About Multiracialism

The Impact of Culture on Society

The culture of any society has a profound impact on its growth. Culture not only provides people identities, but it also governs how they interact with one another. Different components of culture, such as race and gender, remain important in any society. According to Gaither (2015), the world is not just made up of people of different races, but also of people who are multiracial. These are people who have ancestors from two or more races. Although multiracial people have the advantage of being able to associate with either race, they face a barrier in determining their preferred identity, which may expose them to psychological difficulties. Growing up, I had a multiracial friend of black/white origin. My friend faced a myriad of challenges as he was subjected to jokes as a result of his inability to be identified with a specific race. His failure to contain the jokes surrounding his race resulted in him being defensive and would most of the time withdraw from interacting with his peers. It resulted in him only associating with a couple of trusted friends. Though I pitied him, I could not understand why he failed to utilize the opportunity to associate with both of the races as his cultural identity, keeping in mind his dad was white and mom black.

The Role of Perspective Taking

Perspective taking plays a critical role in fostering respect for people outside our grouping. It ensures that we not only empathize with their situation but also ensures that we understand them and embrace them for who they are. Despite my friend being ridiculed for being a multiracial individual; a few who looked at the whole scenario from his point of view and accepted him for he had no control over who he was thus was accepted by some of us.

The Challenge of Racial Discrimination

The challenge of racial discrimination in the American society is mostly as a result of as a result of little perspective taking, especially from the purveyors of the vice. According to Hughey (2015), the rise in police gun violence against the blacks across the United States is a scenario in need of perspective taking from the public. Every citizen needs to condemn any form of racial discrimination for the benefit of the whole society. The need to practice perspective taking is thus paramount if wholesome societal development is to be achieved.

References

Hughey, M. W. (2015). The five I’s of five-O: racial ideologies, institutions, interests, identities, and interactions of police violence. Critical Sociology, 41(6), 857-871.

Gaither, S. E. (2015). “Mixed” Results Multiracial Research and Identity Explorations. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 24(2), 114-119.