Racism: An Epidemic and its Impact on Intercultural Communication

This article discusses the concept of racism as an epidemic and its impact on intercultural communication. It explores the effects of racism on individuals and society, highlighting the importance of acceptance and multiculturalism. The author shares personal experiences and insights, emphasizing the need to educate and raise awareness about the harmful effects of racism.

Running head: INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
Intercultural Communication
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Notes:

1INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
RACISM- An Epidemic
Racism can be defined as a prejudice that exist in the society where
one racial class believes that they are racially superior to the other. Racism
involves factors such as prejudice and discrimination (Dijk, 2015). There are
numerous races of people on earth and behave differently as a result of their
cultural belonging. Racism generally takes place when an individual or a
group of individuals face discrimination in the society as a result of their
racial belonging (King, 2015). The minorities of a society are subject to
discrimination to a point that they behave differently, just in order to stay
away from the discrimination (Craig & Richeson, 2014). People across the
word are subject to discrimination of various criterion. One can be on the
receiving end of racism due to different colour of their skin, different dialect,
different clothing habits, different language and much more. I am a coloured
Arab male living I the UAE and have been lucky to not have been targeted as
the country has no forms of racisms. In the paper I will discuss my
experiences being a person of coloured skin living in a county where racism is
strictly prohibited and not practiced.

2INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
As far as I can remember, I have had various experiences that is can
cherish in the country that I live in. The country has excellent facilities that
rare meant for the people of the country and the economy of the country is
highly stable (Cordesman, 2018). Furthermore, the country is free of racism.
The case is especially relatable in my case as a result of the colour of my skin.
Regardless of how advanced and progressive a country is, issue such as
racism can bob down their progression. In the current time multiculturalism is
a practice that is prevalent all over the world. It has been recognised by
countries all over the world that acceptance is the gateway to gaining
acceptance at large. The countries who appreciate the fact that their country is
full of people with people belonging to different races, gain an upper hand on
the countries who do not and practice the same. Accepting people of different
cultural backgrounds give the countries the option to utilise that the people
from the different cultures bring in. Thus, with the varied expertise the
country can bolster their expertise and competencies as a whole. On the other
hand discrimination in the form of racism acts as sources of demotivation of
the people belonging to different cultures (KENYA, 2017). I have feared of
being on the receiving end of racism my whole life and it can be said that it
could hindered my performance and competence. Being coloured in countries
such as China is treated similar to a crime. Once I visited the latter country. I
have had troubles boarding public transports, where cabs would not stop for
me, rather they would stop couple of meters away in front of a non-coloured

3INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
person. I have read about stories online where people were not able to meet
the minimum number of help from the teachers and peers. The main base of
discrimination was on the basis of the colour of their skin.
I have been lucky enough to be living in a country were racism does
not take place. In my school my teachers were helpful and I was not
differentiated from the other students on the basis of the colour of my skin. I
have learnt about the true meaning of multiculturalism and acceptance as I
belonged to UAE. Furthermore, the school in which I used to study was
colourful. My peers were of African, Chinese, India and Arab student who
found harmony by staying in the country.
It has been found that the negative implications of racism are higher
on children. Since the children are unlikely to be mature at an early age, it
creates traumas for them. Experiences similar to what I experienced is
prevalent al, over the world. It created a spot in the minds of the children and
shapes the perception and personality of the children when they are grown up.
Individuals develop different purviews about themselves. It has been found
out the number of suicides have been on the verge of rise as a result of racism
that the individuals have been subject to in their childhood (Carlson et al.,
2015). Moreover, the number of suicides have been increasing at astounding
rates in teenagers and the younger portion of the population (Azibo, 2017).

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Racism has been recognised as one of the biggest sources of
demotivation in individuals. As a person of different ethnicity than the masses
I have been constantly told that I cannot do this and that. At times I used to get
demotivated and used to will to perform a task that I was well aware that I
could. People who pass racist comments on minorities or different races as
they want to feel empowered. They believe that diminishing other people is a
method to uplift themselves. People with such perceptions have be educated
about the true meaning of empowerment. They should be educated about the
fact that demeaning others is never a way to be empowered, rather, I proves
the cruel mentality and the heartlessness of the people.
One should be able to understand that people act differently, speak
different, and have different attitudes to things as a result of the geographical
location of their ancestral chain. People behave on the basis of the cultural
norms, values and ethics that are established in a country (Guiso, Sapienza &
Zingales, 2015). The behaviour of the people can be modified, however I have
realised it should not be. However the colour of sin cannot be modified. Even
though there are expensive cosmetic and plastic surgeries that re capable of
doing the same, it would be subject to unprecedented expenses that majority
of the population of the world cannot afford. Hence it is useless to think of
experimentations such as the latter. I have a friend who lived in China. When
he was in his middle teen years, he had a friend who was very close to him.
They used to go to school together, spend time together and do basically

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everything together. He told me that they we were connected. My friend was
coloured and his friend was Chinese. However, the latter used to be to better
in academics than my friend. Finally there came a point when the latter’s
parents forced him to stay away from him as they felt that I would ruin his
studies. On asking his parents they experienced no hindrance in stating the
reason behind their judgement and found out that it was due to the colour of
my friend’s skin. According to him, it was one of the toughest incidents of his
life and he has not been able to recover from the effect of the same. They have
not been in contact ever since.
Racism is an epidemic that needs to stop. It has been killing numerous people
throughout the world. It is responsible for putting an end to relationships and
has been responsible for demotivation and hindrances in personal growth of
the people who are on the receiving end of discrimination. The people who are
subject discrimination such as racism are effected mentally, as a result of
which there has been numerous reports of health conditions of the people all
over the world (Williams, D. R., & Mohammed, 2013). UAE is a county were
people of various ethnicities reside. It is considered by some as a country were
multiculturalism is a success, People with su.ch perceptions are right. The
high economic growth of the country is the end result of the acceptance and
the practice of multiculturalism. UAE has been recognised as a country which
is the most forgiving and accepting to different cultures. Thus, people of
different countries who have been subject to racism have an urge to relocate to

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the country People living in the country are not discriminated on bases such as
religion, economic capability and there is no prevalent from of discrimination
in the country.
I have been able to develop an ability to repel all the negativity that I
have been on the receiving end of and hence been able to focus on life and my
career. I have been able to realise that people who are racists are insure about
their origin and are constantly seeking approval from the others, just in order
to get to know that they are the superior class. The feel good by making others
feel bad and that shows their mentality. Even though minorities are demeaned
for the colour of their skin and their cultural upbringing, I feel that racism
shows the nature of upbringing of the people who act in racist ways. The
people who believe that they are the superior cast should be educated
regarding the fact that they are not different the people they demean. Rather it
should be pointed out to them that they are demeaning themselves by carrying
out such unjust and unethical activities. Furthermore, they should be educated
regarding the fact that the people belonging to different racial groups bring in
expertise from the region they belong to. I have been subject to racism all my
life and have been suffering as a result of the same but I have decided not to
let the same to bob me down anymore.

Running head: INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
REFERENCES
Van Dijk, T. A. (2015). Racism and the Press. Routledge.
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Freedom: Through the Years I Keep on Toiling (pp. 125-139). Routledge.
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Guiso, L., Sapienza, P., & Zingales, L. (2015). The value of corporate culture. Journal of
Financial Economics, 117(1), 60-76.
Williams, D. R., & Mohammed, S. A. (2013). Racism and health I: Pathways and scientific
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Running head: INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION