Racism and American Identity: Structural Inequality in Healthcare, Institutions, and Media
Overview
This essay examines racism as a central controversy affecting American identity, focusing on three primary areas: structural racism within healthcare systems that perpetuates health inequities, institutional reinforcement of white supremacy since the colonial period that shapes wealth distribution, and the role of mass media in perpetuating racial bias through crime reporting and ethnic representation. The paper argues that addressing American identity requires confronting systemic racism across institutional, medical, and media contexts.
What this essay covers
- Introduction establishing racism as a controversial issue in American identity amid diverse immigration patterns
- Structural racism in healthcare systems and its role as a psychosocial stressor affecting health outcomes and mental wellbeing
- Historical institutional reinforcement of white supremacy and its impact on wealth inequality among racial groups
- Racism in mass media and film industry, examining crime reporting bias and control of African American representation
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Controversy on American Identity
Introduction
Despite the United States of America (USA) being classified as a developed nation, the country experiences numerous human rights challenges. The USA population comprises people from diverse backgrounds, which has created tensions within American society over the years. The US population continues to experience an influx of immigrants from Latin America, Africa, and Asia. The immigration of the above immigrants has broadened the phenotypic and cultural diversity of the American population. In contrast to the influx of immigrants from Asia, Africa, and Latin America, there was a wave of immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe flowing into the US in recent decades. In an environment where the population comprises mixed races concerning the native race, racial conflicts are bound to crop up, resulting in racism. Racism is a controversial issue concerning American identity, which should be managed within the US system of governance.
Firstly, structural racism exists within government systems such as in the healthcare system. Racism within healthcare has consequently led to the creation of health inequities in the USA. Despite social factors being argued as the primary drivers of poor health outcomes, Bailey et al. (1453) insist that racism too plays a contributing role. Racism is associated as a root cause of health inequities in the US health sector. The USA has a long history with slavery, being termed as a slaveholding republic in some instances. Based on health and racial discrimination, focus on interpersonal discrimination is regarded as a psychosocial stressor.