Inequality And Racism In American Society

Paper Name Institution Paper Inequality in the American society is a contentious issue that tends to elicit diverse emotions and opinions from people across the social divide irrespective of race or status within the community. It is a universal topic touching on every individual that is concern for the well-being and structuring of a society seeking to foster collective responsibility in national development as a unit. It is with this task in mind that scholars such as Glenn Loury and David Brooks try to find the underlying factors hindering the American society from forming an integrated community beyond the social constrictions of race and culture. Loury challenges the current generation to identify itself with the reality of racial injustices evident in the American society that divides social and economic opportunities according to color as a step towards solving inequity in the community. Brooks, on the other hand, points out at the extent of divisiveness existing within the United States making equality through integration a dream that is far from the reach of common individuals irrespective of their social or cultural backgrounds. Affirmative action, a concept supported by Loury's sentiments, seeks to bring balance to work-related scenarios and thus breed equality in the community. It is a step towards the right direction, but one has to ask themselves whether it is enough to bridge the social diversity that is gradually driving apart the American society. Brook’s comprehensive approach takes into the account the intricate aspects, often overlooked, that further divides the community and hence making the goal of overcoming diversity a realization further from the reach of all the concerned parties. Diversity, is a reality within the American society and overcoming its challenges, which include inequality, demands more than the mere fight against racism at all levels of the community. Race is one of the factors with which social or ethnic groups identify themselves or within which individuals freely share and associate with each other. However, it is evident that there exists some social constructs within the community developed by the people’s past inclinations that define their associations to one another. The social constrictions dictate an individual’s interaction with another who may have a different social, political, or economic background. The differences existed even before the gaining of American independence, with racial discrimination being inherited from the British colonial masters alongside their superiority complex. Social injustices through racism and economic segmentation thus took precedence of the American society long time ago and the task of correcting social differences left to the subsequent generations. Loury identifies various situations where affirmative action plays a significant role in creating balance through equitable distribution of opportunities across the racial divide. Proponents, however, dispute its noble goal racial identification who seek to enhance the differences among social groups through generalization of ideologies terming them unsuitable for a certain faction or beneficial to another one at the expense of the other. After all, he purports, “In America, people identify and ...