical Thinking Responses to the Readings About Racism

Critical Thinking Responses to the Readings
Name
Institutional Affiliation
Critical Thinking Responses to the Readings
Carter and Murphy's primary focus is that different racial groups have varying opinions about the nature and extent of racism in the United States. Most Blacks consider racial-based discrimination and oppression being significantly high and rampant. The case, however, is different when considering the perception of whites since the majority did not perceive racism being a severe issue in the United States. In support of the supposition, Carter and Murphy (2015) inform that 53% of African Americans consider racism a critical point in the country, whereas only 17% of whites have a similar opinion. The difference in views based on racial affiliation, arguably, is a derivative of experience. It suffices to say that African Americans were the principal victims of racial exploitation and oppression throughout American history. From the days of slavery to segregation and the current issues of police brutality, blacks have experienced more significant discrimination than whites. As a result, there is a sense in which African Americans are becoming highly sensitive to any form of racial discrimination with the idea that its toleration would encourage more racism in the country. As a result, the mild paranoia renders most blacks extra vigilant in observing how whites relate with them. Parallel to the argument, Carter and Murphy (2015) assert that “Blacks are motivated to deter early warning signs that they or another ingroup member will become a target of racism, adopting lower thresholds for cues that suggest racism” (p.271). The perspective stems from the social categorization theory.
On the other hand, whites have been privileged to live in the country without significant threat.Results show that they are not as sensitive as black because of developing a perception that they are safe in the country. Whites r...