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Turner Hess

Mrs. Martin

Critical Discourse

27 November 2017

Perspective Essay

Social division is inevitable. Plain and simple, there will always be something that

divides us, whether its a language barrier, cultural barrier, or a physical barrier as our President

so fervently desires. Theyve existed since the beginning of humanity, and have been a driving

force of hatred and evil. From the persecution of Jewish people by the Egyptians, Romans, and

Nazis of Germany, to the conquering of native tribes by Europeans and Americans in search of

superiority, and the enslavement of people of color followed by their segregation from the rest of

America in recent memory, division has been a pillar for the advancement of society since the

first societies.

But now the world is becoming a more global society as the introduction of new

technology allows us to connect with people wed otherwise never interact with. Technology like

this sees no barriers, and our society is beginning to recognize this, too. In order for our society

to be global, we now have to bridge these social divisions. Social structures such as race, gender

and sexuality, and religion have all been sources of division that can be reconciled. But in order

to do so, these very similar yet very different issues have to be picked apart until maybe, just

maybe, we find a theme amongst them all.

RACE
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Maybe the most thought of topic when it comes to division, racial structures have a long history

of creating division, both in our nation and around the world. The advantages of diversity when it

comes to race cannot be understated. Culture thrives with diversity, as race often brings with it

an ethnicity that should be celebrated for its uniqueness. Often times, however, this aspect of

race ignored because of stereotypes that form around race. Stereotypes lead to racism, which

results in unnecessary conflict in todays society, both at home and around the world.

So how did we get here? What specifically triggers these stereotypes in humans? Well,

theres a historically simple answer. Towards the beginning of civilization, different people

groups would live together in small nations. These people groups, when they would interact,

often saw a different race first, which would be assumed as bad since they were foreign and

unlike their own people. This original stereotyping not only increased cultural differences, but

also spurred the rise and fall of many early civilizations due to their quests for superiority. We

even see this played out during the discovery of the New World and the idea of Manifest Destiny

in America, as different people groups would see their land conquered and the people themselves

either enslaved or forcefully assimilated into the new culture.

Today, racial division still exists, and it's mostly due to these stereotypes that have risen.

In America, the division between the white majority and the black, Latino, Hispanic, Native

American, Middle Eastern, and Asian minorities can be traced back to how these groups have

been viewed. Many Native Americans were pushed out of their lands and forced onto settlements

during the expansion of the United States. Black people had been slaves in this country for

nearly 90 years, and many were enslaved under the old British colonies. Segregation of colored

people from white people only gave these people fewer opportunities to succeed. Asian,

Hispanic, and Latino people have faced immigration struggles, with many forming their own
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communities that are somewhat isolated from the rest of the country within inner cities or near

borders. And even today, stereotypes around Middle Eastern people continue to grow due to

terrorism, while there appears to be a new conversation around law enforcement and the African

American community, and a wall is being proposed to keep out Mexican immigrants.

All of these issues contribute to the division that we see today. So the question now is

this: can we rid ourselves of the causes of division? Well, I believe we have already made some

progress. The Civil Rights movement in the 1960s certainly helped make strides towards the

benefit of all races. This opened the door for African Americans to finally integrate into all

aspects of society, from institutions such as education and politics to athletics to, yes, even the

growth of black cartoonists as they had been underrepresented in even this profession (Chang,

33). Just nine years ago, we elected our first African American president, ushering in a new

sense of peace when it came to racial tensions. But if you ask most Americans today, they would

still say that theres a race problem here. Targeting of law enforcement officers due to their

alleged racial profiling has become a focal point for the revival of this struggle in recent years.

Americas police forces have come under scrutiny for the treatment of minorities, especially

African Americans, within the last few years, and the call to reform and action has fallen on the

ears of ignorance.

Yes, our country, our ever growing global society, is becoming ignorant of the issues that

people who arent like us face. Weve all heard the term white privilege before, and if you

havent then quickly Google search it and youll be well aware. Although this isnt what the term

is often used to represent, ignorance like this is our privilege. The white majority in this country

has the freedom to look away from these issues, as they dont directly affect us (Key). But if we

want to truly be a cause for change, we must lay down [our] privilege (Key). We cant turn
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away from the rest of the world that is hurting and being mistreated due to their skin color

because it is convenient. That in itself is a much stronger form of racism that cannot be easily

fixed with policy and government mandate. It instead requires special attention to each group of

people that has been or is being oppressed in our society.

GENDER

One of these people groups, currently making up about 50 percent of the global population, and a

more recently noticed form of division, has emerged with the Womens Rights movement: one

based on gender. The idea of gender equality is new in historical terms, as basic womens rights

have only been established in America within the last 100 years. But in our increasingly global

society, women have rejected the traditional roles of housekeeping and have begun striving for

success in all sectors of public life.

At least, thats whats happening in America. Women in this country have been their own

source of empowerment since the 19th Amendment was passed in 1920, allowing them to

become citizens and obtain voting rights. Since then, women have found ways to greatly

contribute to American life, from volunteering as factory workers during World War II, to

second-wave feminism securing workplace, educational, and recreational rights in the 1970s, to

today having women in leadership positions for large companies and encouraging diversity in

male-dominated STEM professions.

But around the world, these rights and freedoms are not equally experienced. In the

political realm, for instance, only 23.3% of the worlds legislature is made up of women. In

2014, only 47% of women worldwide are employed, and at least 155 countries had a legal

restriction on the kind of work women can do in 2015. Womens wages that year were found to

be 60-75% on average around the world. (Womankind.org)

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However, the most appalling cause of division between men and women is the violence

experienced by women. 1 in 3 women around the world experience violence. 38 percent of all

females murdered in the world are murdered by their partners. Many of these partnerships are

forced, with over 700 million women married off before the age of 18. One in every 10 women

has experienced sexual violence, with over 200 million females in 30 countries undergoing

genital mutilation (Womankind.org).

This side of the divide doesnt escape America, either. Women are only paid 83 cents for

every dollar earned by a man (Brown). And the increase in sexual harassment claims in

Hollywood and in government is a stark reminder of the divide that we face.

These statistics are tragic. Whats more tragic is that in many countries women dont

have a voice in government and cannot change laws that prevent them from protecting

themselves or advancing in society. Those that have the opportunity to use their voice for change

are often silenced by the fear of not being believed or losing their position in their career. Casey

Brown stated that No one will ever pay you what you're worth. They'll only ever pay you what

they think you're worth, and you control their thinking. This concept isnt just a tool used to

increase a salary, but can be implemented to boost self-confidence and self-respect one has for

themselves (Brown). Women who find themselves in the positions stated above often have never

considered their own value when it comes to making decisions to open up about violence and

expose those who commit these acts. But it was this exact kind of thinking that won women the

rights that they do experience in America, and its that same thinking style that can inspire

women in other countries to do the same.

More importantly, however, this style of thinking forces others to recognize the value of

all people, which ultimately is what division all boils down to. So its going to take more than
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empowering women to end the gender division. And its going to take more than assimilating

minorities into society to build the bridge over race and ethnicity. A radical change in thinking

and acting has to occur, but one important social structure has a strong foothold on human

thinking and acting.

RELIGION

Yep, that word. A word that has been challenged time and time again by skeptics with the

advancement of science and the growing disorder that seems to be caused by it. Religion. Its a

pillar upon which the United States is founded upon, as well as many past and present nations

today. The majority of the world identifies as being a member of one of two religious groups.

Religion is inescapable, a constant in this division equation we must solve, but why is it so

important?

Every major world religion carries with it a moral code. The early Jews had their 10

Commandments, which laid out how they should act, intending to put them in line with their

God. Christianity and Judaism today follow a similar code that achieves the same purpose.

Muslims have the Quran, which contains their own rules which they believe is correct. Buddhist

follow the teachings of the Buddha to achieve Enlightenment. Hindus have their casts system

into which being morally good is important for promotion. Ancient civilizations such as the

Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Aztecs, Mayans, and countless others recognized a moral standard

that was to be followed to gain the blessings of their gods. Even those who identify as atheistic

or agnostic today recognize right and wrong and its importance in our society.

This moral code, this standard by which people live, is what allows us to even see racial

and gender division as a problem in the first place. The problem, however, is that religions dont
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always share what is believed to be morally right and morally wrong. Of course, this causes

conflict and division, this time at the core of who we are as humans.

How does this conflict occur? Well, lets say a we have two different people, Jake and

Tom for this example, with different religious beliefs. Jake steals a car from Tom because Jakes

religion says that its ok to steal from those of a different religion. Tom believes that stealing

from anyone is wrong, as dictated by his religion. The question is simple: was Tom wronged by

Jake? We dont know because we dont know which persons moral code is correct. All we

know is that either one of these codes is correct in this situation, or neither are correct and there

is still another code.

We see this in todays society as well. Groups such as ISIS believe that it is ok to kill

those of different religions, or infidels as Muslims would say. Christians, Jews, and many other

religions believe that murder of humans is wrong. The same dilemma is played out, and not only

does it cause conflicting worldviews, but by having these conflicting worldviews racial and

gender divisions that we see today might not even be issues depending on what you believe

about the world. In fact, how America, a historically Christian nation, views womens rights is

different than how Islamic countries view them. Forcing women to cover themselves and to not

go out in public without permission of a partner of father figure is seen as a violation of womens

rights here, but there it is seen as immoral for women to expose skin and to disobey a male.

Everyones worldview, whether dictated by religion or lack of one, will make people see

things differently. So how should we expect an end to this division in our society?

CONCLUSION

Basically, we have to understand the background and the reasons for why people feel the way

they do about these divisions. We as a society have to care about how the oppression of minority
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groups and women affects their lives today and why their struggles are still relevant. We need a

different kind of empathy (Haidt).

This kind of empathy isnt one we apply to those in physical need, but rather a kind that

shows compassion and an attempt to understand the other side of these divisions. We have to go

into the world with a love that puts aside what we think and listens to those who differ in what

we think. Myers states that when we do this, something really powerful and beautiful happens:

you start to realize that they are you, that they are part of you, that they are you in your family,

and then we cease to be bystanders and we become actors, we become advocates,and we become

allies.

Were all one human race. We all want to feel loved and accepted. We all want a chance

at life. As we become a global society, the only way for us to experience this everywhere is to

have these conversations, to have empathy for those who arent like you. Ultimately, for us to be

truly human, we have to love.

Works Cited

Brown, Casey. Know Your Worth, and Then Ask for It. TED. TEDxColumbusWomen, May

2015, Columbus,

www.ted.com/talks/casey_brown_know_your_worth_and_then_ask_for_it#t-488447.

Chang, Jeff. Who We Be: the Colorization of America. St. Martin's Press, 2014.
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Facts about Women's Rights. Women's Rights | Policy And Campaigns | Womankind, 2015,

www.womankind.org.uk/policy-and-campaigns/women's-rights/facts-about-women's-

rights.

Haidt, Jonathan, and Chris Anderson. Can a Divided America Heal? TED. TEDNYC, Nov.

2016, New York City, www.ted.com/talks/jonathan_haidt_can_a_divided_america_heal.

Key, Brian. Racial Reconciliation and the Gospel. Racial Reconciliation and the Gospel.

Racial Reconciliation and the Gospel, 5 Nov. 2017, Kansas City.

Myers, Verna. How to Overcome Our Biases? Boldly Walk toward Them. TED.

TEDxBeaconStreet, Nov. 2014, Boston,

www.ted.com/talks/verna_myers_how_to_overcome_our_biases_walk_boldly_toward_th

em.