Well Informed 2.0: Racism 2.0

 Discussion:
Social media and the topic of Racism are definitely connected in today's society. With the development of the internet, and websites such as Twitter, Tumbler, Facebook, and other social media outlets that allow people to anonymously state their opinions and start campaigns, we see an increase in what I understand to be Cyber Racism. I just read an article that states that over 10,000 racist tweets are sent every single day. This number includes tweets that include racial slurs, violence or hatred toward any one racial group. Social media gives people the opportunity to state their opinion without having to answer for, or justify what they've said. Social media is also used to make the public aware of racist acts by celebrities or public figures. For example, the photograph of Paula Deen and her son pretending to be Lucy and Ricky Ricardo. Her son was dressed with heavy dark makeup to make him look more "cuban." This event occurred solely on Social Media, and the employee of Deen who tweeted the photograph was fired.
Much like social media, racism can be seen in the world of citizen journalism. For example, in 2012 ESPN ran a headline that read "Chink in the Armour" after the Knicks/Hornets game. Jeremy Lin, an Asian-American athlete was an MVP for the Knicks, and this headline seemingly directed at him was quite uncalled for. The editor who ran the headline was fired, and the network apologized, but the damage was done. We see this in mainstream media all the time. People are identified for their skin color, or their geographical background rather than who they are as a person. Another example that I've recognized on a more local setting is that the amount of criminals that I see on the news that identify with a Hispanic background outnumber those that I see with a Caucasian background. I'm sure that there is a more equal percentage of each, but it seems like the minority groups in this area are publicized more for the crimes that they commit.


Position:
I definitely think that racism in any form, whether social media, journalism, or expressed verbally from person to person is uncalled for and wrong. Like I stated earlier, too often people are judged for the color of their skin and their geographical or ancestral background, rather than what they have accomplished in their life, or who they have become. I think that social media gives people a platform in which they can hide behind. Posting a racial comment anonymously is much less intimidating than actually taking ownership of it. Because people can cower behind anonymous names and IP addresses, they feel as though they have the right, to say whatever they want. Ultimately, I think that this has to do with the people behind the words. It's a beautiful desire to want and wish for change in society when it comes to racism, and I do wish for that, but in the end people have their beliefs, and people don't want to put the effort into changing. Much of this has to do with pride, and social media enables that.