Essay Example on Xenophobia & Racism: A Global Scourge

Introduction

Xenophobia is the fear of and is dislike for people who are perceived to be foreign inhabiting a given country. It amplifies perceived conflict between foreign and domestic and it manifests in part as fighting and conflicts between the two groups. Racism is the discrimination of people on the basis of their skin color and it is a group that is minor or marginalized in a country or a certain environment. Both racism and xenophobia are practices in the whole world (Liang, 2016). Racism is, however, prevalent in the European countries especially America where systemic racism has seen protests condemning the matter. Xenophobia is also prevalent in European countries but it is more prevalent in African countries such as South Africa where white people are blamed for the woes of the countries past.

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Cultural Perspectives and Inequities

There are different cultural perspectives about black people in white-majority countries. As a county, America was built on the labor of slaves during the slave trading error (Du Bois, 2017). Many black people were transported through land and sea to come and work in European industries such as agriculture. Africans' culture was eroded, and they had to assimilate Western culture and forget their African roots and culture. The white majority see black people as intrusive individuals who should not be in their country because of resins such as taking up jobs. In Europe, cultural perspective and inequality are more pronounced than in Africa. Cultural disparities stem from differences in treatment, recognition, and status. Cultural variations in Europe spew over to the minority groups as language recognition of African minorities living in Europe is not shared. African minorities have to adopt speaking the language of their adoptive countries because their language is not allowed in the states they inhabit in the west.

The opposite is correct for the African continent because a majority have adopted languages from their colonial countries. In Europe, there are a few languages supreme and signify dominance over the other ethnic groups. An overview of all words in Europe sees a predominance of Western Languages as official and unofficial languages of every state. Inequalities are not just in languages alone, there is no recognition of ethnocultural practices, and there is not support from the governments as customs adopted in the running of a state are not visible of a unified government promoting ethnic equality. Inequalities between majority and minority ethnic groups are widespread, and it runs into public entities that are supposed to be fair and protect both ethnic majorities and minorities. Hiring procedures for the minority are different; it is hard to get employed if an individual is of color. Often they have to work harder or exhibit extraordinary abilities to get a chance.

Treatment from government agencies like the police shines a light on the inequalities that happen across Europe and other parts of the world. Black minorities, as seen in America, are treated differently from their white counterpart when at the hands of the police. Black people are killed by the police unnecessarily. There is no accountability for the actions of the police. In recent days, riots have rocked the United States and other countries around the world, protesting against police brutality. In many prisons around the globe, majorly in Europe, the largest population is of the minority white. The administration of justice for black people is on a thin thread; cases of mistaken identity and unlawful arrest are widespread. It, therefore, promotes wrongful detention and imprisonment of minority groups. Research has established that it is easier for black people in Europe to receive prison sentences than their white counterparts. Inequality is widespread even in learning is institutions. The government gives little funding to schools located in neighborhoods inhabited by a majority of black people. The amenities at the schools in comparison to schools where the majority are white are different.

Much of attention is given to the majority of whites, and they can quickly get into prestigious colleges compared to their black counterparts. The existence of systemic racism in America has been pronounced as seen from the happenings of recent events. Promotions at places of work, including pay, are not equal. There is inequality in salaries and promotions, with the white majority getting the upper hand when promotions are issued and a tremendous parity in the amount of pay for each employee. Minority groups receive the lowest salary and mostly spend a lot of years in the same job position, and getting a pay rise is often hard. The inequalities are evident in the residences of black people. There is residential segregation where black neighborhoods do not have developed infrastructure such as roads, and if existent, they are not up to par compared to white residences.

Healthcare is also another area where there are segregation and discrimination of minority groups in Europe and other regions around the world. There is less health insurance for black people in Europe and other parts of the world. It is evident by the high number of black people dying from the coronavirus. Research shows most black people do not have medical insurance and, therefore, cannot take medical bills or seek medical attention from better hospitals. It is expensive to find medical care in America without healthcare insurance. Homelessness is another factor for inequality because previous research shows that there are more than 800000 homeless people in the United States alone (Lasode, 2019). A considerable number of people are blacks and mostly male. There is little intergenerational income mobility among minority groups around the world. The rate at which minority groups in employment positions are moving from lower ranks to higher positions of pay is minimal compared to majority white groups. The disparity is enormous as evidence points out from a study in 1994 to date many of the people in employment remained in the same positions ten years later.

Bad jobs where there are less pay and much work are left for the minority groups. In such posts, the employees do not have assurances for health and retirement benefits. These jobs often involve hard labor and less flexible working conditions with those working under a part-time basis suffering the most. There is also massive unemployment among minority groups worldwide, especially black people living in Europe and other western countries. The rate of unemployment is so high that most youths resort to illegal activities to make a living. There are fewer opportunities and initiatives by the government to stem such rising unemployment figures. Wealth inequality clearly shows the measure of the difference in western countries such as America. It is evident from research that most of the wealth is concentrated in white households. Job losses are more in minority groups, and the coronavirus pandemic has clearly shown the extent to which the vice is widespread.

The immigration policies of countries in the west vary, and most are not favorable to immigrants. In recent days, there have been reports of immigrants being turned away or their boats being overturned. Due to his legislation and ideologies towards immigration, immigrants have received more hostility from the United States from the Trump administration. In other countries of Europe. Immigrants have been deported upon arrival, and others placed in camps where their living conditions are deplorable. Inequalities and changes in cultural perspectives have existed since the start of humanity. The advancement of humans has, however, amplified the injustices and inequalities witnessed around the world. The atrocities committed as a result of racism and xenophobia have reverberated the need for peaceful co-existence. Changes and reforms are required in different levels of society to ensure the world moves towards an age of unity and cohesion.

Ethical Implications

Xenophobia and racism have huge implications worldwide and ethics is just one of the pillars of humanity it attacks. There has been an increase in Utilitarian rule where decisions are made to favor a certain majority (Fok et al., 2016). In America for example, Donald trump failing to acknowledge the scope of racism in the country instead making utterances and decisions for the majority. Such leadership for the betterment of majority is seen all over the world. It makes it difficult for the minority groups such as blacks and immigrants to survive in their countries of residence. Utilitarian rule or authority is not just in government but also in work place and other social institutions. In work places however it is more pronounced. People at the helm of leadership such as CEOs make authoritarian decisions with an aim of favoring the majority at the work place. The procedures of hiring and wage allocations are done for majority benefit. The leadership style is systemic stretching to all social institutions in most countries of the world. Such leadership causes uncertainty and destabilizes a country and creates atmospheres of tension arising to protests. The aim to achieve a maximum good for a given group always infringes on the minority group. Xenophobia and racism therefore has ethical implications in that a majority can like a minority group only when it is beneficial and turn things round as soon as the situation is reversed.

Ethical Theories based on rights pre-suppose that rights endorsed by society are protected and regarded with the highest priority. The right are correct in ethical considerations because they are practiced by the majority of society and should therefore be protected and upheld at all times. Rights can also be given to individuals because they have the resources and ability. Xenophobia and racism tips these scales. The majority see the minority as not deserving of the same rights as themselves due to their numbers. The individuals who are in positions of power such as congress men and women have the power to bestow and enforce the rights as guaranteed in a countries constitution. However the leaders continue with racism and xenophobic behaviors by denying rights and freedoms to the minority because they have the power and resources. Racism inverts the presupposition of the majority, of equal rights and freedoms. The goal for the founding father of America was to uphold the freedom and rights of all in the society but racism and xenophobia has threatened to disrupt the peaceful co-existence. In countries such as South Africa, xenophobic attacks have been directed to properties owned by whites Africans believing they have the rights to the properties. Such attacks are wide spread all over the globe bring imbalance and a disrespect for people’s rights.

The virtuousness of a person’s character is judge by their actions. As virtue theories reiterate, a person’s judgment is from their virtuous character rather than deviation from the normal acceptable behavior. Racism and xenophobic individuals deviate from virtuous characteristic by subjecting other individuals in society to discrimination. Racism is an exhibition of change in moral character and it has a huge implication on the way people treat one another in the society. A change in character can affect all level of society from the highest level of governance to the highest level. People treat others in a certain way in so far as they have relations on a given common factor. It creates rifts among people because it creates a disunity among people of different ethnicity creating stronger units in each group that in turn spews out as hatred.