What is racism?

Racism existed in the United States without legal contention for over a century before the Civil War ended legal withholding of rights based on a person’s race.  This doesn’t mean racism no longer exists in his country, however.  It is not uncommon for people to make snap judgments about another person based on the color of their skin or their perceived racial makeup. 

Books and other forays into the arts often reveal the remaining prejudices.  For example, when Star Wars, Episode I was released, there was an outcry regarding possible racism in the character of Jar-Jar Binks (which can be seen as stereotypical in his behavior).  Many slang sayings also show racism, such as using ‘gypped’ or ‘Jewed’ or ‘indian giver’.  As a country, we still have a ways to go before racism is no longer an issue – if we ever get there.