Session 22: Ethnic Conflict in the United States

The concept of ethnic conflict, mentioned in the reading for this session, is highly important to understand. Instances of such conflict, emerge due to ‘dislike or hatred’ for members of a certain ethnic group. These are not unknown to the United States. A recent indicator of this is the slogan ‘Black Lives Matter’.

Although racism has always existed in America, it’s surprising to notice that some people, unaffected by it, deem it to be non-existent. The protests being carried out due to the injustices directed at countless black Americans such as Mike Brown, are sufficient enough to show that ethnic tensions are clearly present.  A medium which plays a huge role in the process of political socialization is the media, and it is through the news which the media chooses to broadcast that reveals the extent to which ethnic discrimination is prevalent. The heavy broadcasting of an attack by a so called ‘Islamic terrorist’ may be given heaps of coverage, but an equally serious crime by a white man may be shown less and may be presented with less accusatory vocabulary. Thus it becomes evident that the media too, which possesses the ability to influence millions of people, has a biased lens, favouring some ethnicities over others.