The modern American society is characterized by the racial diversity. Unfortunately, the major social groups often feel hostility to the ethnic minority groups and express it by rights violations or social oppressions. Throughout the history, it happened for very different reasons: the competition for the financial resources or the political domination, etc. The movie “Selma” tells one of the most famous stories about the discrimination and its overcoming on a national scale.
It describes the efforts of a prominent public figure, Martin Luther King, to fight against injustice. Although the segregation of African Americans in the USA has ended before the 1960s, the period described in the movie, the Blacks continued to face discrimination on the everyday basis. Mr. King’s attempts to put the racism to an end has eventually provoked the positive impacts on the social environment in the country but the oppressions on the racial basis, frequently small or indirect, happen even today.
In adolescence, the discrimination against races wasn’t so obvious to me because there were only Latinos and Blacks in my school. The college populace is more diverse in this regard. The existence of cultural and ethnic prejudices in the society became more obvious, and sometimes I had a chance to witness the intercultural conflicts and racial discrimination. Usually, I let people express their opinions and never interfere with their personal perceptions of the various social and cultural phenomena. I believe in the freedom of though and sharing ideas. However, it’s hard to stand when people are prejudiced against races.
The Hispanics are exposed to discrimination as well as the African Americans. It is possible to say that Hispanic community is distinct in the USA, and the level of its cultural assimilation in the American hosting culture is not that high. The majority of Hispanics, especially the older generations, stay loyal to their customs and traditions, and many of them feel reluctant to study the English language. The high rates of the illegal penetration into the country have also affected the Hispanics’ image negatively.
Although, there are the people with the illegal status who live in the USA, there is also a great number of legit citizens emigrated from the Hispanic countries who simply want to enjoy all their rights and be treated respectfully in their newly found homeland.
In my opinion, mass media play one of the crucial roles in the dissemination of information about the tolerance, ethnic acceptance, and fight against the rights violation. In “Selma,” they have shown how the mass media provoked the White American population to stand for the rights of Black people despite the common negative perceptions regarding the minor ethnic groups. The TV broadcasted the violence against the King’s movement participants, and it induced a tremendous turmoil in the audience of different races.
When talking about the modern-day situation, the mass media often addresses the issue of the illegal residents from Mexico and other Hispanic countries and discussing this issue from a negative perspective. It provokes the public hostility towards the Hispanics, and this attitude affects their life in a wrong way. The perceived discrimination has a negative impact on the social and professional performance. The depression and the different forms of anxiety are becoming more and more common among the Hispanic youth, and the failure to feel oneself accepted and to deal with the enmity and underestimation of one’s talents and capabilities are the main causes for this.
In my opinion, it is fine to talk about the illegal activities on the television – people need to know about the real situation. But at the same time, the mass media need to provoke the feeling of ethnic tolerance and emphasize the importance of the unprejudiced treatment of people. Each person must be treated according to his/her inner characteristics, talents, and morality and never mistreated because of the racial prejudices.