It was decades ago when the world was dealing with racism in such a public way, where everyone knew that these battles for equality were going on. Today, society tries to convince the public that racism is a thing of the past, and that attitudes and violence towards different races has nothing to do with being raciest, more so that it is only a problem with certain individuals. How naive does society look? The issues that make up the news stories every night are not problems between individuals, but problems with racism. Racism has not left our society, it is very strong, but it is handled in a way to make it look like this decade old problem is under control. This ignorant acceptance of the issues is demonstrated in the control of media to convince people that racism is a thing of the past, the treatment of the Ferguson killing, and the treatment of people willing to speak up and protest about today's racism reality. Society needs to stop turning a blind eye to the real issues and pretending that nothing is wrong; racism is all too real and present in society and real punishments need to be given if society ever hopes to gain true equality between all people.
The image below reflects now racism was handled in the past. This clear segregation and racist behaviour was front and center in the media and many people were convinced that this was the way to handle race situations. These images are from decades ago, and are looked upon as outrageous and ridiculous by society, as they think back wondering, “how were we ever so discriminatory to others?” The reality is, society hasn't moved past this way of thinking, it just isn't as obvious in the media and community. The image is set up so that the clear divide between races is highlighted as well as the treatment and station of each race. This is demonstrated by the water fountains on either end of the picture frame, making sure they aren't too close together, and the quality of water fountain for the “white” people verses the “black” people.
Today, society tries to hide racism and cover up the stories and the attitude so that people believe that discrimination is over and equality has been reached. The below political cartoon demonstrates how the government and media makers are trying to convince society that everything is much better today and that racism is over. However, the bottom part of the cartoon shows how evil can “rear it's ugly head” and that society cannot keep the truth concealed forever. This is shown by ‘racist problems and people” popping out of the water, suggesting that racism is always under the surface of the issues and cannot be kept under wraps.
The image below shows 3 significant symbols to demonstrate how society has come together to stand up for what they feel is just unjust. Theses unjust practices of police brutality and racism has lead those in Ferguson, Missouri, to fear life in their own community more so than simply living their life and dying of old age. The Ferguson trial is about the unjust murder of a young boy named Michael Brown, who was shot by a white cop after signaling his surrender to authority by putting his hands up, this explains why the subjects in the photo below all have their hands up. The hands up with an open palm symbolizes surrender, the look of obeying what's being told, given instructions by officers. This act of surrender gives the police no reason to take brutal actions towards young, black males walking the streets of Ferguson, Missouri. The closed fist, by the man in the center of the image, is an iconic symbol used back in the 60’s as a way to demonstrate power, more specifically, power that a group of people can create. Lastly, the signs the subjects in the image hold represents the peace society wants, and what they want the police to see. These signs demonstrate where their thought process is when it comes to their comfort in the community. The sign “AM I NEXT?” really stood out because it displays fear, and the acknowledgement of the unfortunate loss that took place with Brown and might take place again any day, even tomorrow. These signs not only show fear but they show frustration as well, Ferguson, Missouri, is getting treatment they do not want and it is sad that this treatment never seems to end or be acknowledged.
Lastly, the image below highlights the peaceful nature of protests and how the police often escalate the situation to a level of violence. Often, protests are groups of people marching together, holding signs and shouting their concerns. As shown in the image below, protests are often peaceful and used to show society of the real issues. An unarmed young man attempting to hold together a chain of people to positively fight against the officers that are trying to negatively instigate the situation is shown in the foreground, and is clearly in focus, telling the viewer that they are the real subjects of the image and should be focused on. The background shows the police in all of their riot gear, packed together, ready to fight. The police are blurry which suggests that the individuals don’t matter, but instead they are a symbol of power and control. What makes the police more interesting is that they are all white males. This enhances the photographer’s message of racism and police brutality.
http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2014/08/police_brutality_toward_black_and_brown_youths_reflects_disregard_for_their.html
In conclusion, till this day the world’s approach to racism is abolished but in fact it’s truly not; it is still around and as strong as ever. It is handled in a way to make it look like this decade old problem is under control. This ignorant acceptance of the issues is demonstrated in the control of media to convince people that racism is a thing of the past, the way the Ferguson killing was handled and is still being looked at, and the way police brutality control individuals that are peacefully trying to make a difference in a world covered in racism. If society wants to truly end racism and make this issue a problem of the past, then stronger punishments and truthful media coverage needs to start being implemented. Racism is a problem that cannot be extinguished until the people creating it are silenced and convinced that they are only creating a problem, instead of solving one.
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